Abigail In The Crucible

Abigail’s Evolution Throughout the years of the Salem witch trials, many horrific events occurred. Events such as when many innocent people were, “tortured until they confessed, and then were hanged” (Jimerson 29). John Proctor is no exception to this horrific event. Proctor is wrongly accused, by Abigail Williams, a young lady from the play, The Crucible, to be involved in witchcraft. In order to show reasons not to blindly follow authority figures, author Arthur Miller transitions the reasons behind Abigail’s actions from lust to self-preservation. Abigail is trying to eliminate John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, so she may be Proctor’s new wife. She believes that Proctor is truly happy that his wife will be hung, but he cannot show

However, the truth is that Proctor loves Elizabeth. Proctor loves his wife very much, and because of this he is willing to argue, and fight for his wife’s life. Abigail states, “It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman” in order to contradict Proctor’s argument for his wife’s life (Miller, The Crucible 11). This reveals how Abigail truly feels about Elizabeth Proctor, and allows Proctor to come to the realization that she will stop at nothing to have his wife killed, and claim her spot by his side. Abigail feels that Elizabeth is not good enough to be with John Proctor, and that she is the only one worthy enough of him. Because she believes this, she is constantly trying to win Proctor over with complements such as, “Gah! I’d almost forgot how strong you are, John Proctor!”(20). Abigail’s motive behind every move she makes is based on getting John Proctor to love her, and to want to be with her. Proctor does not enjoy these complements, and attempts to get her to stop, but she will not because she obsessive, and has her target set on him. When

In doing so, she ultimately dooms Proctor in the process. Abigail and Proctor are discussing plans for what is going to happen in court the next day when Proctor gives Abigail an opportunity to change her motives when he says, “I come to tell you, Abby, what I will do tomorrow in the court. I would not take you by surprise, but give you all good time to think on what to do to save yourself” (Miller, The Crucible 142). Proctor is attempting to get Abigail to stop before one of them is condemned to death. Proctor is warning Abigail that he is about to “unveil the hero’s guilt” to exposer her even if it means that he must suffer the consequences as well (Jimerson 51). Due to this, Abigail now has decisions to make that will drastically affect the town, and her own future. Abigail now has to consider “whether it must be that self-preservation and the need to hold on to opportunity” (50). Or give her up, and condemn her to punishment, which the town will decide for her. She realizes that Proctor is indeed a man of character, a man who will not stop until the correct, and moral thing is done. A man that would risk his own life to save someone he loves, unlike Abigail who condemns her only true love, Proctor, to death in order to save herself. Abigail also turns on her partner in crime, Mary Warren, and says, “Mary don’t hurt me” (Miller, The Crucible 107). Abigail is