In the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller,
Miller displays how easily people can be fooled by the
innocence of youth. He also exposes the gullibility of
common people, even people such as Danforth and
Hathorne, who play the role of the "wise" judges. A single
girl, Abigail, causes the downfall of the whole society.
Abigail scares the younger part of the society into
submission. The people who must decide the fate of the rest
of the society, see only her innocence and truthfulness.
Abigail seeks the affection of John Proctor, a farmer who is
respected and feared by most of the townspeople. Proctor
makes a foolish mistake when he has an affair with Abigail.
Later on he regrets having this affair, and he wants Abigail to
forget that it ever happened. Abigail does not want to let him
go, she wants him to decide between his wife, Elizabeth
Proctor or her, Abigail. Abigail is deprived of attention and
she seeks it from the community. Abigail's parents were
killed when she was younger, and her uncle, Reverend
Parris, does not pay very much attention to her. She
attempts to give people the impression that she is a very
tough person. John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor know
what she is really like and wants to have nothing to do with
her. In Act One she says, "I saw Indians smash my dear
parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen
some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish
you had never seen the sun go down." From this we get the
impression that she might be a little bit mentally disturbed.
The way that she acts in front of John Proctor reveals that
she is not as sure of herself as she would like us to believe.
Mary Warren decides to confess to the fact that they are all
lying, and that she never saw any spirits. In front Abigail,
however, she breaks down and returns to her side. When
Judge Danforth calls for Abigail to be summoned to court he
is told that she has stolen her uncle's money and left the
town. Despite this fact Judge Danforth does not think ill of it.
Judge Danforth feels so secure in his position that he will not
accept the fact that he can be wrong. During the trial
Danforth is completely sure that he