To me, human nature is what drives all of the events of the Crucible. All of the conflicts in the play have to do with the little problems people have with each other and with themselves. We get to see how they handle those conflicts and so we learn all about human nature. Jealousy, being unfaithful, and guilt all play roles in the main conflict. Another part of human nature that influences the plot is not wanting to get in trouble and using a situation to the most advantage possible.
I noticed a lot of jealousy within this book as I read. Elizabeth Proctor is accused by Abigail because Abigail is jealous of her husband (Miller 74). Abigail wants to be John Proctor's wife, so she accuses Elizabeth of being a witch in an attempt to get her hung so she can marry John. She must be either really jealous or really inconsiderate to want to murder someone to get what they have. This is a great example of human nature because of how flawed her feelings are. Humans are flawed; it's a fact.
A lack of faith is a large conflict in this plot. We all do stupid things that we are bound to be made miserable by. John Proctor has the same problem. He cheated on his wife with Abigail, and Abigail decided she was in love with him. Then, Abigail decided to try to kill his wife in a way (Miller 74). Obviously, getting involved with Abigail was a bad idea. Because of his cheating ways his family got in a whole bunch of trouble. Besides the obvious consequences, because Proctor cheated on his wife, he starts to lose his self esteem. By the end of the play, he considers lying to save himself because he does not feel like he deserves to be martyred for his honesty (Miller136). He thinks he is so worthless that it does not matter if he lies to save himself. This is where guilt comes in. His guilt made him feel completely horrible by the end of the play. Guilt is a pretty common part of human nature because we all have ideas about what is right, and for the most part we all take care to do the right thing as much as possible.
As for Abigail, she blames everyone possible for her behavior in an attempt to avoid trouble. She really does not want to get in trouble, so she is willing to shift the blame to anyone else possible. I find this very rude and I am really not a fan of her. She's a little bit too much of an example of human nature. She uses the witch trials she created to her advantage. She puts the people that annoy her in prison and on trial. She even tries to get her lover's wife hung. Everyone will try to get the most out of a favorable situation, but her ways are a little bit more ruthless than most.
In the end, the characters of this play are the epitome of human nature. They use the blame game, they are self concious, and they are conflicted. Humans are flawed creatures, and as we read through this play, we are able to see just how much the author understands human nature. These examples of human nature make it easier to understand how the Salem Witch Trials escalated into what they did. We can see how they were fueled by human flaws. Human nature was one of the most significant parts of this book, and it would not have had the same effect had it not used such perfect examples of it.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996. Print.
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