Crucible Act one

Self preservation drives the actions of the girls in the first act of The Crucible. Self preservation can be defined as protecting oneself from harm or destruction. The girls were influenced by self preservation after their incident in the woods for fear of being punished and judged by the town. In the current society the girls were in judging was much more severe, especially because of the religious aspects they were forced to live by. Any deviation from the norm was met with extreme resistance and disappointment. The girls danced in the woods, but Paris caught them in the act. This sparked fear in the girls and they followed Abigail's act to preserve their image in the town. Abigail was especially determined to preserve herself because her acts were much more forbidden than those of the other girls. "I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you...I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!" (Miller 19) The other girls had more of a reason to strive for self preservation after Abigail threatened them. The sense of self preservation made them follow Abigail without question and helped them to overcome the feelings of guilt and goodness that they once may have had. They now would be able to call out innocent people, lie about spirits, and twist the minds of the religious figures capable of keeping the fire going. Abigail was a main catalyst in recruiting the girls for the events to come; otherwise, their consciences would have been a major roadblock.

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