Abigail Williams and Hester Prynne Essay

     Hester Prynne, through the eyes of the Puritans, is an extreme sinner. She has gone against the Puritan ways by committing Adultery. The Puritans believed that Hester was a lost soul that could only be saved by sincere and thorough repentance. For this

Abigail and Mary Warren have one final similarity; they both are apprehensive. While in court when about to be convicted, both girls blamed someone else for being witches and said they saw them with the devil. Then they would say explain that they have found God again so they are off the hook. When all this shenanigans first started, Abigail shouted “I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil. I saw Goody Booth with the Devil!” By saying those names she was taken off the hook, and Goody Hawkins and Goody Booth were now being accused of witchery. This shows that Abigail is apprehensive because, she was scared of what would happen so by blaming it on someone else she didn’t have to worry about what would happen to her. Mary Warren also did the same terrible thing. Right before Mary Warren was to be called a witch by the court she said “You’re the Devil’s Man!” to John Proctor. That made the court decide to convict Proctor instead of her because she cried that she had found God. It made Mary not have to be fearful for her own life anymore.

One of the main links between the two women is their love for John Proctor. This would create much animosity between the two women and would lead to much strife between the two. While Abigail Williams saw

This lack of emotion shown by Hester is completely reversed when analyzing the antagonists involved in these works. The main similarity between the two villains is that they both have great emotions towards the main characters. “[Abigail] thinks to dance with [John] on [his] wife’s grave!” and wishes to once again win his love (Miller 106) The main emotion held by Abigail Williams is therefore lust. In contrast, Roger Chillingworth wishes for Hester to suffer for her sin. “Even if I imagine a scheme of vengeance, what could I do better for my object that to let thee live, – than to give thee medicines against all harm and peril of life, – so that this burning shame may still blaze upon thy bosom?” (Hawthorne 62) Another large difference between Abby and Roger is how they react with the other characters in their separate tales. Abby’s popularity is crucial in The Crucible. If she were not to have had the support of the other young girls of the town and the trust of Danforth and Hale, then Miss Williams never would have been able to accomplish as much as she did. On the polar opposite end, Chillingworth’s reclusiveness is a defining factor within The Scarlet Letter. His image as “The Leech” helps to demonstrate

A Selfish, stubborn and shameless stray: Abigail was not the forgiving type. Once someone had double crossed her, she did not take it lightly; Abigail created fear in the hearts of her peers. She even turns against her friends to make her story more convincing. Due to the fact that her parents were shot in front of her, she has never learnt to accept this and this has limited her well- being, so she blames every one else. On the other hand Elizabeth was selfless and even though her “loyal” husband betrayed her integrity, she learnt to overcome this and forgave him. “(in agony): My husband-is a goodly man, sir.” Unlike Abigail,

This one similarity, their love for John Proctor, shows Abigail’s calculating, self-serving nature while highlighting Elizabeth’s gentle nature. In conclusion, Elizabeth and Abigail are similar in their love for John Proctor, however, Elizabeth differs through her tendency to try to please everyone and keep her own emotions bottled up, while Abigail believes the world revolves around her and works to make things go her own

the ways that their different thought is that Joseph McCarthy thought what he was doing was helping the U.S. but Abigail was accusing people so that she could clear her name and to get rid of people that she didn't like so what Abigail did was for a selfish reason but their actions show that humans sometimes don't learn from their actions and will more than likely repeat history like the salem witch trials and

Her being forced to wear the scarlet letter which led her to becoming a women’s advocate reflects the theme that good things come from bad. There was plenty of negative backlash to Hester's mistake, however she gained the ability to help other women struggling just like her. “They said that it meant Able, so strong was Hester Prynne, with a woman's strength” (pg 177, Hawthorne). The sin she committed and the experience gained through the aftermath of that sin, gives her insight on what it's like to be a woman who's being discriminated. Raising her daughter on her own and her saving her from harming herself reflects the theme that everyone makes mistakes. After all Hester is human just like everyone else. It is in our nature to make mistakes or even sin. “It is remarkable, that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society” (pg 181, Hawthorne). The actions we take to reverse or to compensate for that sin is what makes us who we are as individuals. Her being alienated from society and developing an independent thinking mindset mirrors the theme that one must acknowledge their mistakes to learn from them. Hester’s society made it abundantly clear that what she did was absolutely heinous and that she needs to repent and beg for forgiveness. The isolation she suffered through helped her become an independent thinker and develop thoughts that we would consider ahead of her time. “The world's law was no law for her mind” (pg 180, Hawthorne). Being excluded socially gave her a chance to dwell in her own thoughts and gather perceptions different from that of other puritans. This decision that Hester makes is very important to the story because it mirrors many of the major themes the author tried getting across to its

The first reason that Abigail Williams is not the perfect Puritan woman is because she acts strange in church. For example Abigail started to laugh during church at the prayers that were being recited by the community. Next Abigail started acting like she was getting attacked by a familiar of the accused witch during each trial, from being choked and fainting, being extremely cold to saying that the familiar is in the court room with them.

Abigail Williams and Hester Prynne are similar because they are both adulterers. Adultery is an affair between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse. Hester Prynne’s has an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale and it is known publicly. A baby was made because of the affair and Hester gets shunned from the town. Hester has to wear an “A” on her chest that means Adulterer because of her sin. Abigail Williams is in love with John Proctor even though he is married. Abigail also has an affair. Abigail and Hester are both very different also Abigail Williams is a teenager who is a liar. She convinces the whole town that people are witches. While Hester is a very honest character. Hester’s affair with Arthur Dimmesdale was accidental because she thought her husband was dead. She did not intend to cheat on her husband. Abigail’s affair was on just lust and on purpose. Hester’s sin only affected her child. Hester was the only one punished because of her sin. Abigail’s sin affected many people including her friends, John Proctor, the innocent townspeople, and Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail

Through all the readings that she had possessed she had become, what was the start of, an independent woman. The fact that she continued to read to further her knowledge and to learn more did not faze her that not many other women were doing as she was. At a young age she knew that “settling” with the roles of women during this time was a life that she had to choose but she also wanted more. She wanted to educate herself and that she did through the works of her favorite author’s books and poems.

This is my opinion on the relation between these two women. One is honorable and good. The other is a lying conniving sneaky evil person. There are people like that back then and there still are today. Elizabeth was a good genuine person and Abigail was

Is it possible for one person to be capable of bringing down an entire society? Arthur Miller’s novel The Crucible, gives an accurate representation of how one act and one person can be the catalyst for so many atrocious crimes. When we closely examine the motives and actions of Abigail Williams we see just how corrupt and evil a scorned lover can be. She portrays these types of qualities, vengefulness,jealousy, and mendacity through her actions and speech.

     Abigail William’s aggressive personality easily persuades the other girls to follow her footsteps, and back up anything and everything she says. This personality also frightens people in the courtroom to question her truthfulness, or her relation with John Proctor. Due to her forceful behavior, the girls support Abigail, and therefore become entangled in her web of lies, sins, and murders.

The sin of adultery she once made doesn't exist in the letter A any more. It has transformed from "adultery" into "able", "acceptable", and off course it's made Hester the woman of pride, kindness, and respect. Hester did such an outstanding evolution that no woman in her times can: expressing self-identity, proving woman strength by showing her self-reliance and independence, revealing her goodness and kindness for people, and earning respect and pride.