The Crucible: Act Three

I am currently enrolled in Psychology, and although we have only had a few weeks worth of classes, I have still learned a lot. For starters, psychology is the study of human behavior. One very important factor in human behavior is the environment in which the human is surrounded by. The actions and conflicts in The Crucible are very well due to the environment of the characters. One example of this is the Christian community that is portrayed in the novel. God is a major role in the lives of every character, not to mention the plot itself. Because the characters live their lives based on Christianity, when the idea of witch craft comes into play, all the people want to do is to get rid of the ones involved in such sin. If one is accused of participating in the witch craft, they will be hanged. The Christians believed it was easier to get rid of them than deal with their problems. In Act Three Mary Warren is taken into court and accused of being the cause of the witch craft. Abigail and the young girls blame Mary and cause a scene in the court room. Abigail even goes as far to say, Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits?Beware of it!" (Miller 108) As a result of all the blame and chaos, Marry admits to the witch craft even though it was a complete lie. I believe this traces back to human nature. Mary probably found it easier to throw in the towel and admit to a lie instead of fighting for her freedom. I think the basic idea of Mary's actions can be very relatable. Sometimes in life, it's easier to give up rather than fight for something. Although we are taught to keeping fighting, humans are on average lazy, an therefore find it much easier to stop while they are ahead. Abigail has proven to be a very mischievious character in the novel and has been the cause behind a lot of the conflict. She created drama between John and Mary Proctor. Abigail also took part in blaming Mary of witchcraft in hopes of tearing up her and John. Although Mary ended up confessing, Abigail still didn't get what she wanted because she is crazy.

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY. Penguin, 1976. Print.