Abigail Williams Research Paper

Words: 955
Pages: 4

The Young Girl Behind the Madness in Salem Picked up a heavy rock–witchcraft. Shut the church door a little too loudly–definitely a witch. According to the Salem Witch Museum, these were historical reasons individuals were accused of witchcraft. In the year 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, it was common for residents to accuse one another of witchcraft. Most accused because they believed the civilian was undergoing the acts of witchcraft (History.com). However, a handful of people falsely accused people that they didn’t like or to cover up their own acts. The accused then faced judgment, known now as the Salem Witch Trials. A conviction at these trials led to the slaughter of innocent victims. Of the nearly 200 accused, around 30 individuals lost their lives due to these false claims and imprisonment. …show more content…
Abigail cries out to John Proctor following their lust-filled interaction that she now calls love. This comes off as manipulative because she tries to use their past actions and her name to twist the mind of John Proctor and make him fall in love with her. In conclusion, Abigail Williams can be considered a manipulative character because she used the past to twist John’s mind. Also, she made threats to turn the girls by her side, who would then be used to back up Abigail’s false accusations towards innocent citizens. Considering the impact from Abigail's manipulation, she also used false accusations against her townsfolk to blame for the witch trials. An example of a false accusation Abigail made was when she was being questioned for dancing in the woods, where she admits she danced, but she also claimed that Bridget was to blame, swearing, “Back to Jesus; I kiss His hand—I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Good Osburn with the devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (Miller 15). Abigail uses Jesus’s name and her interaction with the Devil to leave a false sense of credibility, which leads to more false accusations by