Character who Endured the Most Severe Trial in The Crucible Essay Example

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller. It was inspired by the Salem Witch trials, which occurred in Massachusetts. The word crucible means a severe test or trial, or a challenging experience. This play includes many characters who have gone through many severe trials. Several characters were accused of witchcraft, pretended to be possessed, and committed adultery. Numerous people can argue on which character went through the most pain and suffering. After reading The Crucible, you can conclude on which character it was. Elizabeth Proctor endured the most severe trial out of all the characters. 

Elizabeth Proctor is the wife of John Proctor. The Proctors had three sons at the time that the play took place. After giving birth to her child, Elizabeth became ill. During that time, the Proctor’s had a servant who was Abigail Williams. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail. Elizabeth found out and instead of getting mad, she still gave him another chance. Many marriages end because of adultery. The trust ends, but a relationship is built around trust. It is amazing how Elizabeth decided to continue the relationship, even though the trust was broken. Elizabeth was such a caring, sensitive, and strong woman. John is trying to show her that he wants to make it all up and that leads him to denying Abigail. Elizabeth still does not trust John, and that is acceptable. John puts Elizabeth in a tough position, and their relationship would have been worse if she immediately forgave him.

Abigail felt hurt after getting rejected, so she decided to try to get rid of Elizabeth. During the dancing in the woods, Abigail drank blood as a potion to place an evil charm on Elizabeth. Abigail desires to kill Elizabeth to take her place. One night, Abigail played the victim and accused Elizabeth of attempted murder. That same night, men came to arrest Elizabeth. They informed her that Abigail was stabbed while eating at Parris’ house, and Abigail said that it was Elizabeth’s spirit stabbing her. The men then found a poppet with a needle placed in the stomach. It was evidence that Eliabeth was “guilty”. It is unfair that Elizabeth was being accused when nothing was her fault. Elizabeth and John knew that Abigail was doing this to take her place.At the same time, John Proctor knew that it was his fault that Elizabeth was in trouble. Elizabeth is being targeted because of her husband’s wrong doing.

Elizabeth was arrested and taken away from the Proctor’s household. John Proctor then proceeded to try his best to get her out of jail. After many attempts, he was not succeeding at all. Elizabeth found out that she was pregnant, so she was not going to be hanged until after giving birth. John found out she was pregnant and decided to confess to adultery. The judge did not believe him, so he asked Elizabeth. In order to protect her husband, Elizabeth lied. She did not know that John had confessed to adultery, so John was arrested. After lying, Elizabeth regretted not being truthful. She kept in her mind that it was her fault that her husband was arrested. If Elizabeth had said the truth, John would be free and Abigail would be in trouble. Elizabeth has to deal with the guilt of lying, and knowing that she could have changed the outcome of the situation. While dealing with the guilt, she has to keep reminding herself that she is pregnant too.

John Proctor would not confess to working for the Devil after being asked many times. Elizabeth was asked to talk to John so she could try to save his life. During the conversation, John asked Elizabeth what he should do. He could not decide whether to confess or not. During this conversation, it is noticeable that Elizabeth grew as a person. John begs for forgiveness, and she regrets being cold to him. She seems to stop dwelling over his mistake. Trying to forgive your husband after adultery is a hard thing. Numerous of women do not forgive their loved one after adultery. Elizabeth, however, forgave and let him decide what he wanted to do with his future. John was hanged, and Elizabeth ended up as a widow with three children and pregnant. Women who end up as widows are more vulnerable to poverty. Widowed individuals have an up to nine times higher likelihood of developing severe mental health disorders. According to a website, about 50% of the widowed end up developing depressive symptoms.These statistics show that Elizabeth was prone to suffering from a mental health disorder. Elizabeth ended up having to take care of her kids, house, property, and work. This could take a big toll on her stress levels. Not only did Elizabeth ensure the most severe trials, but she also had to deal with the severe aftermath.

The Crucible was a depressing and sorrowful play. Elizabeth Proctor did not go through the most trials, but through the most  sorrowful events. Elizabeth was cheated on with a younger girl, she was accused of attempted murder, and her husband was hung. Elizabeth went through severe things, and it was one after the other. Many women go through some of the problems Elizabeth went through, but those women end up falling apart. Elizabeth stayed strong, and kept her head up high. At the end of the play, it is noticeable that she changed and grew from what she was put through. Elizabeth Proctor endured the most severe trial out of all the characters.