In The Crucible, what role did Mary Warren play in the accusation of Goody Osburn?
In Arthur Miller's play version of The Crucible , the story Mary tells Elizabeth Proctor in Act Two about the woman in church who cursed her and made her very sick for two days is actually about Sarah Good, not Sarah Osburn. Mary says that Judge Hathorne questioned Goody Good,...
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saying, "'Sarah Good, [...] what curse do you mumble that this girl must fall sick after turning you away?'" Sarah Good lied and said that she only recited the commandments, but when she could not recite any of them in court, it was seen as evidence of her guilt. Sarah Good later makes a confession of her guilt, and so she will spend some time in jail.
In the play The Crucible, as far as Sarah Osburn, Mary only says that she would not confess and so she "will hang!" Tituba initially accused Goody Osburn of witchcraft at the end of Act One, and then Abigail picked up the chant and accused Osburn as well. Tituba probably accused Good and Osburn first because she knew people would believe they were witches (just as Abigail seemed to know that no one would have trouble believing that Tituba was a witch). In Act Two, Elizabeth says that Goody Osburn is "drunk and half-witted," and this is probably what made her an easy target for accusations. Therefore, Mary really has little or nothing to do with the conviction of Osburn, at least not that gets reported to us.
Why does Mary Warren accuse Goody Osborn of witchcraft?
Goody Osburn is a perfect candidate to be scapegoated as a witch. As one of society's outsiders, someone notorious for being drunk and half-witted, no one would be at all surprised if it transpired that she was involved in witchcraft.
Thomas Putnam is the first to point the finger of suspicion. And Tituba quickly confirms those suspicions. Like all the other girls who were cavorting in the forest that night, she wants to deflect attention from herself and her own attempts at raising spirits. As Mary Warren was one of these girls, she naturally jumps at the chance to make Goody a scapegoat. Also, she's scared stiff of Abigail Williams, and so if Abigail says that Goody Osburn is a witch, then Mary has no choice but to go along with her.
Soon Mary has convinced herself that Goody Osburn mumbled a strange curse upon her that gave her a nasty tummy bug for a couple of days. Here we can observe the terrible power of collective hysteria in action. Deep down, Mary must know full well that this story is complete nonsense, yet she's come to believe it anyway as the witch-craze sweeping Salem has created an alternative reality in which all kinds of nonsense are believed without hesitation.