The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 1794 Words

What does it mean to be a victim of society? A victim of society can more or less be defined as someone who is harmed by their surrounding environment. But being a victim of society is not nearly as it seems as people may easily play the victim in order to manipulate others, and that scenario holds true in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In this play, a crisis regarding the question of witchcraft is introduced in the village of Salem, a town ruled by a theocracy of Puritan beliefs. The dilemma first emerges when Betty, the daughter of Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem, is not responding after having danced in the forest with Abigail Williams, Parris’s niece, and many people around the village begin to believe it as an act of witchcraft.†¦show more content†¦Some of the names she mentions are Goody Osburn, and Goody Good, two outcasts of the Salem society. When Abigail realizes what Tituba is doing, she sees it as an opportunity to falsely accuse other women of the society of being with the Devil. Abigail exclaims, â€Å" I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!† (Miller 1.1050-9). By mentioning the names of other people thought to be seen with the Devil, Abigail is causing more trouble, as the only people Tituba accused of being with the Devil were Goody Good and Goody Osburn, but Abigail also mentions Bridget Bishop, not to mention, in the same scene, Abigail also tosses in a few other names. Due to the fact that there was no logical reason for Abigail to blame other women, she could have simply stayed put, Reverend Hale was questioning Tituba, not her, and the fact that the women Abigail accused now have their life put in jeopardy, Abigail is not a victim of her society. Second, Cheever, whom t he court has arrest those accused of witchcraft, arrives at the Proctor household informing John that