Life is like a mountain range with its many ups and downs. Each person has their own trek amongst the mountains, and some of these treks are more difficult than others. When faced with these difficult treks amongst the mountains, many people do as Dale Carnegie once stated; “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. ” In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the characters Abigail Williams and Elizabeth Proctor each find themselves facing their own mountain, and it is from these uphill tests that each character becomes transformed.
Abigail Williams: The Victim Upon the entrance of Abigail Williams one might think she appears as a behaved, but occasionally deceptive child, on the edge of maturity. One might be right, but there be more than what meets the eye. Is Abigail a victim or the culprit? It is evident that Abigail Williams is a victim of Salem due to her emotional scars from her past, the strict, overwhelming environment of the Puritan community, and the symptoms of insanity and power hunger she displayed. It is shown in the text that there are many underlying factors that created her to be a victim.
In the words of Richelle E. Goodrich, “Vengeance is a monster of appetite, forever bloodthirsty and never filled.” Arthur Miller recognized this sinful inclination as it commonly circulated during the anti-communist, “Red Scare.” He corresponds this period to the 1692, Salem Witch Trials, another frightening occasion where wicked accusations loomed over civilians. At least 200 people were thought to practice witchcraft and around 20 were executed on account of this. Without a doubt, both incidents prove how quick someone can act upon bitter motives, specifically by spreading unscrupulous lies for the sake of getting even.
Throughout the play, more specifically in Act II, she is mentioned having an affair with John Proctor; who used to be their servant. When they get the chance to be alone; he then tells her that the affair is over. She does not like his response, and blames Elizabeth for keeping them apart. In spite of his reaction, Abigail plots vengeance against Elizabeth. Abigail blames her for sending out her spirit to stick a needle through her stomach.
During the late 1600’s tragic events took place in a town called Salem. A few girls fell ill, falling victim to hallucinations and seizures, which caused Salem a religious town to start thinking someone was casting spells. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, was created because of the witch trials and the effects it had on the colony. There were lots of men and women accused of this "witchcraft"; however, less than 20 were hung. Although the town of Salem embraced these trials as a template for their envy and hate, one young woman; Abigail Williams, who is the ringleader of it all.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Miller introduces the idea, apparent in today’s world, that sometimes people blame others to save themselves from punishment through the characters’ actions and the asides from Miller. The most prominent character that displays this theme is Abigail Williams. Several times Abigail pushes the blame on others when she senses trouble. When Parris finds the girls dancing in the forest, Abigail knows she has to do something to avoid punishment.
The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. The play is also an allegory to McCarthyism, which was occurring when the play was written. In the most simplistic way the play was about the Salem Witchcraft Trials. These trials caused a mass hysteria throughout Massachusetts. Abigail Williams plays a main role by manipulating others into killing the innocent because of her accusations of witchcraft.
This affair was never fully proven, but Proctor did say, “Abby, I may think of you from time to time but I will cut off my hand before I’ll reach for you again” (Miller 1140). Abigail was madly in love with Proctor and wanted Elizabeth out of the picture so she could have Proctor all to her self. Abigail was very jealous of Elizabeth. She thought that if Elizabeth would die, she would get Proctor all to her self. She accused Elizabeth of being a “cold, sniveling woman”(Miller 1140).
Abby also stabs herself in the stomach with a needle and lies that Elizabeth used her witchcraft to stab Abby. The community believes Abby’s story because there is a poppet in Elizabeth’s house with a needle in its stomach. Since Abby already has credibility and has proof that Elizabeth is a witch, she is able to get Elizabeth arrested. With Elizabeth out of the way, Abby believes that she can get back together with John. The second reason why Abigail has great influence over Elizabeth is so Abby can prevent Elizabeth from spreading the truth.
Jenae Patterson Writing Skills 9.5.1 Practice 10 March 2018 Literary Analysis Essay In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams is a selfish, manipulative, and magnificent liar. She has a sinister way and sense of manipulating others, to gain control over them.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play which contains a multitude of complex characters . In the play, the characters’ motivations and inner processes are explored. Because of the historical setting, the characters live in a society of judgement and extreme religious devotion. This is a factor that places any of the characters’ choices and morals in a public balance to be judged by others. Abigail Williams is the main character of the play and acts with an utter selfishness and obsession.
Nicole Schaefer Mr. Becker American Literature October 29, 2014 Two Women for Two Different Worlds In the novel the crucible, Elizabeth, wife of John Proctor, and Abigail Williams, mistress of John Proctor are two main roles. Elizabeth, a woman who is loyal and true, or manipulative and ruthless liar, Abigail. She pretends to see spirits and commands the other girls to pretend as well.
Throughout American society the topic of homosexual equality and marriage has been discussed beyond the point of surprise. Most consider homosexuality to be a choice, some consider it a gene that is passed down through birth and is a state of being directly from birth (or before). Robert Alan Brookey states, (page 27, paragraph 2) “ Although his theory points to a biological cause, Ulrichs also believed that male homosexuality was a psychological condition. For example, he argued that the Urning’s female sex drive is complemented by a feminine psyche: “Distinct from the feminine persuasion of our sexual drive, we Urnings have still another feminine trait in us which, so it seems to me, offers the most positive proof that nature developed the
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigail William’s flaws: lust, vengeance, and jealously that led her to be responsible the most for the tragedy of the witch hunts in Salem. Abigail Williams started the entire suspicion of there being active member of witchcraft throughout Salem, Massachusetts. She did this for her own benefits and used trickery to get what she wanted. Abigail was corrupt and only cared for her own desires. There are many reasons that these flaws are crucial to the outcome of the play.
In literature, an archetype is a character whose actions represent a certain type of person or a reoccurring symbol. Every one person has their own archetype that they can relate to, which forms personalities and certain behaviors. In Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, modern archetypes can be applied to Huck as the seeker and Jim as the caregiver. Hucks behavior can relate to the modern archetype known as the seeker.
