Dave Oreste

AP English 11- Mr. George

11/25/08

The Crucible Essay #1

“Who’s to blame for the situation we are in? Who deserves to hang by their necks until their fidgety body becomes limp and lifeless before the crowd?” These questions are flying all over the village and many accusations have been made here and there. Innocent people have been blamed for being a witch and as a result hundreds have dies. Who is to blame for bringing this religious society tumbling down? Only someone who doesn’t quite grasp the teachings of the village would be capable enough to cause harm. That is why; Tituba is the main person to blame for all the strange happenings in the village. The reasons she is the person to blame are as follows: she is blunt to the idea of a witch because she has not been educated enough to know what one is, she tempted the villagers to use her knowledge to talk to the dead even though this was a great sin, and she leads the example of shifting the blame from herself and onto others.

Tituba is a Negro slave from Barbados, who was brought to Salem by Mr. Parris, to serve him and his family. When she talks, “Oh, God, protect Tituba!” (Miller 44), it shows that she is not well educated, as most slaves during that time period. This shows that she might not truly understand the concept of witchcraft to begin with. When Tituba performs her rituals she is just doing what any ordinary woman from Barbados would do, for example talking to the dead. She has been placed in a strict Christian society where her rituals are deemed as witchcraft because they look strange, but they are normal for her. This is why the villagers keep accusing her of being a witch and why she doesn’t quite understand it. But because people keep accusing her she gradually thinks that she is a witch as she says, “Take me home, Devil! Take me home!” (122), truly believing what the people told her.

Tituba may have only been a servant, but she brought a village to its knees. She tempted people with her powers to speak to the dead so much so that it tempted Mrs. Putnam to send her child to Tituba to learn of who murdered the child’s siblings, a horrible act to do in the village. This led to a demonic ritual in the forbidden forest where acts against God were perpetuated. When Parris figures out what happens in the forest the blame immediately goes to Tituba because she is the conjurer and without her there would be no ritual.

She fears that she will get hanged for committing these acts with the children, so there is a shift in her character as she tells Parris and Hale, “I put you way high in the air, and you gone fly back to Barbados!’ And I say, You lie, Devil, you lie! And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, ‘Look! I have white people belong to me.’ And I look—and there was Goody Good” (47). This is the first time someone has blamed another person and Tituba gets all the charges against her dropped. When Abigail sees this she does the same and blames others too. So Tituba sets the example of blaming others to avoid trouble and everyone soon follows. Thus leading people to accuse anyone they want of being witches bringing them power and protection.

Tituba is accused of being a witch she is now a “weapon” to be used to find other witches. Since she is now convicted for performing witchcraft, the only way to save her own life is by yet again accusing others. This is seen in her interaction with Mr. Hale,

“Hale: Who came to you with the Devil?” (46)

“Tituba: There was four. There was four.” (47)

She may have just simply not complied with him but she knew of the consequences that would happen if she did not. So it was her choice to accuse the innocent just so she could protect herself.

Who’s to blame for the situation we are in? Who deserves to hang by their necks until their fidgety body becomes limp and lifeless before the crowd?” The answer is Tituba. She was just an outsider who was placed in a society where she doesn’t belong. Because of her beliefs that contradicted with the strict Christian society. Tituba has created a pandemonium in the village, one which the village has never seen before.