Did Abigail Williams Cause The Hangings In The Crucible

In “The Crucible,” many things happen to innocent people because of a group of girls. The play starts with this same group of girls, who are in the forest practicing witchcraft. During the time in which the play takes place, anyone who practiced witchcraft was sentenced and had to await trial to see whether or not they were innocent or guilty. This group of girls claimed they saw the Devil, and that some of the people were ‘seen’ with the Devil. They accused two innocent people named Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. They court believed every word and action the girls did, and then sentenced the person for being guilty and made them wait for their hanging. People like Abigail Williams, Reverend John Hale and John Proctor were a big cause of the hangings.

Abigail and her friends would claim that the person who was on trial was doing things to them during the trial or around their town of Salem. Most of the people who were accused were there because of either Abigail, one of her friends, or the whole group. Abigail and her friends were the only ones who really ever did witchcraft, and it was with one of the servants they knew named Tituba. The girls had done bad things with and without the witchcraft, and the worst one was Abigail. Reverend John Hale also was a big cause in the hangings. Reverend Parris had called him to come to Salem from Beverly to help with all the witchcraft trials. “We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy.” (Miller, 184) He had helped in any way he could when it came down to the trials, but was very angry when it was about John Proctor. John Hale knew that Proctor wouldn’t do something like this, especially witchcraft. “Excellency, it is enough he confesses himself. Let him sign it, let him sign it.”