The Crucible In every community there is evil, every evil is capable of making madness in a community. In the novel “ The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, it portrays the idea of evil in the character Abigail Williams. It is evident with close examination of the text that Abigail’s unrelenting lust, spitefulness, and remorselessness is main contributed to the madness in Salem. Abigail’s uncontrollable lust for John consumes her mind with the idea that John Proctor's love is all hers. Abigail meets John Proctor and tells him that he is always in her mind. “John - I am waitin’ for you every night.” (Miller 21). Abigail is lusting for John as she is waiting for him every night. She can't get John off her mind and thinks she is in love. In one scene John Proctor meets up with Abigail alone. Abigail tells John that she can still see the love for her in his face. “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion when I came near; or did I dream that? It's she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me, and you loved me then and you do now!” ( Miller 21). Abigail tells John how she can tell John was upset that Goody Proctor fired her. She also tells him that he loves her just as much as he lusted for her when he had the affair. Abigail is lusting for John and wants him to be with her. Looking closely at the dialogue and action in the play the audience can plainly see Abigail's spitefulness as she tries to cause harm to
Pointing fingers at someone can do a lot of damage to someone's reputation. Sometimes we point fingers at innocent people in fear the unknown or what may hurt us.. Fearing something or fearing the unknown can cause an uprising or reaction throughout a society or community. Throughout the story “The Crucible” and during the time of McCarthyism many people feared of what may happen to them, as known hysteria. Hysteria is an outburst of fear that spreads through society leaving consequences for blameless people, although with hysteria no one would know what to fear or believe in the society.
You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” Abigail states again that she is waiting for John and wants him to sweep her off her feet. She wants John to overcome his fear of leaving his wife to come to her.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an elaborate play that tells the story of the village of Salem and how the community slowly falls apart because of a strategic witch hunt ploy. The fear of witchcraft turns the once peaceful village upside down and accusations destroy the lives and reputations of so many people. Different characters’ actions have different impacts on the community, but one character stands out the most. Abigail Williams from The Crucible is a clear representation of how impactful the power of manipulation and deception is in a vulnerable society to create mass hysteria.
In Arthur Miller 's The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, Abigail Williams remained a static character throughout the book. Abigail is a mean, deceitful and manipulative person who always wants her way; she has no remorse about who she hurts along her journey to get her want she wants.
Within today’s society, an individual’s morals determines how one is scrutinized, judged, and reprimanded. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Abigail Williams is a character with compelling moral principles. Abigail’s disoriented moral constitution allows the theme, the detrimental effects of mass hysteria, to be constantly reassured throughout the play. Through the egotistical, manipulative, and deceitful rhetoric of Abigail Williams, Arthur Miller is successful in conveying how the spread of misinformation can tear apart a small town.
Abigail is a highly jealous character, concentrating her jealousy on Elizabeth Proctor. This jealousy is driven by lust and her desire for John Proctor. Abigail served as a servant in the Proctor household and after an affair with her husband John, Elizabeth fired her. She still resents Elizabeth for this as she is still in love with John. She clearly says to John, "You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!" Abigail is still in love with John and she assumes the converse. Her love for John only causes her resentment for Elizabeth to strengthen. She hates John Proctor's wife and in her conniving ways she attempts to inspire the same views of Elizabeth in John's mind. Saying things to him such as, "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me, She is a cold, sniveling woman." Abigail fabricates stories in attempt to steel John from Elizabeth. She is a manipulative liar that does and says as she pleases in order to get what she wants.
Hysteria is an exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement, especially among a group of people. This can lead to lie being spread that people will believe due to hysteria. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller, Arthur use the red scare of post war america as his inspiration for his novel. During the red scare people were accusing any person of being a communist and people believed because due to hysteria. Arthur miller uses hysteria to show that it leads to Damaged reputations,lies ,and hurting people's lives.
Her actions killed the man she once loved. She contradicted love for herself and love for another. Threatening the lives of others for her benefit. This manipulative girl that has an affair with a respectable and honest man. The deceptive girl, Abigail is the cause of a major incident in salem. “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller tells the story of how theocracy in courts failed the innocent people. Abigails true nature is shown in the play, while trying to show her love proctor.
The sins of deceit and lust have plagued the human race since the dawn of time. These feelings and wishes can make people do some of the worst things known man. In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, these two sins are applied to many characters one of which is Abigail Williams. The play revolves around the Abigail and her friends attempting to cover up their past transgressions against the Salem community while Abigail attempts to get together with John Proctor. Abigail suffers from the sins of lust and deceit most chronically which she uses to fulfill her agenda throughout the play. Due to Abigail's lust for John and her constant utility of untruths lead the people to fear for their lives leading them to hurt innocent people making Abigail the main transgressor of the Salem condition.
Argumentatively, Abigail is an adulterer looking for retribution against her lover’s wife, but underneath that her actions are narcissistic. The abundant need for self-preservation becomes obvious when presented with evidence from the beginning of the play. Abigail depicts these characteristics when asked about Elizabeth Proctor’s departure from church services and Abigail’s own displacement from Elizabeth’s home, “She hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!” (Miller 12). She refuses to acknowledge that her own actions are wrongful and places blame on others, “My name is good in the
After having an affair with John Proctor, she couldn’t accept not being without him. Abigail also admires “how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife” like Elizabeth be unaware of the affair she had with John Proctor(act1pg#). As a result to the affair, Proctor is trying to rebuild his marriage with his wife. Abigail continues to intervene in John Proctors marriage and attempts to manipulate Proctor so he would confess his love for her. Proctor admits his love for her, but does not continue his affection because Abigail seeps of vengeance for other individuals. He portrays her “as a lump of vanity” who thinks to dance on his “wife’s grave!”(act 3). For her own selfish desires, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft and tries to intentionally sabotage her. She does this for the purpose of her own selfish and fictitious relationship that she has with Proctor. Abigail believes she has the capability to influence Proctor, but her egoistic actions to win his undefining love makes her appear as the criminal in the
Abigail had many flaws throughout the story. One of her flaws includes lust. Abigail was involved in a secret affair with John Proctor, who happened to be married to Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail illustrated lust by telling John, “John- I am waitin’ for you every night.” This suggests that Abigail does have something secret going on with John. Abigail also says, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” This justifies that they have a relationship because she told John that he
“So far about morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you you feel bad after.” -Ernest Hemingway Making the wrong choices leads to the feeling of guilt and that is the exact feeling that Abigail Williams eventually goes through in The Crucible. The Crucible is an original play written by Arthur Miller that is based on the Salem witch trials. The story displays the considerable influence a young girl had on her society.
Arthur Miller wrote Abigail Williams in The Crucible, as an manipulative and vindictive person. However, Abigail is a victim of the strict Puritan society, who witnessed the death of her parent’s as a child. Following afterwards, she is thrown into the care of her strictly ruled uncle, and hoping for a life with a man she falsely believes that can fall in love with her, in which contributes to the making of the character she becomes. In the starting transaction of Act I, this begins to reveal Abigail’s true colors to the audience.
First off, Abigail uses the trials to seek revenge, resulting in the wrongful deaths of many. Abigail commits many sins, including lust for John Proctor. Once she rises to power in the courtroom, she uses it to exact vengeance upon those who have done her wrong. Victims of her wrath include Elizabeth Proctor; who she calls a ¨a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her¨ during an argument with John Proctor and Mary Warren (Miller 23). After Mary Warren starts siding with John Proctor, Abigail goes so far as to accuse Mary of sending her spirit out in the courtroom to attack the other girls. Abigail can be seen using such accusations to inflict a twisted justice on her enemies. Actions as unjust as these