Abigail A Victim Of Society In The Crucible

What does it mean to be a victim of society? A victim of society can more or less be defined as someone who is harmed by their surrounding environment. However, being a victim of society is not nearly as it seems as people may easily play the victim in order to manipulate others, and that scenario holds true in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In this play, a crisis regarding the question of witchcraft is introduced in late eighteenth century Salem, a town ruled by a theocracy of predominantly Puritan beliefs. The dilemma first emerges when Betty, the daughter of Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem, is in almost a persistent vegetative state after having danced in the forest with Abigail Williams, Parris’s niece, and other girls within the

For example, when Abigail is telling the girls that the sole event in the forest that occurred was them dancing, she lets out a violent temper, threatening to kill them if they do not follow her orders. In doing so, she also tells of a story from her past to let the girls know just how serious she is. Abigail reveals, “ I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!” (1.359-362). Having mentioned this story to the girls, Abigail is clearly still affected by events from her past as she unleashes her violent side that is still stored within in her from the time in which her parents were killed. The devastating past event of having her parents killed proves that Abigail is a victim of her society as she is an orphan. Parents play a key role for their children while they are growing up, they can teach them right from wrong and Abigail did not have these privileges. She was instead raised by her uncle Parris, who only cares about his own reputation. However, on the other hand, the grieving events of Abigail’s past can only act as an excuse for her decisions to a certain extent as she cannot be considered a victim on

Even with her past dilemmas, Abigail creates too much chaos is Salem to be considered a victim. She tricked the court into believing that Elizabeth was out to kill her, even though no such event was true. Her actions led to Goody Good, Goody Osburn, Bridget Bishop and many more losing their lives. Abigail may be victim in certain circumstances because of her past experiences, such as viewing her parents be killed by a group of Indians; nonetheless, she cannot be considered a victim if her intentions are out to harm others. Abigail was given an opportunity to tell the truth of her accusations when Mary Warren opposed her, but she did not, and continued on her devious ways, not letting go of her previous mistakes. It may be that Abigail believed that it was too late to correct her mistakes, but in the course of reality, it is never too late to correct past faults. Abigail fails to come to this realization, and continues to play victim in order to manipulate the court. Everyone, no matter their class or where they are from, goes thru tough times, but the difficult times of the past cannot be used as an excuse to cause