Although Arthur Miller"'"s '"'The Crucible'"' is based on real events, many parts are historically inaccurate. While some characters are true and accurate, many lived very different lives than as noted in the play. Miller had to create new stories to fill the voids of what he didn"'"t know, and possibly make for a more interesting story. .
John Proctor led a very different life in the story than in reality. One of the biggest things is that .
he didn"'"t really have an affair with Abigail Williams, although it isn"'"t mentioned that Elisabeth is his third .
wife. He was also much older than Miller portrayed him as. In '"'The Crucible'"', Proctor is suppose to be around 40 years old. He was actually closer to 60. Other things were simple like his occupation. It .
is mentioned several times that he was a farmer. John Proctor was a tavern keeper. Finally, John and Elisabeth"'"s their three kids lived in their house with them. The play portrays them as living by themselves with Mary Warren. Eventually, all five members of the Proctor family were convicted of with craft. .
Abigail Williams is another character whose life was full of differences in the book compared to .
real life. First of all, she never had an affair with John Proctor. Abigail was only 11 years old in 1692. .
If Abigail and John never had an affair, than that eliminates most of Miller"'"s reasoning for Abigail to call .
witchcraft on Elisabeth. Abigail is repeatedly called Reverend Paris"'" niece. Although she was .
somehow related to him, it is not listed in any kind of record that Paris was her uncle. It is also claimed .
that Abigail becomes a prostitute but this easily could be made up. '"'No one knows for sure what .
happened to the real person, says Margo Burns (English major; www.ogram.org/17thc/myfaq.shtml ). .
Lastly, at the end of '"'The Crucible'"', Miller states that Abigail runs off with 31 pound. Although he is .
paid more than this in a year, he wouldn"'"t have that much cash.
