The Little Girl Who Cried Wolf “Nothing is hidden that won’t be exposed. Nor is anything concealed that won’t be made known and brought to the light” (Luke 8:17 CEB). The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a page turner with new problems and more drama on every page. In this emotional story a town in Salem, Massachusetts is undergoing a series of trials to vilify the civilians who were accused of witchcraft. The accusations were based on animosity and jealousy from a group of ill advised girls. There was one girl who was considered the leader of this wretched cause, her name was Abigail Williams. She was a very manipulative and petty girl. She abused her power that she obtained over the group of followers she had managed to maintain. Abigail appears to have no conception of how to treat others or how to reasonably work things out. She tends to resort directly to violence and threats knowing that the people around …show more content…
She shows that she can be a manipulative and conniving person to get what she wants when she wants it. She she shows that she abuses her power for bad causes. She shows that she will take drastic measures to make sure that her plans are not interfered with. Abigail proves that if you give an inch she will take a mile and not think twice about it. She makes others feel bad about themselves to make herself feel better and more in control. She turns on those who attempt to come out with the truth and makes them look as though they are the witches. It is like everyone in the town are pieces of her board game. If you make her mad she will make your life miserable. Abigail doesn 't know when enough is enough or when it has gone too far she just goes until she is satisfied with the outcome. Little does she know that she is wearing on the trust of the town. As she continues with the lies and accusations she begins to accuse the wrong people. Lying gets you nowhere except alone and wishing you
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William’s flaws – mendacity, lust, and arrogance – that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts. Driven by lust, Abigail was able to lie to the Salem community in hopes of covering her and her friends’ deeds and gaining the attention of John Proctor. Her arrogance enabled her t0 advance her deceit.
In every family, there is one child that is always very misleading and evil, and besides that, they get away with everything that they do that is unsound. The certain person in the family may break on of you mom’s favorite plate, and then end up placing the blame on you, and then persuades your parents that he or she is telling the true. Abigail Williams is the poor duplicate of that sibling or relative. She influences everyone that she is an innocent teenage girl, but that is not the case throughout the play. In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Abigail is the bona fide misleading and evil teenage girl.
Throughout the entire play, it is made clear that Abigail has control over the younger girls in the village. In Act 1, it is right away noticed that her way of controlling them is through causing fear by making threats. While talking to Betty, Mary, and Mercy about being careful with what they say regarding the event that occurred in the woods, she says, “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word...and i will come to you in the black of some
Abigail's necessity for revenge makes her threaten the young ladies into following her idea of deception. “Let either of you breathe a word,” Abigail threatens, “or the edge of a word about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you”(835). Abigail knows that all the girls in the woods fear her to death. Which made the witch trials easier for her to get by. Another thing is that Abigail ends her affair with John Proctor to try to get revenge on him. “A man may think God
Her selfishness is evident when Abigail and her friends accuse the innocent people of Salem of witchcraft. She puts the blame on others, so she does not get punished for dancing in the woods. Abigail shows her anger towards John Proctor when she tries to accuse his wife and ultimately gets John killed. Her anger leads her to make the poor decisions of getting John killed, even though he did nothing wrong. She is a coward when she puts the blame on innocent people and runs away before John gets hung. Her craven attitude is the last flaw that ultimately leads her to run away from Salem. Abigail’s flaws eventually bring her to her downfall by the end of the
the town. Abigail doesn't want anyone to find out that she was in the forest so
Sometimes, things are not what they seem. In the story The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a character named Abigail Williams does not fit the description of a typical, Puritan girl. Puritans are dedicated to their religion and the young girls are meant to be well-behaved and proper. Yet Abigail is found breaking some of the Ten Commandments. What drives her to do such evil things? She partakes in forbidden rituals, commits adultery, and lies under the oath of God, but Abigail is not at fault. Any young girl in Salem during the witch trials would have done the same, as a whole crowd of other girls did. She is used for sex by a man named John Proctor. She lies to receive the human necessity of respect, security, and belonging. She behaves the way a young girl would act. Abigail is portrayed as a dishonest, corrupt, and vicious girl, but in reality, she is the victim of the Salem Witch Trials for she is only following her natural impulses, is blinded by her love, and carries out the mess the adults have created only to try to protect herself.
