Who Is Abigail Williams In The Crucible

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In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the 1692 witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail is a mean and selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone else other than herself. Although many people say that Tituba was the cause of the main problems in Salem, but without the mischievous actions of Abigail Williams, the problems in Salem would not exist.
Abigail is the reason of everything that goes wrong in the play and her effort to defend herself from the consequences of her own actions ruin many people's lives. She is a vindictive person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Through out the story her accusations and lies cause many people pain and suffering, but she seemed to never care for any of them except John Proctor, whom she had an affair with. Abigail’s past relationship with John Proctor was the reason why Elizabeth Proctor dismissed her for working for them as their servant. This explains why Abigail targets Elizabeth Proctor later on in the play. This relationship also leads Abigail to try Tituba's magic …show more content…

She knew that if the town found out what her and the girls were actually doing, they would be whipped and possibly hung. Abigail claimed that they were bewitched and began to name names of people who were '”associated with the devil”’, which were all a lie. Nothing would stop her from protecting herself. Abigail feared for her life so much that she protected it even when John was accused of witchcraft and was sentenced to be hung. Although she loved him, she would not sacrifice herself for him. In conclusion, the cause of the witch trial was Abigail Williams. Considering the facts about her love for John and fear for her life it is easy to see that it was Abigail's fault that the tragedy occurred. As the horrible person that she was, Abigail fought to get her way no matter whom she hurt, and unfortunately in the end she

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