The Crucible: Power of Falsehood

Abigail Williams Power of Falsehood
In American playwright Arthur Miller’s 1953 play, The Crucible, the author dramatizes and partially fictionalized the events that occurred in the Province of Massachusetts called the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials within the novel consisted of a group of young girls whom decided to frame several townspeople of witchcraft, leading these accused persons into being murdered or jailed. These false accusations against the innocent townspeople may have been done by these young girls, but their leader Abigail Williams made all of the calls, whether it were in accusing or within the actual trials. In The Crucible Abigail’s power of falsehood has granted her the ability to take control of people’s lives, thus revealing Miller’s underlying message that as a society, people should be aware of how they get caught up in situations due to being fearful and how it often results in irrational solutions.
Abigail William’s power of falsehood and its ability to control lives relates to the title of the play, The Crucible, because the word “crucible” by definition means “a place or occasion of severe test or trial” as stated in the Oxford Dictionary. The trial itself is a crucible because of all the factors that play a role in causing severe consequences. Abigail and the theme containing falsehood relates to the title through the events within the play. Within The Crucible, Abigail falsely accuses her peers which results in the accused being sent into an important trial that is strongly observed by the whole community. This trial also determines how the accused’s reputation will be forever known as; innocent,   guilty, good, bad, evil, deceitful, etc. With dozens of trials in the works consistently throughout the play, it demonstrates how simple it is to be put on trial but also how severe the consequences are when being put on trial.
In order to fully establish Abigail William’s ability to control people’s lives through her power of...