Women’s roles and treatment during the time of The Crucible was tramensely different than men’s. In Salem, Massachusetts, The Crucible took place in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials and was written by Arthur Miller. Women were treated unfairly, untrusted, and being accused of witchcraft.
During this, women were powerless and were expected to comply. Mary Warren, the maid for John and Elizabeth, shows how she was expected to submit in the quote,¨ I´ll show you great doin’ on your arse one of these days. Now get you home; my wife is waitin’ with your work¨ (Miller, 20). John Proctor gives her orders that she must follow or receive a beating. This is conflicting to how females act and are treated today.
A married women’s main roles and responsibilities were to be a good wife and take care of their children. Elizabeth Proctor was respected and yet still second class to men due to their Puritan beliefs. She was still extremely obedient to her unfaithful husband,” To your knowledge, has John Proctor committed the crime of lechery? Answer my question! Is your husband an adulterer? No sir”(Miller, 105). John Proctor had already confessed. It was her natural instinct was to lie for husband.
Unlike most of the characters, Abigail Williams, the former servant for Elizabeth and John, doesn’t have a sense of right and wrong but seems to have more power. She is able to manipulate people into believe the lies she tells. She is viewed as innocent by everyone except for the Proctors and the other girls. The other girls follow along because they don’t want her to accuse them because the men with authority would believe her. John says “ If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she’s fraud, and the town gone so silly” (Miller, 51). John knows how crazy Abigail is and he’s saying it will be hard to prove it because she is perceived to be a saint. Abigail is treated well because of the facade she puts on.
There are a lot of changes over time, one of the biggest changes would be women’s roles and treatment versus men’s. Women were inferior to men and weren’t allowed to do most of the things a man could. Women were treated unfairly and were seen as lower class.
