If Arthur Miller's play The Crucible were only about the witch-hunt for communist sympathizers in government in the early 1950's, it would be a literary anachronism, a historical artifact with little impact on contemporary audiences. This, however, is not the case. The play retains its emotional impact because it is thematically rich, and one such parallel-yet-integral theme is the classic struggle between good and evil, as personified in the characters of Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor. In the tradition of Antigone and Fatal Attraction, Abigail, who has seduced Elizabeth's husband, John, is a scorned woman who will stop at nothing to get her man back. Elizabeth Proctor is more complex; cold, unforgiving, and repressive, she is a metaphor for Puritan society. The two characters have antithetical qualities, and understanding these differences, as shown in their goals, traits, and motives, is essential to a critical interpretation of the play.
             If Elizabeth is moral, Abigail is not, and these dissimilar qualities shape their disparate goals. Abigail's goal is John Proctor, and she will stop at nothing to secure her prize. Abigail purposefully frames John's wife, hoping to get her out of his life. When a penitent John attempts to save his wife and accuses Abigail of being a harlot, Abigail, ever skillful at self-preservation and festering with hatred at being rejected once more, suborns an associate to accuse John of witchcraft. John is executed, and Abigail's goal of settling down with him is not fulfilled. If Abigail's goal is shaped by perfidy, then Elizabeth's is wrought in righteousness. At first, Elizabeth's goal is to stop the madness. She seeks to undermine Abigail, not for personal retribution, but because it is the right thing to do. Learning of the witchcraft charges, she tells her husband: "I think you must go to Salem, John...You must tell them it is a fraud...T...