The Crucible - Struggles in the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story that contains many struggles. These struggles result from the strict Puritan society in which the story takes place. There are two main struggles in the book. The first never actually takes place in the story, but is described several times throughout the first act and forms the basis of the trials. It is the need of Abigail and all the other girls to be free and act like teenagers. The second is the result of corrupt trials. It is John Proctor's fight to convince the townspeople that the accused women are not witches (especially his wife) and that it is Abigail who should be killed instead. In Puritan society, the role of the child is to keep quiet and stay away. When Abigail is branded a witch in the story's opening moments, Reverend Paris is most concerned about the impact this will have on his image, not Abigail's fate. It is in this society that Abigail feels the need to break free and act as a teenager should: freely. That's why she goes dancing in the forest. She expresses her need to act with her age and escape the restrictions of Puritan law. Her fight is to do what she wants in a society that believes in giving her orders. It became clear, soon after the trials began, that many people were going to be falsely accused by their neighbors, as revenge and an outlet for their wickedness. When Abigail uses this case to attack Rebecca Nurse, one of Salem's top puritans, John Proctor begins his efforts to end the injustice. This increases when Elizabeth Proctor is tried and sentenced to death. This is John Proctor's fight. He must fight to save his wife, his community and eventually himself. Additionally, he must also convince the leaders of Salem that they are wrong to believe in Abigail. Although Abigail and Proctor are mortal enemies, their struggles can be seen as almost identical. They both need to change the way Salem's hierarchy does things. And also, both of them would just like to live a normal life (however, when Abigail realizes she can't have that, she goes crazy blaming everyone). This is shown when John Proctor breaks some of the harsher Puritan rules and he doesn't like all the damnation speeches Reverend Paris gives. Unfortunately, Abigail's struggle goes awry and results in the deaths of many people, while John Proctor's valiant efforts fail to save Salem from one of the greatest tragedies in American history...