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Societal insiders and outsiders in Arthur Miller's The Crucible

In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the existence of outsiders in the tight-knit, homogeneous society of Salem, Massachusetts gives rise to a witch hunt that eventually results in the death of the protagonist John Proctor. Proctor is a plainspoken, honest farmer who refuses to condone the hysteria of the town, which he knows is at least partially stirred up by his former lover Abigail to enhance her social status and to separate him from his wife. Proctor also does not go to church on Sundays, out of guilt for his sin against Abigail. This makes him a pariah in a society where open professions of religion are required to be deemed 'normal.'

While Proctor, a respected farmer, holds himself back from Salem society, Abigail wishes to belong. She is looked down upon as a loose young woman, but her status as someone who can 'see' witches makes her special in the eyes of the town, and she gains power and notoriety as a result. This highlights how simply because someone is an outcast does not necessarily mean they desire to be one. Abigail and the other girls who make accusations of witchcraft initially turn against easy targets in the town, such as old, mad women even more despised than themselves. But gradually, Abigail grows bolder and begins to use her social power as an insider to condemn Proctor's wife Elizabeth, as part of her plan to have Proctor to herself. Although she fails to woo John Proctor, she does succeed in separating the Proctors by death. From a despised adolescent serving girl cast out of the Proctor's household, Abigail becomes an esteemed member of the community and vanquishes the people who spurned her.

To some extent, this desire to be an insider is also characteristic of the other accusers. Mary Warren, the Proctor's current servant, is a rather weak and spineless girl, but she gains a sense of fulfillment and purpose being a part of the collective consciousness of the accusing girls. Mary admits she has almost no sense of a will of her own when acting as an accuser. When she tries to break away, the girls turn against her. Being an accuser gives the girls -- even very young girls like Betty Parris -- a sense of control and empowerment as part of a group. But perhaps the most poignant example of how accusing others of witchcrafts and rendering 'others' into scapegoats can be empowering is the slave Tituba, who is a completely ostracized member of Salem society by her race, but is listened to when she also joins the accusers.