Do not give them the blades. Do not make them this pleasure.
Show them now your honor and firmness of your heart.
In 1692 in Salem, Abigail Williams, a girl of seventeen years, is a servant to an honest farmers, Proctor. She quickly falls in love with John Proctor who is his mistress. Elizabeth, his wife discovered their relationship and out of the house. In revenge, the girl is engaged with Tituba, the black servant of Reverend Parris, and Betty, the daughter of the latter, a ritual of witchcraft. They are discovered dancing naked in the forest and the rumor of witchcraft spread rapidly in the village. Taking advantage of the situation to take revenge on Elizabeth Proctor and get his lover, Abigail sets in motion a ruthless machinery of justice.
I saw this title when I was doing some research to suggest a title for the Book Club of Mars Livraddict forum whose theme was witches. I do not know anything about the author and his work. The summary I liked especially the circumstances under which it was written. I would return to this point later. When I saw it in bookstores, I jumped at the chance and was amazed to see that this was a play not a novel, as I expected it. However, this does not upset me because I like to read this literary genre.
I truly hooked from the first pages. For a play, I found it was rhythmic. There is a certain dynamic in the chain of events that makes you want to know more. Finally, I read it in two days. The author's style is fluid and enjoyable. I am not bored even in the longer speeches, which sometimes can disturb me. However, there are two points I really loved it: the characters and their evolution and the context historical writing of the part that suffers from reading.
The first act shows the main characters in the play including the one that impressed me most, Abigail. At first I was feeling pretty close to it. She was afraid not only for herself but also her cousin, Betty, she tried to protect the repercussions of his actions (they have dancing in the forest during the night, which is regarded as witchcraft). However, as and when his behavior is changing and we understand that it has handled as it does with other characters. I came to curse. It turns selfish, disrespectful of human life and even unconscious. It really shocked me. In contrast, I enjoyed John Proctor and has been since the beginning. He exudes a quiet strength.
Arthur Miller wrote this piece in the era of McCarthyism that prevailed during the period 1950-1954 and during which we tracked for potential agents, activists or sympathizers of communism. The author himself has suffered. He transposes this "witch hunt" to that of another famous witch hunt, that of Salem. What saddened me most is the semblance of justice that the book emerges. Any such trial-fixing and unfair, they condemned when they were INNOCENT, the irresponsible behavior of all these young girls who accused the village without merit and without considering the consequences I was really mortified. I never liked the injustice and I think this trait has played a lot on my choice of study.
I learned that there was also a film adaptation of this piece with Wynona Rider in the role of Abigail and Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor. I think I'll try to watch it because I really enjoyed this piece and I would even say it's a favorite. I recommend because it is not only well written but also very interesting. In addition, it made me want to learn more about the Salem witch, trials, ...
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