Discussion Topic
Abigail and Mercy's disappearance in The Crucible
Summary:
In The Crucible, Abigail and Mercy disappear by the end of the play. They flee Salem, likely to avoid the repercussions of their actions during the witch trials, as their deceit and manipulation have caused widespread hysteria and suffering.
In The Crucible Act 4, why have Abigail and Mercy fled town?
The beginning of act 4 shows how much Salem has changed since act 1. The dark act opens at the jail, where Herrick, who was once proud of his job in the trials, now comforts himself with alcohol, checking in on prisoners Tituba and Sarah Goode. The two ladies have not been heard from since the beginning of the play. Then, they were praised for their confessions and promised they would be set free, since they repented. However, now the women realize their actions have sent other innocent people to death. Cold and depressed, they fantasize about joining the devil in warm Barbados.
Later, Cheever tells the court about the cows roaming the town. While a group of cows seems like a small note, the fact that there is no one left to take care of them, or to tend the crops, demonstrates how far the trials have gone. In...
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an effort to save the town, most of its citizens have been condemned, and many have been sentenced to death.
There be so many cows wandering the highroads, now their masters are in the jails, and much disagreement who they will belong to now. I know Mr. Parris be arguing with farmers all yesterday—there is great contention, sir, about the cows. Contention make him weep, sir; it were always a man that weep for contention.
Even Parris is realizing that the town isn’t embracing the trials as they once were. He points out that when he excommunicated John Proctor, “there were hardly thirty people,” before these services drew larger crowds and more support.
Abigail and Mercy Lewis surely feel this shift in the town and begin to realize their time in power is almost up. If the change in Salem isn’t enough, the rumors are beginning to spread that similar trials in Andover have been turned over and that similar rebellions may occur in Salem.
Reverend Parris reports on the court that the two girls are missing, so their exact motives are not known. He reports the facts: they’ve been missing for three nights and, they’ve taken his money with them to fund their journey.
This be the third night. You see, sir, she told me she would stay a night with Mercy Lewis. And next day, when she does not return, I send to Mr. Lewis to inquire. Mercy told him she would sleep in my house for a night.
Excellency, I think they be aboard a ship. My daughter tells me how she heard them speaking of ships last week, and tonight I discover my—my strongbox is broke into.
Stealing from her uncle is her last desperate move before she leaves. Abigail realizes that she will never have the love of John Proctor, that he will die because of her accusations, and that Salem is no longer a safe place for her; therefore, her only remaining option is to run away with her friend.
At the beginning of act 4, Reverend Parris laments to Deputy Governor Danforth about Abigail and Mercy Lewis's disappearance. Reverend Parris explains to Danforth that Abigail stole thirty-one pounds from him and fled the community of Salem. When Danforth suggests that they send a search party out to capture Abigail and Mercy, Parris mentions that he had overheard the two girls talking about boarding a ship. Parris then reveals that Abigail had "close knowledge" of the town and received news about the rebellion in Andover.
Essentially, Abigail Williams and Mercy Lewis decide to flee Salem because they anticipate the community overthrowing the corrupt court and fear for their safety. Abigail and Mercy Lewis are responsible for perpetuating the witchcraft hysteria and falsely accusing innocent citizens, who are arrested or hanged in front of the community. Abigail and Mercy fear that they will be severely punished or executed if the citizens of Salem overthrow the court, which is why they secretly flee Salem.
In The Crucible, what events precede Abigail and Mercy's disappearance in act 4?
Most significant is the fact that John Proctor is put into jail. This is a blow to Abby, who in her heart, had desired to have him for her own from the very beginning. Bummer for her...
Also, the general feeling of the townspeople changed towards the girls. Where they used to think of Abigail as "a saint", the townsfolk are now, after all of the arrests and hangings, starting to rethink their initial good will. Part of this is caused because "the rumor here speaks of rebellion in Andover", which indicates that the people of the neighboring town of Andover have overthrown the courts. Danforth tries to deny it by saying "Andover is remedied. The court returns there on Friday" but Parris is not convinced. He thinks that Abby "had close knowledge of [Andover]" and that she was worried that rebellion would occur in Salem too, so she bolted. She knew that if the town turned against her, it would be bad news. Salem is in fact turning; Parris found a dagger stuck in his door, indicating there are ill feelings towards him and the courts. To add to this, the cows are wandering, fields are unplowed, and children are orphaned. All of these factors-John, Andover, the townspeople's feelings, and the devastation left in the wake of the trials, probably led Abby to get out of there before she was held accountable.