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What Is Abigail's Journey To Power In The Crucible

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In one's journey to power, individuals manipulate people and situations for political advantage. This view is reflected in Arthur Miller's 1953 play, 'The Crucible', an historical play based on events of the Salem witchcraft trials, that took place in a Puritan society in Massachusetts in 1692. Similarly, Kevin Rudd's 2008 speech, apologising to the indigenous Australia communities for past government policies, stemmed from a need to right past wrongs. Both texts explore how individuals and groups often manipulate political situations to serve their own ends and coerce others.

The play, 'The Crucible,' is set in the 1620s in Salem, Massachusetts. Between 1950 and 1954, Senator Joseph McCarthy investigated people suspected of being associated with communism. In the writing 'The Crucible,' Miller's purpose was to point out the similarities between the Salem witch hunts and …show more content…

She tells lies, manipulates her friends, and the town as a whole, ultimately sending nineteen innocent people to their death. Throughout the hysteria, Abigail's' motivations don't seem more complex than simple jealously and a desire to have revenge on Elizabeth Proctor. In conversation with the girls Abigail exclaims, "Let either of you breathe a word… I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." This is evidence of Abigail's intimidation, manipulative and control. Through his affair with Abigail, Proctor and Elizabeth's relationship remains strained throughout the majority of the play. Proctor sacrifices his good name to stop the proceedings when he confesses his sins to Danforth declaring the trials a 'whore's vengeance.' Ultimately, Abigail's efforts are in vain as she flees Salem with what she wants most, John, dismissing her pleas to follow, "It's not the ship where we'll meet again Abigail. But, in

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