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Examples Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible

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Metamorphosis In prominent works of literature, there is always one character or a handful that cling to minds of readers. This could be due to the characters’ heroic deeds that are deeply admirable. On the other extreme, characters can encapsulate all we despise, making it a challenge to not link the story as a whole to the actions of one character in our minds. One such example of this extreme is Abigail Williams, easily the most despicable and vile character of The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. As this play unfolds, the clandestine actions of Abigail compound rapidly, illustrating the fragile state of her morality. To begin, Abigail starts the play off with a harmless, yet controversially viewed method of “witchcraft” to win the man she lusts over. As events unfold, she uses every resource at her disposal to protect her reputation and keep the ball rolling. From the very beginning, Abigail intimidates her friends in order to play along with her schemes, saying, “ Now look you... We danced...Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters...breathe a word, or the edge of a word...and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning,” (1137). The plot thickens as John Proctor refuses Abigail’s affections, as he feels guilty for his adultery with her. …show more content…

During the time period of the 1950’s, Arthur Miller writes, The Crucible. With the rampant fear of Communism spreading widely, a senator, Joseph McCarthy was rapidly gaining fame with his accusations. McCarthy claims that the Senate is infiltrated by hundreds of Communists, and leads an investigation. All who opposed his investigation suffer accusations of involvement with Communism as well. The actions of Senator McCarthy are a direct parallel to the actions of Abigail Williams in her accusations against all that threaten her

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