The Crucible Scapegoats Quotes

Have you ever blamed someone for something they never did? In the play written by Arthur, the Crucible, Abigail Williams accuses many people of witchcraft leading to the death of 20 innocent people. Ever since she was caught dancing in the woods at the beginning of the play, Abigail and her friends have been trying to cover up their mistakes by blaming others of “being with the devil.” By the end of the play, Abigail is responsible for the death of many people because of the flaws she had which led her to make poor decisions. Her flaws of selfishness, anger, and cowardice ultimately led to her downfall which ended up killing many people including John Proctor.

People believe that actions happen for many different reasons and tend to blame others before themselves. Some believe that the devil is doing the work in the body of someone else, and some believe that the devil does not, and some even believe in witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, nineteen innocent people are hung for accusations of performing witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of young girls go out into the woods which is forbidden in Salem. They are sent into a frenzy when the town’s reverend, Parris, spots them dancing in the woods. The girls are led by Abigail Williams, a young teenage girl who lives with her uncle, reverend Parris. Abigail is not the most truthful girl, which ends up causing 19 innocent people their lives. Previous to these events, Abigail was a servant in the Proctor household, but was sent off after Elizabeth Proctor found out about the affair between Abigail and her husband, John Proctor. In Abigail’s case the more lies she told, the more lives she ended.

For example, Abigail displays her mean side when she says, “You bought me from my bed to speak of her?” By her, Abigail was referring to John Proctor’s wife who throughout The Crucible had tried to get rid to get John Proctor, and although she did get rid of her, she didn’t fully succeed, Proctor was also hung.

In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William's flaws-Immaturity, Lust, and Spitefulness- that led her to be most responsible for the tragedy of the witch-hunt in Salem.

Responsibility is a huge part of a person’s everyday life. Generally most people will take responsibility for their actions. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the theme of responsibility is spread positively throughout the play. The play focuses around the Salem Witch, where Abigail Williams, her friends, the Proctors and a few others are the main focus.

"There is nothin' more. I swear it, uncle," Abigail promises when Reverend Parris questions her further. Abigail's fervent lies show that she is determined to persuade her uncle and everyone else that she has been wronged. The author also intends to use this quote to show that Abigail has no qualms with lying. When Betty suddenly becomes conscious again and attempts to expose Abigail for the liar that she is, Abigail reacts violently. Abigail "smashes her across the face" and screams, "Shut it! Now shut it!" This reaction shows how far Abigail is willing to go to continue the ruse and convince everyone that she has done nothing wrong. Many of Abigail's lines are short phrases that are very blunt and to the point because Miller intends for her character to embody a person who was cunning and deliberate in deceiving others. At the end of Act I, Abigail begins to claim that she wants to go back to God. "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," Abigail cries after Hale begs Tituba to tell him who she saw with the Devil. This

Betty Parris’s considerable power throughout the first act is observed by her ability to single-handedly initiate chaos and hysteria within the town for her own personal benefit. This power is first witnessed following Susanna Walcott’s explanation concerning the possibility of a supernatural cause to Betty’s illness, leading Abigail to advise her Uncle about “the rumor of witchcraft [that] is all about: [She] thinks [he'd] best go down and deny it [himself]. The parlor’s packed with people, sir” (10). This is the first hint that others in the town believe in the presence and of the beginnings of the hysteria that follows. Betty started this rumor in the town by pretending to act sick so that she would not get punished for dancing in the woods.

Abigail is not only a liar she is selfish. She tells lies that hurt others in order to help herself and she is devious. In the court room she announces, "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

The crucible provides evidence of scapegoating due to the false accusations of witchcraft witchcraft toward innocent citizens of salem. The Salem witch trials was when accusations were made towards the citizens of Salem involving witchcraft. These accusations led to nineteen killings and many more people jailed. An example of scapegoating in the crucible is seen in the following quote, “Oh Mary it is black art to change your shape...No I cannot, cannot stop my mouth; it is God’s work I do”(120). This quote describes a “scapegoat” because instead of Abigail accepting that she had been caught in a lie, she turns to please Mary Warren under blame. This showed Abigail was only in judgement of herself and did not care about the way Mary Warren was perceived by others. The quote proved to be as scapegoat because the fault was shifted to Mary to Abigail in the clear. Another example of a scapegoat from “The Crucible” was when Mary Warren accused John Proctor of being a witch. This is seen

Guilt is often one of the hardest emotions for a person to overcome. Guilt is one of the few emotions that can hurt someone long after their integrity was damaged. Lying about something or someone, majority of the time makes a person ask themselves “ Did I make the right choice.” However, guilt can be a blessing and a curse. Guilt can show someone the truth behind their actions and make them act upon it. In contrast of that sporadically it makes situations worse. For example in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible one of the main characters John Proctor feels as if he would feel too guilty if he signed his paper confessing his satanic works.He refuses to have this paper hanged on the church door, his emotions overtake him and he rips the document into two halves. Contradicting that statement, Abigail Williams a teenage girl, blames her use of witchcraft on a clueless slave named Tituba and she has no disregard for her actions. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller seems to prove that habitually people would rather hold other people accountable for their actions other than themselves.

A court case is an event of great importance, and most trails ultimately end with the person or concept on trail being condemned to be guilty, or being declared innocent of the charge.Some trails take session upon session to find the truth of whether one is guilty and innocent. The longer the trail, the harder it often gets to tell between right and wrong. However, the guilt of some is painfully obvious. The deceptive girl, Abigail Williams, in Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible, shows her guilt by trying to sway John Proctor’s feelings for her, threatening her friends, and accusing so many people of witchcraft.

Throughout the endurance of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, vengeance plays a prominent role in the actions and fates of various characters. In many ways, vengeance fuels the need for retaliation. Disputes among neighbors has bred hatred and then witch trials brought out the vindictiveness of Salem's population. This leads to the deaths of many citizens in Salem by false accusations to the court. Citizens of Salem were utilizing the court system as a means of "extermination" for people who had interests or beliefs, that were contradictory to their own. As Miller states himself, "This predilection of minding other people's business was time-honored among the people of Salem, and it undoubtedly created many suspicions which were to feed the

Revenge clearly attributed to the downfall of many characters in “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. A few of those who wanted revenge included Mr. Putnam, Reverend Paris, and Abigail Williams. They all were presented with the opportunity, and they did not hesitate to use it. Innocent lives were lost during the times of the Salem Witch Trials due to these few people. “The Crucibles” by Arthur Miller still serves its purpose to this day as a warning of what can happen if revenge goes too far.

In The Crucible there are many that are accused or those who make accusations. Abigail is the number one character that uses scapegoating. She is smart, manipulative, and selfish. She does many things and yet isn’t ever caught or accused for the things she done. When the girls were caught in the forest dancing she made sure that the girls were not going to talk. “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” (Act 1, Lines 355-359). She made sure there was a fake story for all the girls to follow because she didn't want a blush in her name. From the beginning of the accusations abigail had someone to blame. She accused Tituba of making the girls dance in the wood and drink blood. “I never called him! Tituba, Tituba…”(Act 1, Line 880). She also blamed Elizabeth of witchery. She began to say that Elizabeth’s spirit came and stabbed her in the stomach. With all accusations abigail

9. What happened between Abigail and John Proctor prior to the opening of the play?