The Crucible is a play about the Salem witch trials in which the author, Arthur Miller, relates himself to the protagonist, John Proctor. They are both condemned for beliefs they did not practice and the refusal to name others who did the same. The young girls in The Crucible used slander to ruin people's good name for revenge and attention. The most prominent of them was Abigail, who wanted revenge on Elizabeth Proctor, both for kicking her out and being John's wife. The Crucible is a play that accentuates the consequences caused by jealousy. .
Abigail Williams was a very smart young girl, but she only cared about her reputation. She worked at the house of John and Elizabeth Proctor. While she worked for them, Abigail had an affair with John Proctor. When Elizabeth found out about this, she "relieved" Abigail of her duties. Abigail became jealous of Elizabeth's place in John's life. When the young girls were thought to be tainted by witchcraft, they had fits and named "witches" in Salem. Abigail was the most outspoken of the girls, and had an influence over the other girls. She lied and forced the other girls to testify as she did. One of the girls, named Mary, gave Elizabeth a little doll. Mary had stuck a needle in it for safekeeping however Abigail saw this and stuck herself with a needle. She said Elizabeth had tried to kill her with a familiar. Elizabeth was brought to court, but she could not be hanged because she was pregnant. John Proctor is instead condemned of witchcraft. Abigail ends up being a prostitute, with the casualties of Salem on her shoulders. .
Mrs. Putnam also shows jealousy in The Crucible. She was jealous of Rebecca Nurse because Rebecca had eleven children and twenty-six grandchildren and she only had one child that did not die as a baby. Mrs Putnam said Rebecca was a witch and had killed all of her babies. Rebecca was a devout christian and would never admit she had consorted with Satan, even with her life at stake.
