The Crucible Act 1 Post

The Crucible Act 1 starts with introducing the readers to some very important characters. The readers are first introduced to Reverend Parris, a power hungry leader in society. Abigail,  the niece of Parris, is a little scandalous  and inappropriate for woman of this time.  She is involved in an affair with another important town member, John Proctor, a married man in his late 30’s. The power at the beginning of this act is in the hands of Parris. Power in puritan society was control over the people of the town and control of the church. At the end of Act 1 the power drastically switches into the hands of 8 towns girls, under the control of Abigail Warren.  The girls were supposedly contacting spirits, and acting like witches in the wood, when they were caught by Parris. They obtained their power by blaming other woman in the town of witchery as well. Religion was a very important part of the normal puritan life. The bible states witches are real, so the idea of contacting the devil and being a witch is a very serious crime. “And I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministry’s at stake, my ministry, and perhaps your cousin’s life.” (Miller 11) This quote shows that Parris is worried about losing his power over his ministry because of the girls’ mischievous behavior. Abigail Warren, Mercy Lewis, Mary Warren, and Betty soon become the talk of Salem, and the main people in court.  The fact that these girls now had power over the Reverend was very abnormal for puritan society when the role of a woman was to be stay at home cook, clean, have kids, and raise the children. Salem is now changing, and nobody knows what is going to come with the events in the future.