Alexa Pierzynski

The Crucible

Which Witch

There up there! I see her floating, she is calling to me. This spirit is trying to corrupt me into believing lies. It is telling me that Tituba was evil, she lead the girls in dance and witchcraft. The forest, it beckons me to join the sacred meetings. It is a trick I will not fall for; I will be in the kitchen when the other girls arrive. Now she points a finger at John Proctor. It cannot be the age difference is too great. Abigail had no connection to the Proctor family how could she possibly accuse them. The Crucible is distorting the truth. I for one will not fall victim to the disinformation anymore. By evaluating the historical facts to the main topics in the movie the spectator can easily find the reality. In historical fiction it is common that the data is blurred and unclear. This can make it difficult to sort the fact from fiction.

Tituba was well known for her secret kitchen meetings, where she read the rebellious children’s palms and fed them stories of magic to fill their routine days. The Crucible’s opening scene portrays Tituba conducting her lessons in the treacherous woods instead of the kitchen. In place of palm reading the young girls would dance while attempting to conjure boys from the village. Arthur Miller the author, chose to use the woods in order to symbolize the sin that the girls were committing because, both the forest and dancing are banned in the Puritan village.  They fail to acknowledge that her kitchen magic was a connection to Barbados; her native land.  There is no historical record of the girls being caught during the sinful meetings, The Devil in Salem explains that Tituba was discovered when Betty Parris was forced to confess. In the movie Samuel Parris comes across the mischief makers and catches them dancing. This gives the viewers an insight to Samuel Parris’ character. In addition the Parris household was recorded as having two house slaves, Tituba and John. In the movie, John is never mentioned.  The removal of John helps the focus be directed towards Tituba. By dramatizing Tituba’s role in the witch trials the writer and director are setting the stage for the rest of the trials.  

John and Elizabeth Proctor were an average Puritan couple that were faithful, religious, and strong spirited. However that doesn’t make for a good story. Therefore exaggerating a historical figures age to create a dramatic love story is commonly used in the industry.  This is evident in the Disney movie Pocahontas. John Smith is portrayed as being romantically involved with the Indian princess. Pocahontas whose age was exaggerated by six years. When in reality she was ten and John Smith was in his fifties. In The Crucible Abigail is a seventeen year old girl who can’t control her feelings for John Proctor and the two had an affair, while Abigail was working as the Proctors’ house maid. Abigail Williams was only eleven years old when the Salem witch trials took place, John was sixty. Which is forty nine years older than Abigail. This proves that there is no way that an affair could have taken place. When Elizabeth was accused it was no secret that Abigail was behind it. Without the affair Abigail had no motive to accuse Elizabeth. Also Abigail had never worked in the Proctor home, Mary Warner did. After Mary was fired from her job she pointed the finger at John and Elizabeth. In real life Mary had a vendetta against the Proctors. By accusing them she was able to act on her own vengeance. The young Abigail Williams had no personal connection to the happy couple. After Mary is accused she turns on John and blames him for connecting her with the devil. This hints at the historical hatred she had in her heart for the Proctor family.

The Crucible adds more drama to an era that was intriguing enough. Fingers were pointed and accusations flew; from neighbor to neighbor everyone was a witch. However by making the adjustments to reality the author was able to create an artistic atmosphere. Viewers don’t need to be experts on the topic when they read the play or watch the movie. The changes such as the opening scene set the mood for the movie in order to prepare viewers. Abigail’s age being changed made it easy to create a love story that romantics would follow. Tituba’s climatic life gives an exciting edge compared to her real story. Overall history doesn’t sell. Distorting the facts and mixing them with fiction does. Only the educated are able to see past the inaccuracies and discover the verity.