Examples Of Envy In The Crucible

If turmoil comes over your town, would you take advantage of it? The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a shocking novel about witchcraft in Salem in the late 1600s. Many girls, including Abigail, were caught in the woods doing what was thought to be “witchcraft”. Once the rest of the town hears of this the accusations start. With little evidence to prove innocence, confessing or hanging were the only options. The people of Salem see Abigail as a perfect person, but we know that she is far from it. She truly outsmarts the town with her witty lies, persuasion of everyone, and she gets power and money by any means necessary.

Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is a historical fictional story describing the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600’s. The story brings up the horror of the trials. It brings up how innocent people were falsely accused and charged for practicing witchery. One of the main characters, John Proctor, is a victim of false accusations. The name resembles a sturdy pot able to withstand great heat, a severe test, and high grade steel. The different meanings of a crucible are shown vividly throughout the story.

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller is set in The Salem Witch Trial. During this time in history, religion was far more important than actual law and reason. In this book’s case, legalistic Christianity decided the devil himself was roaming the streets of Salem. Anyone who seemed as though they had bumped into the devil was killed. The Crucible is a good example of when people’s religion and social expectations turns speculation and gossip as evidence that people are possessed.

Due to the theocratic state in "The Crucible", many were forced to adapt while others decided to revolt. Abigail, a girl who just wanted to gain possession of her companion became the cause of many innocent people being hanged. In "The Crucible" we gain sight of dramatic irony where the reader knows the truth, Abigail is not a victim rather the antagonist in the story but the characters are not aware of this instead unconsciously believing she is a helpless girl being attacked by the powerful devil. Fate has not been in her favor as she loses her parents in front of her very eyes scarring her for life. The actions she takes and the outcome it creates cannot be pardoned due to the way she has become from this tragic event.

Envy is the desire for other’s traits, status, abilities, or situation. Envy is a trait that many

A crucible is a metal container with a high temperature known to melt substances, but it is also defined as a severe test or trial. The Salem witch trials took place between 1692 and 1693, during this time a tremendous amount of people had been accused, executed, and prosecuted. The reason for these prosecutions was witchcraft. Many had been convicted of practicing the Devil’s magic. Young girls had been screaming, barking like animals, and dancing in the woods. These abnormal behaviors had triggered the suspicions of witchcraft, leading to the Salem witch trials. These stories of trial had become equivalent with common phenomena, that still continue to be evident throughout the years. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible pinpoints phenomena such as

Jealousy does not only cloud our judgment of ourselves but it also leads to the destruction of friendships. Trials were beginning to take place in Salem over the idea of people practicing witchcraft. During this time people could accuse anyone without any hard evidence. With that being allowed, it caused a tremendous amount of problems and also resulted in the death of many innocent people. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, Mr. Putnam, Mrs. Putnam, and Abigail Williams’ jealousy gets out of hand and begins to create chaos throughout Salem.

Abigail’s jealousy is what ultimately drives her to the edge of reason. Abigail’s intense jealousy is exemplified in Act II lines 162-168 when John and Elizabeth are discussing the situation.“It is her dearest hope, I know it. There be a thousand names; why does she call mine? There be a certain danger in calling such a name—I am no Goody Good that sleeps in ditches, nor Osburn, drunk and half-witted. She’d dare not call out such a farmer’s wife but there be monstrous profit in it. She thinks to take my place, John.” Suppressing this emotion for so long - along with other emotions like grief for her parents and the aforementioned temptation and lust for John Proctor - made the emotion more violent when it finally reached the surface. Abigail is not the only one in the play who shows examples jealousy. Thomas Putnam is also a victim of jealousy and what it can make you do. In Act 3 Scene 2 Giles accuses Putnam of lying to get Jacob's land. His jealousy led him to lie just as it did Abigail. Like temptation, if people in the town of Salem had more ways to deal with their emotions than pushing them down they would experience far less situations such as the one that occurred in The Crucible.

Many characters in The Crucible are concerned about their reputation. The one that stands out the most is Abigail Williams. She does whatever is necessary to ensure her name is not associated with bad things. The first time this occurs is in Act I when she is talking with John Proctor about his wife, Elizabeth. “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her!” (Miller 1247). Abigail is concerned about what Elizabeth Proctor is saying about her around Salem. Abigail does not like Elizabeth because Elizabeth is married to John, who Abigail is in love with. Abigail is trying to make people feel sorry for her and look down on Elizabeth.

Many viewed her as an angel and truthful but in reality she was not good and had nothing but bizarre ways of getting back at people and bad intentions, she would lie to save herself and wrongly accuse others of doing things to keep her name clean. Meanwhile everyone besides the few who knew her, got the wrong impression and were fooled by her lying front she put up. Abigail was all about making others happy on the outside and a good christian girl to the point she over exaggerated it and her lying got her nowhere. In act 2.2 the text explains, “You mad, you murderous bitch” (Miller 152). By proctor saying this you see that he knows her intentions and even though he made a mistake he is coming to terms with it, she is doing the complete opposite and being selfish. No matter what she does deep down inside she is still evil, and still only cares about

In the book, The Crucible, by John Miller has a lot of injustice, unfairness and hypocrisy in it. Behavior or treatment means justice. Fairness is the quality of making of making judgements that are free from discrimination. Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or

***The Crucible is a play that explores the Salem witch trials and how the effect of suspicion and fear can play a toll on the members of their community. The story takes place at Salem Massachusetts Bay Colony during the sixteenth century. In view of this, the time period was taken advantage by the Puritan faith, which meant that the population consisted of spirited individuals who followed the faith strongly. Enclosed in this time period is young Abigail William who, also a puritan, constructed the main events of the play. Based on textual evidence throughout The Crucible, Abigail is seen as the main antagonist and stays with that position till the end. Her outer conflicts result in the most disastrous events, leaving men and women to their

The Salem Witch Trials has developed its own reputation. Some people think that it was a good representation of older history and how it has helped our justice system develop. Others think that along with it being a good history lesson, the trials were also gave early settlers the embarrassing title of ignorance and selfishness.

The word crucible means “a severe test or trial (dictionary.com).” The Crucible is story about a puritan society that goes through some troubles with “witches” and the calamity that follows. The story starts with Reverend Parris, a contentious minister, discovering that his slave, called Tituba, and many of the younger females in Salem had danced in the woods the previous day (Applebee et. al. 169). That information, and the fact that she is from Barbados, began what is now known as the Salem Witch Trials began.

According to Webster’s dictionary, the definition of crucible is “a place or occasion of severe test or trial.” In 1692, the Salem witch trials occurred in Massachusetts where several residents were accused of witchcraft. The reputation of many of these individuals and their families were tested and even ruined because of these trials. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the author fictionalizes an account of the events to convey that reputation is important in society.