Preview

Who Is Abigail Selfish In The Crucible

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
869 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Who Is Abigail Selfish In The Crucible
Fear, power, and greed all are major reasons why one would commit a selfish act. This is revealed during the Salem Witch trials when neighbors would accuse one another of Witchcraft, leading to jail time or death. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Abigail Williams is caught dancing in the woods, which in her society is frowned upon. At first, she denies it happened, but once she understands she will not be in any problem, she confesses. Also while she confessed, she also lied and blamed Tituba for forcing her to see the devil. Later, she then accuses more and more people. She lied because it gave her power and she hoped to rid her enemies. Abigail is responsible because her actions were selfish, manipulative, and destructive; because she wanted to protect her reputation, to be with john proctor, and to gain power that would destroy her enemies, Abigail orchestrates the entire trial process, resulting in tragedy.
Abigail lies to protects her reputation from the rumors and accusations because a good reputation leads to a stable marriage and adulthood. After the affair gossip spread throughout the town and she is found dancing in the woods, now she is finding herself trying to clean the stain from her reputation. As a result, she tries to put the blame on Tituba when she tells Reverend Hale that,
…show more content…
Abigail was focused on patching up her reputation and did not care who she had to accused to get what she wanted. Johns marriage was Abigail's main reason to continue the witch trials, to try and win john over. Lastly, she really wanted to gain power and feel important. Witch hunts have nothing to do with witches at all, but with hatred. They are still going on today,which is why it is important to learn about why Salem should have never happened and why it should never happen again. 20 people died in Salem, but more have died all over the world because of tragedies like

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    In the Crucible, we know that Abigail Williams is obsessed with John Proctor’s love, which motivates her to go down a villainous path. She is vindictive and a compulsive liar, which allows her to have power in the Salem Witch Trials. Here, we can apply the typical character traits of female villains.The romance element is very important to Abigail’s villainy. Abigail's behaviour in the trials is provoked by her past affair with John Proctor as well as her feelings towards Elizabeth. In this situation, Proctor is supposedly responsible for Abigail’s evil nature. The aftermath of this relationship led to the revenge attribute, in which Abigail and the other girls begin accusing people of witchcraft as a way of hopefully eliminating Elizabeth…

    • 248 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a series on witch trials occur that creates mass hysteria in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail Williams, one of the main characters, fabricates the lies that begin the witch hunt in her attempt to divert everyone's attention towards her including the attention of John Proctor. In the play, Proctor has an affair with young Abigail while his wife goes through postpartum depression causing Abigail to fall in love with him but John returns to his wife Elizabeth. While Elizabeth Proctor barely forgives him, John does all he can to make it up to her. Unfortunately, the biggest consequence of the affair is not the loss of security, but when Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. Elizabeth and Abigail have very conflicting characters, but they also compare in many ways and contribute to the symbolism of the play over all.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail’s flaws of lust, dishonesty, and temper that led her to be the most responsible for the tragedy of the witch-hunt in Salem. Throughout the play Abigail displayed these three flaws towards other characters by threating, lying and showing affection. I believe that Abigail is most at fault because she is the one who started all the chaos in Salem by telling a little white lie that later led more and more lies along the way.…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    She truly believed that the women she accused of witchcraft were trying to come after her. A sane and mentally healthy person would recognize when it is time to “drop the act” after over a dozen innocent lives have been taken. Abigail was so mentally driven by what she thought was right, she couldn't see the wrong in it. Abigail was so stubborn about what she wanted, which was John. She was manipulated and “abused” by John, she was willing to sacrifice other people’s lives to save herself from everyone and John’s individual reputation.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the crucible Abigail and the young girls was look to as the authority. They would basically blame anyone if they need to , however Abigail did not intend for all of the people she blamed to be killed. Anyone who was in her way would be killed as will “he comes to me at night he make me sign his book”. Abigail was a master mind she had most of the young girls in Salem to back he every word up she would also make people believe what she was saying with an act…

    • 406 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Salem, Massachusetts in the year of 1692 the Salem witch trials ruined everybody’s lives and ignited all because of Abigail Williams. In the play the “Crucible” which is also known as a severe test, the town of Salem was considered a Crucible. The town was put through hard and controversial times. Abigail’s attachment to John Proctor makes her try to get rid of his wife Elizabeth throughout the entire play. Abigail also even threatens and lies multiple times to people to get what she wants. Abigail is a mean and selfish person that always wants her way no matter who she hurts.…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In act one Abigail Williams was most responsible for the riotous situation in Salem. “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart”(pg 1099). Abigail is saying that John gave her hope and love. John Proctor had an affair on his wife Abigail causing her to fall in love with him. Her desire to have John for herself was a reason why all the chaos happened. Abigail would do anything to have John to herself even accuse Elizabeth, who is John’s wife,…

