In Salem, women weren’t treated the best, they were considered inferior when compared to their husbands and men in general. And they never had much power in the whole political or even just domestic society of Salem.
So when Abigail finally received the taste of that power, even just a little taste as she made her first accusation, she would have gotten hooked, loving the feeling of the power she suddenly had. But what hooked her exactly? What was her motive to abuse this power that she suddenly felt?
“Give me a word John. A soft word.” (Miller 21)
Abigail was in love, forbidden love between herself and a respectable farmer in Salem. Yet after the nights of their bedding, and the storms of lust calmed itself within Proctor’s head. He turned away from Abigail, letting his touch stay on his wife, whom he loved dearly, whom he truly felt in his heart.
“She’s a cold, snivelling woman, and you bend to her!” (Miller 22)
She was no victim of society, she was no victim of pressure and culture. Her motive comes from a love she yearned and a lust that the young girl felt. She may have tasted the power of accusation, but corruption didn’t push Abigail. No.
“John, I am waiting for you every night.”(Miller 21)
Abigail abused the power of accusations in Salem because she loved John Proctor. Their last scene together, when sands of time passed through the night and the dawn of execution approaches. Abigail shares her final words with John, and by his gravestone, he turned himself to the rope, walking away from Abigail.
“I never meant any of this for you John.”
She regrets it. Abigail regrets herself abusing the power of her accusing finger in court, taking her enemies into the ground; she took the man she loved with the rest. There is no pardoning for a crime of lust and murder, no excuses for a woman who acted on greed. She may have been a victim, but she was not one of society. She was a victim of her own greed and envy.
Society gave her a chance to abuse power, but they did not give her a reason to. Her untamed history gave her the motive, for her lies tie the noose around the neck of the condemned. Even in history, you can see the power of love and envy, and there is a man who would tell us about the love that corrupted him. His name prolific and his killings infamous, yet he is but the same with Abigail. Hear him say this:
“I give my name that all know of me, so history do tell, what love can do to a gentleman born. Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper.”
- Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play In Four Acts. New York : Penguin Books, 1976. Print.
- Evans, Martin. “Has the True Identity of Jack the Ripper Been Revealed? Victorian Diary Proven Genuine Contains Huge Clue.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 6 Aug. 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/06/true-identity-jack-ripper-revealed-diary-confirmed-genuine/.
Hi Brian,
I totally agree with how you stated that Abigail was no victim of society and was no victim of pressure and culture. When I read the book, I also feel like she’s the one who should take responsibility for her actions, not society. I also agree with Abigail abused the power is because she loved Proctor, but do you think there are other factors that cause Abigail to abuse the power? I felt like love is not the only factor, but I do agree that it’s a pretty important factor. It’s also interesting to see how you connect Abigail with Jack the Ripper. The power of love and envy do make a big difference.
Hey Brian, you had a really interesting analogy about what the women in Salem would do if they had the same power as the men. In my opinion, your analogy makes the power seem like a drug, that would give the women a high that they had never felt before, which would lead to them being addicted. Like drugs, this eventually pushed their loved ones away, which in Abigail’s case, was John Proctor. Would you agree with my statement? Do you think the power she felt was as addicting as drugs? Was the power just a vice for all the mishaps that occurred previously in her life? Anyways, thanks for the interesting read and giving me a whole new perspective of looking Abigail’s power rush.