Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary
devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Empowerment
The witch trials empower several characters in the play
who are previously marginalized in Salem society. In general, women
occupy the lowest rung of male-dominated Salem and have few options
in life. They work as servants for townsmen until they are old enough to
be married off and have children of their own. In addition to being
thus restricted, Abigail is also slave to John Proctor’s sexual whims—he
strips away her innocence when he commits adultery with her, and
he arouses her spiteful jealousy when he terminates their affair.
Because the Puritans’ greatest fear is the defiance of God, Abigail’s
accusations of witchcraft and devil-worship immediately command
the attention of the court. By aligning herself, in the eyes of
others, with God’s will, she gains power over society, as do the other
girls in her pack, and her word becomes virtually unassailable, as
do theirs. Tituba, whose status is lower than that of anyone else
in the play by virtue of the fact that she is black, manages similarly
to deflect blame from herself by accusing others.
Accusations, Confessions, and Legal Proceedings
The witch trials are central to the action of The
Crucible, and dramatic accusations and confessions fill
the play even beyond the confines of the courtroom. In the first
act, even before the hysteria begins, we see Parris accuse Abigail
of dishonoring him, and he then makes a series of accusations against
his parishioners. Giles Corey and Proctor respond in kind, and Putnam
soon joins in, creating a chorus of indictments even before Hale
arrives. The entire witch trial system thrives on accusations, the
only way that witches can be identified, and confessions, which
provide the proof of the justice of the court proceedings. Proctor
attempts to break this cycle with a confession of his own, when
he admits to the affair with Abigail, but this confession is trumped
by the accusation of witchcraft against him, which in turn demands
a confession. Proctor’s courageous decision, at the close of the
play, to die rather than confess to a sin that he did not commit,
finally breaks the cycle. The court collapses shortly afterward,
undone by the refusal of its victims to propagate lies.
