How Does Abigail Williams Gain Power In The Crucible

The first thing people think of when they think of the Salem witch trials are people being burned at the stake. Even though people being burned at the stake was something that infact did happened during the witch trials it did not happen in Salem, Massachusetts. Being burned at the stake was a more “popular” way of torture in Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries. However, majority of the executions in Salem were by hanging. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play about the effect of blindly following one’s religion. The play takes place in Salem, Massacusetts in 1692, a place where during that time period you were not able to trust not only your neighbors but at times you could not trust you own family. Every where you looked there was someone getting accused of witchcraft. Once you were accused you had two choices, if you confess, whether or not you are guilty, you then have to live with the constant humiliation, but if you choose to not admit to witchcraft then you would be hanged. Unchecked power runs amok in The Crucible thus creating deadly

She quickly obtained power over the town by using her ability to manipulate people in order to get what she wanted. Abigail used this power to falsely accuse others of witchcraft and successfuly got them convicted and hung. She used her power to instill fear and to intimidate her peers, so they would go along with her plans. She used her power to her advantage. John Proctor is quoted saying, “Abigail, I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now, when some good respect is rising for me, you compromise it all” (Miller 1239). The power that Abigail held over the town was so great that she almost turned Salem into a town of paranoia, suspicion and mistrust. In the end, Abigail’s power was her downfall. She feared being exposed and was forced to leave