Abigail Williams: The Victim Upon the entrance of Abigail Williams one might think she appears as a behaved, but occasionally deceptive child, on the edge of maturity. One might be right, but there be more than what meets the eye. Is Abigail a victim or the culprit? It is evident that Abigail Williams is a victim of Salem due to her emotional scars from her past, the strict, overwhelming environment of the Puritan community, and the symptoms of insanity and power hunger she displayed. It is shown in the text that there are many underlying factors that created her to be a victim.
A group of girls control the whole village of Salem with their lies. In the story The Crucible, by Author Miller, many people begin losing their lives due to girls that crave to save their own. A seventeen year old girl by the name of Abigail Williams is the lead of all crazy witchcraft hysteria in Salem. Abigail Williams is the main cause for all witchcraft hysteria because of her threatening leadership and because of her revengeful accusations. First of all Abigail lead the whole group of girls into lying about what really happened in the forest the night before the hysteria started.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller establishes a small town of Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600’s of accusation of witchcraft. It started with a group of girls who danced In the woods with Tituba, a slave, performing voodoo rituals. Abigail is responsible for the girls dancing in the woods and later accuse Tituba of Witchcraft. Abigail Williams Is a manipulative individual: throughout the play she remains dishonest and deceitful.
Proctor had given her love and attention, something that Abigail had craved for so long. When they were together, she finally felt wanted or needed. However as soon as Elizabeth had found out, it was all taken from her. The only person who cared for her as a person had left her. She couldn’t stand it and needed him back, even going so far as witchcraft to get her way.
1949 “an ugly foot print in history”, (p vii). “Receiving a gold medal award 1955 for the play”, on the death of the small town Salem and its witch-hunts that made it famous an act written on this even is called the crusibe. The corruption of Elizabeth when faced with death occurs when the people of Salem betray her. The next three paragraphs are based on Elizabeth Proctor a victim of the witch hunts in 1949,as well as the betrayed of the town’s people towards each other.
Love is the main motivation to all the evil decisions Abigail has made. ‘’John- I am waitin for you every night’’ ( Miller28) expresses how madly in love Abigail was with John. Her undying infatuation with John Proctor is what encouraged all of the sabotage and lies from
Abigail is jealous of everyone but mostly Elizabeth Proctor. She yells at John saying, “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a –” (Miller 24).
“We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” A quote from john Proctor in Act II stating how the accusations and hysteria of witchcraft has taken over the town. The accusations set on citizens from the girls have caused an uproar in the society and many citizens were either afraid of the devil or that the people themselves would have accusations set upon them. Suspicions of witchcraft were being used as evidence of whether or not the accused was hanged.
Since her want for him was not fulfilled, she will have to make another attempt at him, opening possibilities to committing additional sins and consequently substantiating a witch hunt. John Proctor though, did not only commit lust, but was lecherous with Abigail, yet since then has tried to renounce his feelings for her. She makes an attempt to make Proctor's previous affection resurface by saying, "I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near” (28)! By proving that Proctor is indeed held accountable for the committing of lust, he opens a gateway of sins for Abigail to commit in her futile attempts to win him back. His subsequent attitude towards her only fuels that fire and makes her even more determine.
Throughout history, there have always been issues with power abuse and the consequences of them are fatal at times. And power abuse can be created from the smallest of things, for example if a person sees that they can manipulate someone or something a small seed of evil is implemented into the brain, but it's up to the person to decide to use it to their selfish advantage. This kind of abuse of power is seen in the book The Crucible written by Arthur Miller. The character who abuses power greatly is Abigail Williams Abigail Williams resides in a small town called Saleem,MA in the year 1692.Abigail is an “innocent” little girl and her uncle is Reverend Parris and he receives respect and has a word in the town.. In this town and time there is a great fear of witches and
Afterwards, she was willing to destroy anyone in the way of her getting to be with him. Proctor definitely wishes he had never laid with Abigail, and everyone else was paying for his mistake, as she ruined everyone’s lives, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” (Act III, 378). A single lie snowballed, leaving death and terror in its wake, all because Abigail could not, and likely did not want to control herself.
One quote from the play that supports this is “ Gah! I’d almost forgot how strong you are John Proctor!” This proves that Abigail still had feelings for John Proctor, and that she still lusts for him. Another example is “John- I am waiting for you every night.” This shows her obsession
Abigail is willing to accuse any one in her path of witchcraft even if it means taking the lives of those close to her. Abigail Williams’ emotional desire guides her actions even if it conflicts with morality. Abigail williams is driven to do unthinkable things because of her love for John Proctor. Abigail works in the Proctor’s home and while doing so she finds herself attracted to John. Abigail’s obsession with Proctor leads them to have an affair, which they try to keep
She tells him “John, I am waiting for you every night” (Miller 23). Abigail claims that she waits every night for John Proctor to come to her. John Proctor tells Abigail that he does not want her and that he wants his wife. Abigail tells him “I wake and walk around the house as though I would find you coming through the door”. She believes that she walks around the house in hopes that she would find him coming through her door.
Abigail Williams was the goody two shoes that kept her reputation high, until she turned on many with a single lie. In The Crucible By Arthur Miller, is set in the year of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts where a witch outbreak has jailed many of the women from a fault of one girl named Abigail. It causes havoc in Salem that will lead to death in the village. Abigail has shown many transformations and showed that she is very dynamic from her emotions, to her actions, and to her experiences throughout the story of The Crucible. Abigail has shown that she has grown mentally and emotionally.