Abigail Williams Essay

Submitted By ejl1997
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Pages: 7
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50 Shades of Abby Characters are a vital part of any story. They are the blood and soul of every piece of literature from the past and present. Like everyday people, these characters have fears, decisions to make, and they evolve throughout their lives. They either grow and learn from these trials, or completely destroy a town and change it forever in this case. In Arthur Millers Playwright, The Crucible, Abigail Williams is a key player in flipping a town upside down and has fears, decisions to make, and changes throughout the play.

Abigail is an envious seventeen year old who had relations with a married man named John Proctor. Abigail resented Johns wife Elizabeth who sent Abigail out of their house once she discovered the affair the two were having. This resentment led to Abigail dancing in the woods, chanting witch spells, wishing Elizabeth dead. Does this seem a little absurd? Abigails obsession with John consumes her and leads to many actions done out of envy and vengeance. Abigail is willing to kill Elizabeth if she could get away with it to become the new Mrs. Proctor. Abigail is not only envious but manipulative and spiteful towards others. She demonstrates this when she begins screaming at the ceiling when accused by Mary Warren during a trial. Abigail cries out for a yellow bird”s which only she sees, crying for it to leave. The other girls join her, pointing out that “it” is on the beam following Abigails lead. There is clearly nothing there, but Abigail continues insisting Mary is using witchcraft, until Mary begins to plead with the girls to stop. They mimic whatever she says until Danforth orders Mary to “withdraw your spirit back out of them.” (Page 115 ) Almost being caught in her lies, Abigail quickly blames someone else (Mary Warren) to save herself. She manipulates the court and they believe her! This shows Abigail’s evil nature and how she is unwilling to confess, therefore causing the reader to strongly dislike Ms. Williams. This scene really shows how crazy and fargone the girls are, pretending to see something, putting Mary’s life on the line.

Abigail may come across as fearless because of her strong headed “I’m always right” personality, but that is not necessarily the case. Even the most feared person has fears, and Abigail’s greatest fear is the thought of having a bad name or reputation especially that of the town whore. Abigail’s reputation was brought up during a conversation outside with John Proctor. “PROCTOR, angered-at himself as well: You'll speak nothin' of Elizabeth! ABIGAIL: She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! “'By reading this, Abigail seems very insecure and does not want her name in the town gossip or “blackened”. Abigail is terrified of gaining a reputation as a whore and this is especially evident when John confronts Abigail in the forest telling her he is going to confess to the court about their affair. “Proctor: I come to tell you, Abby, what I will do tomorrow in the court. I would not take you by surprise , but give you all good time to think on what to do to save yourself. Abby: Save myself! Proctor: If you do not free my wife tomorrow, I am set and bound to ruin you. “ Page (151). Abby becomes very nervous because she knows she can not escape this case. Abigail’s reputation is more important than being accused as a witch. She honestly believes that her name is good and she is innocent after all of her accusations until John brings up their relationship and fornication. This reveals the true fear in Abigail because she knows she is really guilty of that crime and cannot blame others like she had in the trials. The author uses this scene to really show how crazy Abigail is. She doesn't believe that she will be caught regarding the accusations, but once John tells her he is coming after her, she realizes
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