Avarice in the Crucible

Cambria Anderson Petersen AP English III/Period 3 11 November 2012 Avarice and Vengeance in The crucible The play The Crucible takes place during the Salem Witch Trials of the 1800s. Yet Arthur Miller does not reveal the tragedy of the witch trials in the manner expected. Miller expresses the underlying causes of the accusations made as those stemming from personal greed and the feeling of revenge. Abigail Williams, Mr. and Mrs. Putnam, and Reverend Samuel Parris all have their experience agendas as to why they cry witch on others in their village.Miller outlines the history amongst Abigail Williams and earth-closet Proctor in Act One Abigail was removed from the Proctor home by Elizabeth, Proctors wife, because of an affair happening between her and Proctor. Because of this, Abigail harbors a hate and jealousy towards Elizabeth. In Act Two, a warrant was sent for Elizabeths arrest The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris house toni ght, and without expression nor warnin she falls to the floor.Like a struck beast, Parris says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And Parris goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wifes familiar spirit pushed it in. (Miller 79) Abigail knew that from the beginning of the witch scare that she could exact revenge on those who she felt wronged her or took something from her, which would be the case of Elizabeth.Abigail knew Mary Warren made a doll, and was planning to give it to Elizabeth she also saw Mary Warren start the needle back in. Abigail took advantage of the situation to provide seemingly irrefutable evidence of witchcraft on Elizabeths part. Through this, Proctor sees that vengeance runs these trials, and how considerably people turn on one another to get what they want. Proctor also knows that Abigails revenge has no limits sh e has no shame, and everlastingly believes that she is right, much bid the character of her uncle, Reverend Parris.At this point, Proctor had to juggle keeping his past a secret from the public and defending Elizabeth, as Abigail will turn on anyone who wrongs her. Mr. doubting Thomas Putnam and Mrs. Ann Putnam have a sorrowful history of losing their newborn children, while only having one that survives. Mrs. Putnam finds comfort in blaming their midwife, Sarah Osburn, for the deaths, saying, I begged Thomas not to call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands (I. 50). Mrs. Putnam finds that crying witch on Goody Osburn would solve the murder of her children, yet does not desire to take into account her own role in her pregnancy, being that Miller says she is fourty-five years old (I. 13). Mrs. Putnam, in a way, wants someone to feel the pain of losing seven children, being that she is a narcissistic woman putting her child in the dangers of witchcr aft to find the identity of the person who killed her babies.Accusing someone of witchcraft, and potentially running their life, was the perfect way to exact her questionable revenge. Although Reverend Parris never accused anyone of witchcraft, he refuses to defend Proctor of any charges brought up against him from insulting the court to claims of witchcraft. In Act Three, Parris takes Proctors depositions from Corey Giles and Mary Warren personally, warning Judge Danforth that since he come to Salem Proctor is blackening his name (110) and Proctors come to overthrow this court, Your Honor (97). Aside from trying to protect his reputation, Parris makes such allegations about Proctor in an attempt to prove Proctor as an unreliable messenger. Parris wants to get vengeance for what he feels Proctor has done to him, full as Abigail wants revenge on Elizabeth. But, these alleged wrong-doings have only come from Parriss mouth he seems to enjoy taking things personal when they come fr om Proctor, and the court of justice scene is the perfect place for Parris to return the hate he feels from Proctor.The Salem Witch Trials proved to be a time of tragedy and mass hysteria as accusations ran rapidly through the small Massachusetts village. The source of the witchcraft charges came from the village peoples personal greed and want of retribution, as considerably as many other contributing factors. Abigail, Parris, and the Putnams all used this situation to their advantage, hoping to get some personal satisfaction out of their charges, thus ruining lives of their victims Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor, and Sarah Osburn.