Abigail Williams’ Influence Is it okay for a person to lie and hurt other people just to keep him or herself safe? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Abigail Williams lies, a lot, to keep herself safe. Throughout the story, many people are accused of witchcraft. When a person is accused of witchcraft, it is very easy for them to get out of the accusation if they lie. The lies that are told shifts the belief of who knows witchcraft,(comma?) and Abigail Williams uses those lies to gain influence over other people. Two of the people who Abigail has the greatest influence over are Elizabeth Proctor and Tituba. The first person who Abigail has the greatest influence over is Elizabeth Proctor. One reason why Abigail has great influence …show more content…
One reason why Abby has influence over Tituba occurs when Abby starts accusing people of witchcraft. Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale interrogate Abby about why the girls were dancing in the woods. She tries to play it off as common dancing, and then she is accused of summoning the devil. She is accused of that because Reverend Parris says he saw something moving in a kettle that was near Abby in the woods. Because of that, Abby decides to blame Tituba so she can get out of trouble: ABIGAIL: “I never called him! Tituba, Tituba . . . She made me do it! She made Betty do it! . . . She makes me drink blood!” (Miller 1259-1260). There is no explanation for any of the weird events going on, and Abigail takes that to her advantage. Abby knows the only way that she can get out of trouble is to blame someone else, so that causes her to blame Tituba. There really is no reason why she blames Tituba, and that is because Tituba could be the first person who comes into Abigail’s mind. Abigail also has great influence over Tituba because Abigail puts a large and believable amount of details in her accusation towards Tituba. After Abigail lies about Tituba being a witch, Abigail makes up a very detailed and false story about why Tituba is a
Some people might infer in how she was the one who brought the kids to the woods to dance. Although this point seem as it is what caused the chaos, it was mostly when Abigail scared the girls off by drinking he chicken’s blood. Abigail had blamed Tituba by saying that Tituba would force her to drink the blood but Abigail has actually done it by herself. Abigail said “she makes me drink blood”(1109). She says that to save herself from a whipping but it only causes chaos throughout Salem.
Abigail seems like an innocent girl to everybody however it is later found out that she is one of the people who puts herself before others and makes things worse to get herself out of trouble. In act one Reverend Hale was questioning Tituba, a slave from Barbados. Tituba was explaining what the dancing and the disturbance in the woods and Abigail says she “wasn’t conjuring spirits”(Miller ??)
Abigail Williams lies to conceal her affair with John Proctor to avoid severe punishments for adultery and witchcraft. She was in love with John and went against her morals because in her twisted mind she believed that John would eventually reciprocate those feelings. Tituba, a slave, was manipulated by Abigail and was the one who lead the girls to the forest to do witchcraft. In one scene, the minister and the puritans
Abigail Williams’ Influence Is it okay for a person to lie and hurt other people just to keep him or herself safe? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Abigail Williams lies, a lot, to keep herself safe. Throughout the story, many people are accused of witchcraft. When a person is accused of witchcraft, it is very easy for them to get out of the accusation if they lie. The lies that are told shifts the belief of who knows witchcraft, and Abigail Williams uses those lies to gain influence over other people.
Abigail is extremely concerned with her well-being and reputation. In Act One, Reverend Parris confronts Abigail about dancing in the forest, and, instead of confessing, she begins denouncing others. This illustrates how she is willing to allow others to be harmed because of her extreme fear. One example of this is when Abigail states, “Not I sir—Tituba and Ruth” (Miller 15). The character of the residents of Salem is not exceptional.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William’s flaws: lust, vengeance, and jealously that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch hunts in Salem. Abigail Williams started the entire suspicion of there being active member of witchcraft throughout Salem, Massachusetts. She did this for her own benefits and used trickery to get what she wanted. Abigail was corrupt and only cared for her own desires. There are many reasons that these flaws are crucial to the outcome of the play.
Abigail Williams is to Blame In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams, an unmarried orphan in the Massachusetts town of Salem, increasingly grows more jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor intensifies in attempt to realize her desire for Elizabeth's husband John Proctor. Her ambition for vengeance only grows stronger, and her selfishness escalates. She repeatedly lies to save herself by denying her involvement in witchcraft. In order to save herself she accuses the innocent, without any sense of ethical violation. Abigail proves to be a selfish antagonist in The Crucible that shows no sense of right and wrong.
Abigail defies all judgements against innocence as she is the driven evil force in The Crucible. Arthur Miller shows Abigail Williams to instinctively defend herself, as it is the humane reaction when accused of wrongdoing. It is common to tell a lie but, the intention of sabotage is a different story. Abigail had many tricks up her sleeve to manipulate the court. Her purpose to convince the town of her innocence was one of many.
Tituba was a servant of Reverend Parris that would dance with the girls in the woods around a fire. Abigail is the niece of Reverend Parris, which he adopted and a girl who also had an affair with John Proctor. Betty is the daughter of Reverend Parris who gets caught in the mess with Abigail and Mary. 4. Mrs.Putman believed that there are witches in Salem because she had talked to a witch to contact her dead children.
She, according to her religion and her towns customs, has broken the law. Abigail told the judge at court, after her uncle accused her of dancing in the woods as they danced naked, that none of the sort happened, but then changed her answer stating that “it were sport” (11) and it did not matter what they were doing. Then she had to take it a step further by adding that Tituba was associated with witchcraft. Abigail was the reason of the death of nineteen people, not to mention all of the people she had sent to prison. Abigail was in fact much of
If The Witch Don’t Fit, You Must Acquit In “The Crucible” 1953 written by Arthur Miller, wrote that hysteria in any place can ruin lives. The year is 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. In Salem at the time it was a modest town brimming with Puritans. In the town of Salem, little secrets, jealousy and massive hysteria spread around the town.
Abigail is willing to accuse any one in her path of witchcraft even if it means taking the lives of those close to her. Abigail Williams’ emotional desire guides her actions even if it conflicts with morality. Abigail williams is driven to do unthinkable things because of her love for John Proctor. Abigail works in the Proctor’s home and while doing so she finds herself attracted to John. Abigail’s obsession with Proctor leads them to have an affair, which they try to keep
Another example of Abigail Williams preserving her reputation is when she speaks to John Proctor about his wife. “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn
Abigail Williams: The Conniving Woman of the Crucible The Salem Witch Trials began in Salem Massachusetts in 1629. Many people were accused of being a witch and many lives were lost. In Author Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is the most to blame for the events of the Salem Witch Trials. Abigail is one of the main characters in the play.
Nicole Schaefer Mr. Becker American Literature October 29, 2014 Two Women for Two Different Worlds In the novel the crucible, Elizabeth, wife of John Proctor, and Abigail Williams, mistress of John Proctor are two main roles. Elizabeth, a woman who is loyal and true, or manipulative and ruthless liar, Abigail. She pretends to see spirits and commands the other girls to pretend as well.