Abigail Should Be Regarded as a Victims of the Puritan Society
Whether in novels, movies or plays, the villains usually leave some negative impressions on the audience so that the villains basically become the most unpopular roles in the works. Because the audiences easily produce subjective consciousness following the villains’ performances in the stories, they are used to ignoring the factor that the villains also could be the victims at the same time. In the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams is a controversial villain because she is both a typical instigator of the accusations and a victim of the Puritan society at the same time. Firstly, Abigail’s heartrending life experiences and the Puritan society environment which she lives in build her complex character. Secondly, in the affair between her and Proctor, Abigail not only loses love but also she is hated by her lover.
First of all, the unpleasant past and the Puritan environment build Abigail’s complex character. To begin with, she is ruthless because it can be shown from her attitude towards the other girlsof Salem. In order to prevent other girls from speaking out what they have done against the puritanical rules in the forest, she threatens these girls, “[…] I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish had never seen the sun go down!” (Miller 20) A normal girl should never say about that. It is so early for Abigail to experience such a cruel scene as a young child. Her parents’ death greatly affects her, as a result of which this event is likely to leave a wound on her heart. She also gradually becomes ruthless because of that. In addition, the children of Puritan society were never valued by their parents and their physical and psychological health would not be developed very well. Like her contemporaries, Abigail lacks care from her uncle in her childhood. She is adopted by her uncle Parris Williams who a priest in Salem. At the beginning
First of all, the unpleasant past and the Puritan environment build Abigail’s complex character. To begin with, she is ruthless because it can be shown from her attitude towards the other girlsof Salem. In order to prevent other girls from speaking out what they have done against the puritanical rules in the forest, she threatens these girls, “[…] I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish had never seen the sun go down!” (Miller 20) A normal girl should never say about that. It is so early for Abigail to experience such a cruel scene as a young child. Her parents’ death greatly affects her, as a result of which this event is likely to leave a wound on her heart. She also gradually becomes ruthless because of that. In addition, the children of Puritan society were never valued by their parents and their physical and psychological health would not be developed very well. Like her contemporaries, Abigail lacks care from her uncle in her childhood. She is adopted by her uncle Parris Williams who a priest in Salem. At the beginning
Cited: Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: the Penguin group, 1995. Print.