Affects A Bad Reputation In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows that the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials stems from human failings, particularly the need for vengeance, greed, and fear. Abigail Williams is an example of all three. Her fear prompts her to first accuse random women, her need for vengeance directs her toward Elizabeth, and her greed for power affects the lives of everyone around her. Individual flaws, when acted on collectively, inevitably cause the downfall of Salem.

I believe that Abigail Williams is to blame for turning the town of Salem against many people, and I think it is her fault that several people were killed. Abigail Williams sends the town into a state of hysteria by accusing men and women of practicing the satanic art of witchcraft. Abigail’s flaws - her lustful desire for John Proctor, her deceptive habit of lying in order to retain her good name in the town, and her selfishness and obsessive aspiration for power – led her to be ultimately responsible for the catastrophe of the witch hunt in Salem. The first reason Abigail is to blame for the deaths of the innocent Puritans is her lustful personal ambition to be John Proctor’s wife. John and Abigail previously had an affair, which basically began the hysteria.

Abigail is also motivated by a desire of revenge throughout. She is seen as vindictive and doesn’t want to be hung because of these trials. Abigail was a housemaid for John Proctor at one point until John Proctor’s wife fired her. John lusted upon Abby and committed adultery with her because of this she was kicked her out of the house. So she stops at almost nothing to convince the court that Goody Proctor is a witch so she can have John Proctor all to herself.

Mary’s previous encounters with Abigail are what lead her to think that Abigail will actually “kill” her if she goes against her orders. Mary’s reluctance to testify in court shows how deeply she cares about other people’s perceptions of her and her need to shape her actions correspondingly. Mary’s intense fear also comes out when she openly reveals Proctor’s sins to save herself from being accused for witchcraft. She does this by telling the court “You 're the Devil 's man! My name, he want my name.

The knot truly symbolizes the anger and hurt that Mr. Wright causes Mrs. Wright throughout her marriage. Henderson, Peters, and Hale assumed that the ladies were referring to the quilt when they said knot, instead of the rope tied around Mr. Wright’s neck. The ladies did not want to say that they thought Mrs. Wright killed her husband, but the men never caught on. In conclusion, in Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles, the main conflict is the women’s role in the home and the way the men belittle the women. The gender conflicts were the main reasons why Mrs. Wright murdered her husband.

When Proctor tells Abigail that the relationship can no longer continue, the girl becomes angry and sorrowful (1098). In order to prove Abigail?s sinfulness and to discredit her in front of the court, Proctor proclaims that he had an affair with this evil child. The outraged court officials summon Elizabeth Proctor to find the truth. When asked about her husband, Elizabeth?s soul is twisted, for reporting the truth could destroy her husband?s reputation, but lying means breaking her solemn oath to God. Because she is selfless, Elizabeth chooses to lie and save her husband, but perhaps condemn herself to hell for such a sin.

Abigail is willing to go to any length to get rid of Elizabeth, even to the point of having her being hung. Since John will not return her advances, Abigail becomes bitter and builds up more hatred towards Elizabeth. After this, she turns around and says that Elizabeth is "blackening her name in the village! She is telling lies about me." ( ) Just to make sure that Elizabeth will suffer for dismissing her, and that her reputation will be destroyed.

She blamed her servant Tituba and she was going to be killed unless he confessed to being with the devil. She didn 't want to die so she confessed this caused all the girls to start to scream names to save themselves as well. This caused people to get prosecuted because of the girls lying due to the sense of the revenge in Abigail. People were later hung because of the girl 's selfish ways saving themselves. The title of the book I will be using as a reference from is The Crucible and the author of this book is Arthur Miller.

The authoritative, deceitful character of Abigail Williams is certainly unforgettable. In conclusion, I think Abigail is deliberately rebelling against society because she does not feel important at the beginning because of the affair with Proctor and the way he treated her. Her own uncle, reverend Parris thinks she is lying about what she did in the forest. Also she blamed Tituba about the witch-craft. Also she wants Proctor’s wife dead.

Not only is Abigail desensitized to murder and death, she is also numb to other unethical dilemmas. Abigail is desensitized to corrupting the Proctor’s marriage because of her childish lust and obsession for John Proctor. Such desires can be seen through her encounters with Proctor. In regards to their so called “relationship” she says: “it’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you love me now!” (Miller 22).