The Crucible – The Character of Abigail
Abigail Williams the main character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller draws the interest of the reader as she is a wicked, confident girl who lies to get what she wants and defends her name and her life.
Abigail is a defensive girl. She is always defending her reputation and herself to get out of trouble. Abigail was on orphan, her uncle Parris feeds and clothes her. She was also expelled from the house by Goody Proctor, therefore she has little standing in village. After she was caught dancing in the woods, Parris questioned her name and she replied angrily,"Be no blush about my name." Later, when Hale was questioning Abigail about dancing in the woods, Abby defends herself, "I didn't see no Devil", and she points to Tituba, taking herself out of the spotlight and trouble.
Her relationship with John Proctor and her animosity to Goody Proctor also interest is as they are reasons why Elizabeth Proctor was accused as a witch and later the death of John. Abigail loved John but John only lusted because of strains in his marriage. When Elizabeth expelled Abigail, John gave up. This is shown when Abigail asked John."Give me a word,John. A soft word." John replies,"I will cut of my hand before I'll ever reach for you again." Abigail cannot have John, this caused bitterness and hatred towards Elizabeth. She says," She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, snivelling woman..."
Abigail is wicked and confident and is not afraid to take control of situations. This is shown when she is with Parris, Abigail is respectful on the surface but she hides her resentment and disrespect. She talks back to defend her name and in Act One, she suggests to Parris," Uncle, the rumour of witchcraft is all about; I think you'd best go down and deny it yourself." She is also aggressive and forceful, the other girls are afraid of her. When Mary Warren suggested that they should confess to dancing in the woods. Abigail threatens them,."..I have seen some reddish work done at night and i can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!"
Another aspect of interest is how Abigail acts as a catalyst for the Salem witch trials. She was the one to start the accusation of witches at the first place. She is manipulative and controls the lives of others, which causes the other girls to follow and play along, making her story plausible. This can be seen towards the end of Act Three, in the courtroom, where Mary Warren was confessing that she and the other girls were lying about the Devil. Abby took charge and pretended a bird was attacking her, "But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary." The other girls soon follow and also cried out that a bird was attacking them. This can also show us that Abigail lies and her life has been built based on lies.
In conclusion, Abigail Williams draws our interests thought her deceiving actions and mendacious character, and words showing us how hysteria can be made by one person, causing the death of so many innocent people.
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