This unit, although it’s not easy, I personally think it is so far the most interesting unit. We interpreted and analyzed Arthur Miller’s work The Crucible in details through various activities, the dramatic reading, TIEA analysis, and blogpost connections allowed us to inspect the darkness of humanity, it was also very thought-provoking while doing the activities, we tried to shift our perspectives to Miller, and his characters’ perspectives.
Lying is a major theme throughout this unit, we have been trying to justify or invalidate lying under different scenarios, such as justifying Abigail’s actions in TIEA and blogpost, but as the unit came to an end, I realized that if we change perspectives, everyone could be either a victim or a convict, this idea was in both my blog posts and comments.
Here’s what we did throughout the unit:
1. Dramatic Reading (My Character was Reverend Parris).
How would you describe Abigail Williams? Perhaps a vindictive, vicious, villain?
Abigail Williams, Convict or Victim? Abigail Williams of The Crucible by Arthur Miller by Len RadinviaFlickr/ CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams is often viewed as the convict, Under Miller’s portrayal, Abigail looks like a convict who pretends to be victimized, this allows her to gain trust from the authority, which leads to the deaths of the innocents.
ABIGAIL. I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out!
DANFORTH. Child, I do not mistrust you. (Miller, 100)
From this quote, we can clearly feel that Abigail is the victim. However, to determine if someone is a convict or a victim, we have to shift perspective and find the origin of the problem – Why did Abigail conduct the witchcraft? If we rewind to Act one, John Proctor and Abigail had an affair, Abigail was madly in love, yet John wanted to remain his integrity and reputation, in which he chose Elizabeth over Abigail.
ABIGAIL. you loved me then and you do now!
PROCTOR. Abby, that’s a wild thing to say- (Miller, 21)
It is crystal clear why Abigail conducted the Witchcraft, it was her loneliness, her desire for John Proctor’s love, and yet John Proctor chose Elizabeth over her.
Besides John Proctor, it was the corrupted court that forced Abigail to start the hysterical accusations. Judge Danforth only values his reputation, he values how many people confessed, which encouraged Abigail to remain accusing. In Addition, although Hale is a good-hearted man, he promoted the idea of “If you accuse, you live” among the Salem town, which motivated Abigail to accuse others in order to save her own life. Corrupted society is the origin of corrupted people. “When the Devil comes to you does he ever come – with another person? Perhaps another person in the village? Someone you know.” (Miller, 43)
In The Crucible, Abigail is a convict in the Salem witch trial, yet she is a victim of this corrupted society. What determines whether she is guilty or not is our perspectives, neither side can be right, either side can be right, too.
Abigail Williams reminds me of the case of O.J Simpson, he was accused of murder, all the evidence against him were hard as a rock, however, several evidence point out the Officials might have fabricated the evidence, this changed the whole event, the court result shows O.J. Simpson was not guilty. Whether if he is guilty or not is still a mystery, it is all about our perspectives. He could be the convict of murder, he could also be a victim of the corrupted authority.
Citation:
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Print.
Wbur. “25 Years On, The Lasting Cultural Impact Of The O.J. Simpson Trial.” WBUR, WBUR, 12 June 2019, https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2019/06/12/oj-simpson-trial-murder-nicole-simpson-ron-goldman.
The word Hypocrite means “stage actors” in Greek, Stage actors’ actions and behaviors are only presented to the public for entertainment and amusement, but they behave in accordance to what they act on stage. This is exactly like how hypocrites behave, In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses Reverend Parris’s different behaviors based on different seniors to represent his hypocrisy.
PARRIS. I cannot blink what I saw, Abigail, for my enemies will not blink it. I saw a dress lying on the grass.
ABIGAIL, innocently: A dress?
PARRIS, it is very hard to say: Aye, a dress. And I thought I saw–someone naked running through the trees! (Miller 10)
In Act one, Parris claimed that he saw the girls were running nakedly in the woods, Parris would never declare such things regarding his reputation in Salem, however, this conversation is between Parris and his niece Abigail Williams. He is less cautious, less conservative in front of Abigail, she is who the minister of Salem can talk to without wearing a heavy, tight mask. Parris even declared that his primary concern is his own reputation, that his enemies will ruin him with the witchcraft scandal in his house.
Later on, in Act Three, Parris is publicly asked in court if he has seen the girls dancing nakedly in the woods, he said he never saw them naked, but he confirms that the girls have danced.
Mask-on
PARRIS. I do not, sit, but I never saw any of them naked.
DANFORTH. But she has danced?
PARRIS, unwillingly. Aye, sir.
This shows how Parris’s behavior differ based on different scenarios, he wears his mask back in the testimony regarding his reputation, despite knowing things will aggravate, he still chose to protect his own reputation. This is hypocrites, people with vindictive nature that wears a happy, caring mask.
