The Role Of Lies In The Crucible

Everybody has lied in their life, whether is was big or small. Sometimes those lies can start as a small snowball, an innocent little lie. Then as people start asking questions, that cute little snowball can start rolling down the hill, then all of a sudden it starts going faster and faster. Eventually the snowball starts going so fast there is no catching up with it anymore, and when that now huge snowball comes to a stop everything will be divulged. Often in literature, characters face many challenges. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller characters lie, and those lies will either make or break them in the end. It is clear that throughout the play many of the characters lied, John Proctor being one of the bigger ones. Proctor lied to his wife, Elizabeth, and their children, as well as the townspeople. His lying then caused the atmosphere

Abigail can lie easily, without any compunction or care for the truth, and she continues to lie. At the beginning of the pay Abigail and some others girls are caught dancing in the woods. Abigail is asked by her uncle what happened, she lies to him telling him that “[they] did dance… and [that’s] the whole of it” (Miller ####). Later it is found out that she was lying straight to her uncle’s face. Not only were the girls dancing in the woods, one of them was dancing naked, and Abigail was participating in drinking a potion to kill off Elizabeth Proctor. When questioned later, Abigail blames her actions in the woods on Tituba, saying “[Tituba] sends spirits on [her] in church (Miller ####). She also claims that all of the horrible things she has done in that past, like laughing during prayers, or thinking bad thoughts is because Tituba made her do it. She continually lies throughout the play for her own benefit of not being blamed and hanged. At the end of the play Abigail runs away in hope of starting over because she knows that there is no life in Salem