Abigail's Jealousy In The Crucible

In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, Abigail is most to blame in the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials is based on a period of time where the devil’s work has found its way into the Christian city of Salem, causing everybody accused of witchcraft to confess, or be hanged. Abigail, a teenage girl at the time, has fell madly in love with a man by the name of John Proctor. John is a married man, but in his past he has had an affair with Abigail which nobody knew of. Abigail’s immaturity shows throughout the story, along with major jealousy over Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife. All these events of hanging and sin in Salem lead back around to Abigail’s jealousy overall

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Ever since Abigail and John had an affair, way before The Salem Witch

Mary Warren, a teenage girl from the story, supposedly Abigail’s friend, was making a poppet for Goody Proctor, John’s wife, in the courtroom beside Abigail. Mary stuck the needle in the poppet’s stomach for safe keeping. Abigail saw the needle and soon stabbed herself with a needle as if the doll were a voodoo doll and accused Goody Proctor of witchcraft out of pure jealousy that Elizabeth is married to John, and wanted her to be hanged. Cheever stated, “She sat to dinner in Rev. Parris’ house and without a word she falls to the floor. He goes to save her a finds a needle two inches in the flesh of her body” (Miller 78-79).

Abigail being one of the youngest characters in the book, she’s a little immature. For example, she mocked Mary Warren in the courthouse as if her spirit were sent out on Abigail on the girls and where harming them. During this part of the story, Mary was yelling at them to stop, but the girls insisted with the childish behavior and say “Mary please stop” (Miller 121). When John was jailed later on the story, Abigail tried to bail him out by paying the guards and she wanted him to run away with her. Ohn refused and Abigail ended up stealing Rev. Parris’ money and running away with her