A crucible is a heat resistant container
used to test the purity of certain substances via high temperatures. The
honesty and purity of all Salem residents was on trial. Many fell short of true
integrity when faced with the harsh reality of their faith and chose to pin the
guilt of others instead just like Tituba did. “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
Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop
with the Devil!”(Act I). After the slave-girl Tituba has confessed to
witchcraft. Abigail spent the first act worrying desperately about the
possibility of being disgraced for having cast charms with her friends in the
forest. Tituba’s confession, however, offers an example of a way out, and
Abigail takes it. She “confesses” to consorting with the Devil, which,
according to the theology of Salem, means that she is redeemed and free from
guilt. Then, she accuses others of being witches and shift the blame to the
others.
The plot is tied to Puritain ideals on
purity, godliness, and strict punishments. The society is forced to maintain completely
virtuous lives. Even slight departure from these ideals represents a departure
from divine mandate, and is punishable by torture and death. Another critical
theme in The Crucible is the role that hysteria can play in tearing apart a
community. In The Crucible, the townsfolk accept and become active in the
hysterica climate not only out of genuine religious piety but also because it
gives them a chance to express repressed sentiments and to act on long helpd
grudges. The most obvious case is Abigail, who uses the situation to accuse
Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft and have her sent to jail.
The consequence of sin and wrongdoing in
Puritain society was harsh punishment, or death. Many found this too heavy a
burden and deferred guilt to whoever was the most likely candidate. In
addition, some falsely accused their neighbors as witches in order to obtain
their land, possessions, or loves. Such as Abigail, who tries to take Proctor
as her husband and her rage overflows and we see the roots of what becomes her
targeted, destructive romp through Salem. “I look for John Proctor that took me
from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem
was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women
and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I
will not, I cannot! You loved men John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you
love me yet!” (Act I). Abigail Williams utters these words in an Act I
conversation with John Proctor, clueing the audience in to her past affair with
him. While Proctor may still be attracted to her, he is desperately trying to
put the incident behind him. However, Abigail has no such sense of closure, as
this quote makes clear.
