Abigail’s manipulative ways first show when her uncle (Reverend Parris) questions her about wrongdoings. Parris claims to have seen Abigail and the other towns girls dancing in the woods and seeing clothing on the floor. He strongly believes that the girls were trafficking with spirits as they danced in the forest. Abigail admits to the dancing and claims that Betty, Parris’s daughter, fainted when he appeared. Abigail uses her so-called innocence to prove to her uncle that they were only playing around. Parris has high doubts, but chooses to believe her because she tells him multiple stories to back her own. Abigail also has a strong grasp over the group of girls. She uses multiple threats to frighten the group into following everything she does. Abigail beats Betty, her own cousin, when she begins speaking about Abigail drinking a charm to kill Mrs. Proctor. Betty’s beating was an example to the group that showed Abigail meant every threat she threw out. Abigail Williams was a ruthless teenager that would do anything to get her way.
Abigail is driven by lust when she attempts to seduce John Proctor. Williams and Proctor had a brief affair when Abigail was a servant in the Proctor home. Abigail believes Proctor came to see her instead of seeing the foolery surrounding Abby’s uncle. She brings up the situation when Proctor clutched her back and said that Elizabeth, Proctor’s wife, was the reason she was kicked