Metamorphosis In prominent works of literature, there is always one character or a handful that cling to minds of readers. This could be due to the characters’ heroic deeds that are deeply admirable. On the other extreme, characters can encapsulate all we despise, making it a challenge to not link the story as a whole to the actions of one character in our minds. One such example of this extreme is Abigail Williams, easily the most despicable and vile character of The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. As this play unfolds, the clandestine actions of Abigail compound rapidly, illustrating the fragile state of her morality. To begin, Abigail starts the play off with a harmless, yet controversially viewed method of “witchcraft” to win the man she lusts over. As events unfold, she uses every resource at her disposal to protect her reputation and keep the ball rolling. From the very beginning, Abigail intimidates her friends in order to play along with her schemes, saying, “ Now look you... We danced...Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters...breathe a word, or the edge of a word...and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning,” (1137). The plot thickens as John Proctor refuses Abigail’s affections, as he feels guilty for his adultery with her. …show more content…
During the time period of the 1950’s, Arthur Miller writes, The Crucible. With the rampant fear of Communism spreading widely, a senator, Joseph McCarthy was rapidly gaining fame with his accusations. McCarthy claims that the Senate is infiltrated by hundreds of Communists, and leads an investigation. All who opposed his investigation suffer accusations of involvement with Communism as well. The actions of Senator McCarthy are a direct parallel to the actions of Abigail Williams in her accusations against all that threaten her
Was Abigail Williams a liar or a victim of puritan society? The crucible was a book written by Arthur Miller That tells the story of puritan society. The puritans were a religious group that followed very strict religious practices and were very serious about witchery and hanged anyone who seemed to be with the devil. The crucible is about a young girl named abigail williams who caused the deaths of many puritans by lying and accusing many different people of witchcraft Abigail Williams is a victim of Puritan society, a victim of John Proctor, but was also a liar who manipulated others for her own benefit. On page ten here when reverend parris says”and what shall i say that to them?
The Crucible’s Abigail Williams is best known for her involvement in the Salem Witch Trials just as Senator Joseph McCarthy is best known for his involvement in the Red Scare. Abigail Williams was known in her society as a saint. She had supposedly committed some form of witchcraft and had redeemed herself by giving the names of other “witches”. She, and several other girls, were largely responsible for the conviction and deaths of nineteen innocent villagers. Abigail and McCarthy both had caused mass hysteria in their communities in order to draw attention to themselves, further their reputations, and to get rid of people they saw unfit to live in their society.
What would you do if you were accused of witchcraft by someone who was just trying to get back at you? In Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 women were being accused of being witches and more than half of them were innocent. Arthur Miller tells about how the town fell apart after hearing the word “witch” and people lying. The whole story goes downhill because lies just keep piling up on each other. Abigail Williams and John Proctor are two big characters that lie throughout the whole play.
We often hear that betrayal can lead to deadly effects, with this in mind, in the story The Cruicible, betrayal is the wall from truth. The play took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. During this time strange acts were appearing all around Salem. As a result of these acts people blamed each other to exclude themselves from death, knowing that such acts were considered witchcraft. Abigail Williams is one of those people.
Sin is something all humans do, some may feel guilt about it, and others may embrace. Abigail Williams, in The Crucible, shows that the nature of man is to sin and be aware of it. Miller exposes Abigail Williams’s human nature, “She wants me dead. I knew all week it would come to this.” Abigail Williams knows that she is sinning when she tries against Elizabeth in order to get rid of her.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible depicts the test to which the Puritan town of Salem is put through. The Puritans believed themselves a righteous colony of Saints, and that they “must be as a City upon a Hill.” However, Puritans feared that their “city upon a hill” was vulnerable to infection by the devil. Therefore, the witch-hunt was manifested in order to suppress the devil’s influence. But in doing so, ambitious Salemites exploited their fellow brothers and ultimately besmirched the moral laws of God_ the ideal theocratic justice.
In The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, Williams shows who she really is. She is not as innocent as everyone believes she is. She has done some bad things. Williams’s heart is much colder than Sauer’s. No person is perfect, yet the moral transgressions of Williams far exceeds the
The question[s] that I will answer for my essay would be the following: Who is the most admirable OR despicable character in the play? What would be the larger message that Miller sends through this character? Throughout the whole Crucible play, we observe the characters and the attitudes they portray. There are characters that change over time in the play, and there are characters who stay the same.
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.
Cruelty is a recurrent theme in literature that often acts as a critical factor in a novel’s development. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the occurrence of cruelty is seen to be gradually increasing as the story goes on from accusations of witchcraft that lead into chaos and death. Through Miller’s depiction of the merciless accusations and murders of innocent people, cruelty reveals a high extent of people’s animosity and vengeance that is greatly influenced by the attitude of the surrounding atmosphere. The accusations first began when the girls who were caught “dancing” in the forest were under pressure to confess what they were truly doing.
In The Crucible, a movie based on the play written by Arthur Miller, fear constantly motivates Abigail Williams to make decisions that will not only determine the fate of members of her town, but Puritanism itself. In Act 1, while accusing an innocent black lady known as Tituba, Abigail pleads to Reverand Hale saying “She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!” (Miller 272) Abigail attacks Tituba’s harmless reputation by accusing her of something that is completely against their religion. With fear of being charged of her wrongdoings in the forest with the other girls, she seeks a scapegoat to divert the accusation of guilt away from herself.
One of the most powerful human emotions is desire. Everyone is constantly trying to fulfill their own desires. A desire or passion may be so strong it can conflict with morality. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams, is driven to go against her moral duty and pursue John Proctor. She will stop at nothing to see her plan through.
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is seen as a true piece of American Literature that presents itself at the core of McCarthyism in the bitter wake of Communists spies inside the United States. In many cases the main character of Abigail Williams is considered secondary to that of John Proctor. However, many years later, Miller writes a screenplay for the 1996 film adaptation starring Hollywood heavyweights like Winona Ryder; whose portrayal seems to allow the character of Abigail to have more room to expand. It is to my opinion that the author does this to present a more rapid and truthful motif that differs from that of the 1950 ‘witch hunt’ for communists. It is shown in the differing aspects of Abigail’s character from play to screen,
Corruption and manipulation are common trends in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. When crisis surfaced in the town of Salem, citizens leaped at the opportunity of salvation. The corruption and manipulation became prominent once this issue arose. When Abigail Williams is accused of witchcraft, she yells, “I want
Abigail 's heartless attitude is shown in act two when she frames and accuses Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft. She desired and longed for this revenge on poor Proctors innocent wife, aiming for her through out the play. Later on in Act Three she seems to lose her last attachment of society by destroying John Proctor, who she claims to love with all her heart. When John attempts and threatens to expose Abigail’s wrong doings, she skillfully manages to turn the whole problem around on him, sending him off