The Crucible
Personal Motives
Fear, greed, ambition, revenge, and jealousy are personal motives used in the 21st Century as well as in the 1600s. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, illustrates fear, greed, ambition, revenge, and jealousy, and how each of them led to the loss of many innocent lives in Salem, MA, in 1692. Abigail Williams, Ann and Thomas Putnam, and Reverend Parris had personal motives that contributed to the outbreak of hysteria in Salem Village.
Abigail Williams, the child who started all the hysteria, had three major motives: jealousy, revenge, and fear. Abigail charged Tituba with witchcraft because she feared punishment from getting caught dancing in the woods, a forbidden activity in Puritan times. As a result of Abigail charging Tituba, Tituba then charged others. Abigail also charged Elizabeth Proctor because she was jealous of Elizabeth?s marriage to Proctor. Abigail charged Proctor as well because she wanted revenge on him for not wanting to continue their affair. As a result, both Elizabeth and John Proctor were charged. Abigail, although the first to instigate the accusations, was by no means the only one.
Ann and Thomas Putnam were also a part of this group that started the
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