It is clear that Abigail Williams is portrayed as the antagonist in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, taking place in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts and based on the witch-trials therein. She serves as a catalyst for the witch trials by falsely accusing innocent townspeople with the intent of maintaining the position of power she gains from them. Due to the transparency of her actions, Abigail’s ulterior motives are also distinguishable. Certain effeminate stereotypes are presented throughout the course of the play. One of which, being that of the immoral, husbandless woman, Abigail embodies. Slave to emotion and motivated by lust, Abigail falls
She is the niece of Reverend Parris and the cousin of Betty Parris; she used to work as a servant for the Proctors, before being sent away by Elizabeth Proctor; she is the ringleader of the “afflicted” girls. Abigail Williams was the initial instigator of the witch hunt in Salem in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. She lied and accused others of witchcraft in order to save herself. During the Salem Witch Trials over 200 people were accused of witchcraft and 20 were executed (Blumberg). Abigail Williams is a member of a strict Puritan society. Witnessing her parents being murdered right in front of her, being forced to live with her selfish inconsiderate uncle, and having a love for a man she
Abigail Shows mendacity throughout the whole story by blaming people of witchcraft. “Uncle, we did dance; let you tell them I confessed it” (10). The was one of the first she tells trying to cover up what she actually did. She lied to her uncle about what happened that night about how she was practicing witchcraft and how she drank blood to kill elizabeth proctor to get john proctor all for herself. Another time was when she said “she sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!” Abigail is lying by saying Tituba sends her spector to her to cover and explain why she would laugh in church while she was praying. Abigail was desperate to put the blame on someone this is only the beginning of the lies.
most individuals will sometimes go any lengths to get what they want. Abigail is a prime
In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Abigail Williams plays a very important role in the play. In fact without her there would not be a Salem witch trial in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail is the source of all the hysteria in attempt to defend herself from her crimes. She is a mean and vindictive person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Throughout the play her lies and accusations and cause many people there lives , but she seemed to never care for any of them except John Proctor who she had an affair with several months prior to the beginning of the play. Abigail is definitely the antagonist of the village. She tells lies, manipulates her friends and the entire town, and eventually sends nineteen innocent people to their deaths. Abigail Williams is Selfish and
The Crucible is a dramatized, and partially fictional story of the Salem witch trials, that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A twisted minded, controlling, teenage girl who is the cause of all of this. Abigail Williams, the minister's seventeen year old niece who accuses several local women of witchcraft. In the Crucible we experienced a lot of things the death of Mrs. Putnam's seven children, Abigail floundering with Mr. Proctor, and much more. Elizabeth Proctor is the wife of John Proctor. Elizabeth can be portrayed as a caring, loving, trustworthy and a forgiving character, that everyone would love to have in their lives. On the other hand, we have Abigail Williams which could be portrayed as a bully, a liar, and
The characters in The Crucible are often viewed as callous and ignorant to their surroundings but such quick judgements can lead a reader to overlook each character's importance and what message they try to convey. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible chaos ensues as accusations of witchcraft fly about turning neighbor upon neighbor and exposing the seedy underbelly of a Puritan New England town. The accusations are lead by a young girl and her devoted followers whose vengeance damns anyone that opposes them. Whether virtuous or wicked the women in The Crucible are strong influences within the community of Salem and the overall effect of the play.
The Crucible demonstrates a dynamic relationship between fear, judgement, and death. In the Salem community, individuals were accused of witchcraft and executed based off the words and actions of others. Words that murdered innocent victims and brought hysteria to the quiet town. Malice laced in accusations charged by a few teenagers of Salem who wanted control. Abigail who is the ring leader of the entirety of the ploy, who used Christian principles, and played off the fear of others for her own gain. Arthur Miller portrays Abigail Williams as a manipulative, envious, and a deceptive antagonist which brought her fate upon herself.