    • 616 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As Junior expresses his awareness of his new classmate’s perception of him, it becomes clear that those perceptions overshadows Junior’s reality. These boys’ relationship with Junior is simultaneously aggressive and hesitant. They are comfortable verbally abusing him, though they draw a line at physical violence out of their fear of him, or rather what they think he is and what they think he could be. Their perception fuels their apprehension and overrides how they can see with their own eyes that Junior is not threatening or harmful by convincing them that due to the fact that he is Indian he is unpredictable and could become violent. In reality however, both Junior and all who know him are aware of how defenseless and weak he actually is…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    To begin with in the play “ The Crucible ” it states that Abigail Williams lied to the towns peoples and said Tituba was the one who was a witch. She also stated “ she comes to me at night in my bedroom and disturbs me” , which she knew she was lying. She would continuously lie on and to other people, just so she wouldn’t get in trouble. Abigail was such a good liar she convinced most of the town to believe that what she was saying is true. She…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In the novel The Crucible a woman named Abigail started a conspiracy about witches. She was doing most of this for attention. However it escalated a whole lot farther than what was expected. Many analyst believe that she did this because of her time frame she lived in. And that she should be pardoned because outside forces made her the way she was.…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    "All is fair in love and war"-proverb. People will do anything for love. There is no act that is too bad or too good when going after the loved one. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller takes place in Salem in 1692/93 where Abigail Williams is the main character who acts among an evil intent because she can't be with her "love", John Proctor. She is willing to do anything to get Elizabeth out of the way so that she can fulfil her fantasy of being John's wife. John regrets committing adultery while his wife was sick and rejects Abby. Whereas others once reproached her for her adultery, she now has the opportunity to accuse them of the worst sin of all: devil-worship. The sin is fatal. Abigail manipulates and accuses her way up to increase her credibility to get what she wants.…

    • 751 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Abigail Williams, seventeen, enters – a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling. Now she is all worry and apprehension and propriety” (6 Miller). Further, a reader can infer that Abigail is an inquisitive girl and worries for her cousin. Despite that, Abigail‘s role is with her lying; for she can be headstrong. The girl threatened the other dancing girls to not speak a word to anyone about what they did in the forest. Due to the girl’s lies, the town worried that witchcraft was in their midst. Abigail had caused great confusion, and with it, the start if the Salem Witch Trials. Later, Abigail gains support of the court and…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abigail Williams is known for lying about her affair with John Proctor, but at what cost? To clear everything up, Abigail Williams is a character in the play called “The Crucible’ by Arthur Miller. Within the play’s first scene, Abigail is caught “dancing” in the forest by Reverend Parris, causing her cousin, Betty, to faint. As the scene continues, Rev. Parris starts to question Abigail about what she and Betty were doing, and she lies, saying that they were dancing for sport; the action that night resulted in her going to court to testify her innocence. Abigail, instead of answering questions about her night in the woods, starts to stretch the truth to the court about John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, being a witch. She even goes as far as to drink blood as a charm to kill Elizabeth, and plant incriminating evidence against her. As we read the play, we can get a better understanding as to why Abigail went so far to cover up her affair with John Proctor. She wanted her name to be associated with strong and respectable, although why would a person go to such lengths just for a name?…

    • 985 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Don't lie to hail she comes to me while I sleep she's always making me dream corruptions."page 1091" The crucible is in the astonishing play about the history of Salem and witchcraft. This play is a story from past time, Abigail Williams is a huge part of this play because of her scheming ways to put people to death as you can see from the previous quote I listed, this was one of her many lies. Many different people play a role in the Salem deaths but Abigail started all and kept playing it off until she killed in abundant amount. Abigail is responsible for numerous deaths that occurred during this time. Due to her falsely accusing goody Proctor, threatening the girls to take part in her lies, and her admission to guilt by leaving Salem. Abigail is most to blame as a result of her extremely persuasive ways that involve threats towards the rest of the girls which made them start blaming people for witchcraft and they lied about all the things that they were accused of.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Abigail posses an immoral persona and many of her actions are unethical. She wants one thing and one thing only, John Proctor, a married man. She participates in infidelity and constructs a web of lies. She knows that it is a sin to have sex with a married man but continues to proclaim her love for him, “I will not, i cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is you love me yet!” (The Crucible, Act 1). In connection with the infidelity she lies on Elizabeth, Proctor’s wife, and says her spirit stabbed her when in reality she stabbed herself. Similar to her lack of emotions it proves how immoral, unethical, and selfish she really is.…

    • 575 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays