The Crucible Feelings

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible feelings of resentment, jealousy, and revenge result in the execution of innocent citizens. Miller wrote the historical drama with the intent of explaining the basis of the witch hunt that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690’s. The play was written in the 1950’s, a period of great hostility in the United States. At this time Senator Joseph McCarthy was accusing people of cooperating with the Communist party. Similar to the Salem witch trials, the hostility and paranoia of the American government led to the conviction of innocent citizens. As a response to these events, Miller wrote The Crucible to explain how disagreement, mistrust, and oppression consequently lead to the complete disregard of law and morality in a community. Miller changes certain aspects of the story and adds themes of love, hate, and deception in order to make it more appealing and relatable.

Love plays a key role in the development of the plot in The Crucible. The romantic relationship between John Proctor and Abigail Williams is the main focus of the story. Miller “boosts” Abigail’s age from eleven to seventeen in order to characterize her as an experienced, deceiving, and cunning young girl. Abigail’s unique and admirable qualities make the girls of Salem respect and fear her. But others, like Elizabeth Proctor, do not think Abigail’s behavior is praiseworthy. Instead, Goody Proctor thinks “the girl is murder! [And] she must be ripped out of the world!” (II, 76) Abigail’s maturity not only makes her the leader of “the afflicted”, but also a seductress. After Proctor is seduced by Abigail he realizes that his actions are wrong, and immediately seeks the forgiveness of his wife, Elizabeth. When Abby realizes that John is no longer interested in her she is enraged, and in turn she accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being affiliated with Satan. Abigail’s anger and lunacy lead to the accusations of many other innocent citizens.