In Arthur Miller’s captivating play, The Crucible, the Salem witch trials were examined. There were horrific events described by the author. These events actually happened and are portrayed very well in this specific novel. There are many, one could argue, who could and should have been blamed for what happened in Salem. Whether it was just one person or multiple, these events were not good. The author was able to describe a character who is portrayed as the obvious villain, and the character most readers believe should be blamed for the specific events that took place. without having to think about too much, one would say the blame definitely falls on Abigail. Abigail and her friends, were playing with witchcraft in a way to cause harm to the people that were in their way.
Abigail was the instigator, even though she was not the only one dancing in the woods of course. She was the one with the ability to get her friends to play along with her plans and schemes to get what she wanted. The problem with blaming Abigail is the reader finds out that Abigail and John Proctor had an affair and that Abigail was in love with him. John Proctor was a lot older than Abigail and a married man which means Abigail could also be considered a victim. She had a very tough life growing up and was young. What she did was not the right thing, but people made her out to be worse than she really was.
Now, who gets the most blame? Reverend John Hale gets the most blame for the events. He was called upon and given great authority on the subject of witchcraft. Pg. 35, Proctor: “I’ve heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem.” He was educated and took pride in the fact that he was called to solve a mystery. Most of the people in Salem could not even read and he was aware of this. Pg. 34, “Rumors make him smile at the ignorance of the yeomanry in this most precise science”, “He feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe-kings, philosophers, scientists…” Everyone was looking to him to set things straight, but he did not look at the evidence as he knew he should. Instead, he called on the marshals, Pg. 45, Hale: “Let the marshal bring irons!” If he had taken the time to investigate the situation, he could have stopped it from escalating to the death of many innocent people.
Even though Abigail should take a lot of the blame for what happened, the measures taken to handle the situation were way out of line. Abigail was smart and looking for a way out of the life she did not want. She found a way to manipulate the people of Salem. Again she was young, but old enough to know right from wrong. Reverend John Hale was the one given the power to help the falsely accused, but did not do his due diligence in finding the truth as he was trained. He did realize his mistake and tried to make things right, but it was too late. Pg. 92- Hale realizing his role in the prosecutions says “I signed away the soul..,” Pg.121-Hale: “There is blood on my head!”
In conclusion, this eventful play had many characters that you could blame for the events that took place, more were right than others, but the way the author explained why, puts it all up to the reader and their opinion. In my opinion, the two characters with the most blame are Abigail for coming up with and executing a plan to take out the people in her way and Reverend John Hale for not using his power and authority properly.
