Amanda Able Nordgaard Hour: 5 Honors English 10 Due: 11/4/15 Abigail is to blame In The Crucible, Abigail Williams is to blame for the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, because she started the witchcraft activity, brought innocent people into her little game, and used deceiving tricks to get the court to believe her story. Abigail’s past could have led up to her witchcraft activity and childish behavior. When Abigail was little, she witnessed her parents being murdered. She mentions, "I saw Indians smash my dear parents heads on the pillow next to mine..." (page 148 lines 359-361) After that traumatizing experience, she moved in with her uncle, Reverend Parris and grew up with her cousin Betty. In the play, "He (Parris) was a widower …show more content…
She had an affair with him seven months before all of this started. Abigail used to be the servant of Proctor and his wife Elizabeth, until Elizabeth found out about the affair and fired Abigail. John told Abigail that it was over and she should forget it ever happened, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. He desperately tries to get rid of her saying, "Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again." (Page 150 lines 450-452) Because of this, Abigail tried to get Elizabeth out of the picture. She thought that if Elizabeth were dead John would fancy her. Her insidious plan involved accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. She did this after she saw Mary Warren making a poppet in court. Mary supposedly put a needle into the doll, and Abigail used that for her accusation. Later that night at dinner, she stabbed herself with a needle and claimed that Elizabeth sent out her spirit to do it. She continuously brings innocent people into the mess, like on page 162, Tituba and her name off random citizens in the town and wrongly accuse them of being with the devil. This just makes the story an even bigger
When we ask ourselves who is at fault, we tend to ignore that most of the time it 's ours. We just assume that we were helping and making things better for ourselves or others. After reading the play the crucible by Arthur Miller, this topic seemed to really relate. The most responsible or at fault for causing hysteria in the Crucible would have to be Abigal Williams and Judge Danforth. The two are the most at fault for their falsehood, accusations, stubbornness, biasedness, and most of all the jealousy Abigal had for Elizabeth Proctor.
She also threatened her cousin Betty. Overall she is a liar. Abigail attempted to pursue a spell to kill Elizabeth Proctor because she was in love with John. Abigail’s feelings for
The person in the Crucible, other than the Salem girls, that I believe caused the trials is Mrs. Putnam, Thomas Putnam 's wife. There are 3 reasons why I suspect of this, the first, is about her beloved seven children who unfortunately passed away. Mrs. Putnam blames a witch for causing the untimely death of her children, which leads to disastrous effects. The second reason is that she starts a witch hunt and creates the atmosphere of mistrust and doubt in Salem when she spreads rumors of witches. This causes the whole town to go wild and start pointing fingers at neighbors, enemies, and friends.
In the play, The Crucible, a story told where the reader learns about lies, deceit, and hypocrisy. The play highlights how the puritans viewed witch trials in 1692. The character that was the most to blame for the Salem Witch trials and dreadful hangings, is Abigail Williams. There are two reasons Abigail Williams became the cause of all the Witch trials and hangings, the first being that she refused to admit to what she was doing in the forest with the other girls, the second was that she was resentful of the Proctor family.
One day in Salem Massachusetts, a girl name Betty Parris became very ill. The night before she became very ill, she was caught dancing in the woods with her cousin, Abigail Williams and many other girls. Back in those days dancing, or any fun at all was frowned upon. So when Betty became ill after dancing and she had nothing wrong with her health, Parris and others thought that it was witchcraft. To save herself from getting in trouble, Abigail confessed that it was witchcraft.
People to Blame in Crucible (Analysis of who is to blame in The Crucible by Arthur Miller) According to Christopher Bigsby, “it is Shakespearean. Parties and counter-parties. There must be a counterparty.”
What if the most loved and cared for people were punished and killed because of a girl trying to cover up her own mistakes she made, but created an even bigger one by doing so. A girl named Abigail Williams went against the law along with many other girls and practiced witchery, knowing you could be killed for it. Once confronted, she took many innocent people down along with her, in hopes of covering her mistake up. By doing so, she created a mass hysteria in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, just to save her own life. A thought out plan containing selfish acts, manipulation and hatred created a tragic mess in a once beloved town.
but in reality she was caught attempting to cast a spell on Elizabeth. The reason for her trying to cast a spell is because Abigail falls in love with John Proctor but he is married to Elizabeth but that doesn’t bother Abigail.
Afterwards, she was willing to destroy anyone in the way of her getting to be with him. Proctor definitely wishes he had never laid with Abigail, and everyone else was paying for his mistake, as she ruined everyone’s lives, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” (Act III, 378). A single lie snowballed, leaving death and terror in its wake, all because Abigail could not, and likely did not want to control herself.
The Crucible has many characters to blame when it comes to questioning why everything happened the way they did. It’s hard to describe a reasoning for all of this or exactly who to blame because there is so many different opinions and reasons to why everything is happening. A quote I think that does a fairly good job at this is, “There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!”(Miller, Pg.148). The character I think that you can point to first and blame the most when asking why everything in Salem happened is Abigail Williams. There are three major reasons to why Abigail is to blame and the first is because she slept with John Proctor.
Abigail did this because she loved John and she knew that if she got his wife out of the picture they would have a better chance of being together because Elizabeth had recently kicked Abigail out of their house in fear that her and John had something going on. John knew his actions were wrong and that if he
One quote from the play that supports this is “ Gah! I’d almost forgot how strong you are John Proctor!” This proves that Abigail still had feelings for John Proctor, and that she still lusts for him. Another example is “John- I am waiting for you every night.” This shows her obsession
The whole situation started when Abigail tried using witchcraft to kill her lover John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth. Once the accusations begin, Abigail uses this to her advantage and accuses both Elizabeth and the Proctor’s servant of using witchcraft to harm her. Elizabeth realizes the motivations behind her accusations stating, “She’d dare not call out such a farmer’s wife but there be monstrous profit in it. She thinks to take my place, John.” (Act 2).
It’s abundantly clear that Abigail's only goal was to do what she pleased and avoid prosecution for her actions. Take for example, when she slept with John Proctor, claiming she loved him, and had John’s wife, Elizabeth, persecuted as a witch, ignoring her pregnancy. This, of course, is after she organizes a love potion making ceremony and drinks animal blood, which
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.