Who Is Abigail Guilty In The Crucible

Human beings act the way they do because of their past. When he or she is traumatized or have lived through harmful events in his or her life, it can effect their present actions. Abigail Williams , character from The Crucible by Arthur Miller, has experienced dreadful events and emotions that have effected her actions. Though the affairs she caused were unnecessary , it was not her fault at all. She is emotionally scarred and her acts were a cry for help. Abigail Williams, a poor traumatized girl, should not be held countable for her actions.

Abigail has survived one of the most disturbing tragedies someone can go through. She has seen her parents killed by the Indians before her very own eyes. Witnessing this gruesome event could cause any human being to go insane and to not think rationally for the rest of his or her life. All the actions she had taken during the witch trials were caused by her insanity. She was not acting bewitched for fun for her insanity caused her to see witchcraft that did not
exist. When she witnessed the flying bird in the court house it was her mind that was tricking her to see what was really not there. Also, when she witnessed her parents’ death, it filled her with anger and hatred for the world. With all of this anger and hatred built up, her insanity brought her to want revenge. So during the witch trials her so called “acting” of being bewitched was caused by her insanity.

Abigail had a forbidden love with John Proctor.
This love made her attached to Proctor. When Proctor was done with her, he destroyed the whole relationship. He told her they were done and gave her the horrible feeling of being unwanted. Just because he was ashamed of what he did and did not want any part of it anymore . It did not mean he had to hurt poor Abigail. Most of Abigail’s life was lived without parents to share love, but with Proctor, she finally had someone to love. When he suddenly ended what they had so quickly , it made her feel like he never really cared about her in the first place. Through out her encounter with John, you can notice the love and attachment she had with him. No girl can honestly say she blames Abigail wanting Elizabeth’s place in life , she had everything she wanted. Of course without John this love could have never happened, so John Proctor is at fault for making Abigail feel abandoned , unwanted, and not good
enough.

Life as a Puritan was a life with many restrictions. Puritans had firm rules that had to be obeyed by everyone at all times. Abigail grew up in a Puritan time which meant she had to stick to the religious beliefs she had since she was a young girl. All her life she needed to act as a well behaved and reserved girl. Being so reserved can be tiring after a while, and the rebel inside of her needed to come out . Abigail could not ignore the urges she had to do something rebellious. The situation in the woods involving her was merely for fun and was not as serious as everyone took it to be. Quite frankly Abigail should be praised for showing the puritans a way of fun for a change. All of the other citizens of the town possibly had the same thought as Abigail but would never have to confidence to do it. She can not be blamed for following her creative mind and wanting to add more lively hood to the Puritans.

People’s past can really have a huge impact on the rest of the world. Most of the time their past is not even their own fault. Many people would say that Abigail Williams is at fault for all of the results of the witch trials, but if you look more into her past and what she had went through you would see her side of the story. She was just a traumatized girl trying to mend her own problem that were not completely her fault. People should feel sorry for all she had to encounter in her life. Put yourself in her position and try to feel her pain. Abigail Williams, a girl tortured by life, should not be held countable for her actions involving the witch trial.