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Theme Of Revenge In The Crucible

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The prideful have a likeness to vipers; if they feel you have wronged them they will strike until they feel revenge has been gained. Salem, Massachusetts became the poster child for the 17th century witch-hunts. This story is about this town during this period of confusion and hysteria in 1692. Before these events there are, of course, typical small town issues such as land disputes and neighborly disagreements. The town’s reverend, Parris, caught his daughter, niece, slave, and other local girls dancing naked around a fire and singing wild songs. Betty, his daughter, is struck ill by the shock when her father appears and there the story begins. In the drama, The Crucible, Arthur Miller creates conflicts between characters to shape the belief that prideful people seek revenge no matter the cost to others. Abigail Williams, Parris’s niece, is the prime example of pride fueling revenge in this play. She has been so used to being able to control everything since she accused the first person of witchcraft that her ego is inflated therefore she even tries to manipulate the courts. Anyone or anything that has even slightly shook Abigail’s fragile pride has felt her wrath. The town court is no exception. John Proctor, a prominent citizen and Abigail’s former boss, confesses to the affair he had with her in an attempt to discredit the lies she has been feeding them. She immediately reacted defensively since she knew this would spin the situation out of her hand. In a last stitch

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