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How Does Abigail Williams Use Abuse Of Power In The Crucible

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George Bernard Shaw once stated, “Power does not corrupt men; fools however, if they get into a position of power, corrupt power.” When given power you can either allow it to humble you or you can abuse it. The influence of power proves to show a person's true colors, bright, dark, vivid, or muted. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, reflects on the past Salem witch trials, however, Miller uses power as an underlying focal point to display the effects of corrupt influence. The struggle for power hangs over the heads of the citizens of Salem like a carrot over the head of a rabbit. Abigail Williams, the niece of Reverend Parris, is a seemingly powerless servant girl, however, she shakes the balance of their hackneyed life in Salem. John …show more content…

Even so, Proctors power was undeniably failing to support him in his endeavors. The everchanging balance of power in the witch trials is driven by the formidable struggle between Abigail WIlliams and John Proctor. Abigail Williams, formally an innocent girl, rose to power destroying the lives of the virtuous. She saw a chance to have power and she took it using her innocence. She learned to manipulate others from her experience in Salem. Almost everyone in Salem can turn on anyone at any moment and Abigail picked up on this behavior and used it to her advantage. When questioned if she had danced with the devil with the girls in the woods Abigail confessed however she twisted her words to “I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced with the devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand” in order to appear …show more content…

Even through the trials and tribulations the balance of power was never equalized. Not until Johns final moments did he have something not to live for but to die for. Living for someone or something is one thing but dyeing displays true power and courage. Walking to his death John finally “has his goodness now. God, forbid [anyone] take it from him”; John took back his power for himself and nobody else (Miller 134). He knows what is in his heart and mind and will allow God to judge him from there. He knew he would be hanged so his final moments were not spent with regret but with goodness and bravery in his heart. However, Abigail could not stand to see John in this state, so she took the fearful way out by running away to not face her consequences. Reverend Parris realizes that “[He] cannot think they would run off except they fear to keep in Salem anymore” (Miller 126). Abigail was headed toward the same path as John and did not want to live to see that her power lead to the passing of the one she fought to have for her own. Abigail leaving was the final piece of the puzzle needed to solidify the fate of her character. Abigails character is always back and forth depending on the circumstance, so this final instant gives us the true glace at who she truly is; a manipulative, naïve, yet powerful child. Power is what gave Abigail the trust of Salem and

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Out of all the characters in the book, there are many that contributed to the hysteria of the witch trials, however, of these characters Abigail Williams contributed the most. In the beginning of the play, we see Abigail and a collection of other girls dancing and making a charm in the woods. Abigail made this charm in order to kill Mr.Proctor 's wife. If Abigail wasn 't so crazy in love with John this scene in the woods probably wouldn 't have taken place. Therefor, Parris would have never caught the girls and there wouldn’t be rumours of witchcraft.

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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

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During the play Abigail's bad decisions leads to a lot of commotion. She tries to fix her mistakes but ends up getting into more of a mess than she started with. “I want to open myself…I want the light of god, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced with Devil; I saw him i wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw sarah Good with the devil, I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil!

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He later realizes that his decision to sign the death warrants had resulted in innocent people dying and publicly denounces the disorganized court. However, it is impossible for his actions to be reversed as not only have the people already died, but he no longer is the power holder. By believing Abigail and following her accusations, the court could not go back on their word without making themselves look uncredible and unreliable. Due to pride, even most of those who know that the accused are innocent refuse to testify. His actions near the end where he is earnestly convincing John Proctor to save himself and confess his last feeble attempt at reversing his actions and gaining his power

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564 Words | 3 Pages

Her character sets a perfect example of how one’s actions affects one’s outcome, or the impact that it has on them. Abigail Williams is deceiving and manipulative,her character illustrates how these qualities only work to one’s disadvantage. Abigail is very prideful,

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This statement by reverend Parris shows that Abigail robbed him and ran away to save her own skin, this selfish act only makes the chaos that is ensuing worse, and puts people who were innocent in danger just because Abigail was fearful of something that may never have even happened. If she would have stayed and told the truth then there would have been less panic because the people of Salem would have a clear understanding of what's going on as well as some would not be in fear of dying especially for something that could've been cleared up by the words of one girl. This is why Abigail could've ended the hysteria in Salem as

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756 Words | 4 Pages

Abigail is willing to accuse any one in her path of witchcraft even if it means taking the lives of those close to her. Abigail Williams’ emotional desire guides her actions even if it conflicts with morality. Abigail williams is driven to do unthinkable things because of her love for John Proctor. Abigail works in the Proctor’s home and while doing so she finds herself attracted to John. Abigail’s obsession with Proctor leads them to have an affair, which they try to keep

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468 Words | 2 Pages

Abigail continually tries to get rid of those who are in her way by accusing them. When Elizabeth, John Proctor’s wife, gets accused, Abigail tells John that he is “singing secret Hallelujahs that your wife will hang!”. Abigail Williams cannot be excused for her actions since she caused chaos and affected hundreds of lives. She is at fault for the witch trials that occurred since she began the accusation. As a result of her actions, many people were murdered, hundreds were accused and almost everyone’s lives were negatively changed.

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763 Words | 4 Pages

Reverend Parris, uncle of abigail, became her caregiver at a young age after enduring her parents murder by Native Americans. He already had his daughter Betty and his slave Tituba. He was the minister of Salem, but Salem followed the Putain Law. Puritan Laws are very strict on religion and morals. Abigail Williams developed a victimised charter during her turbulent childhood.

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705 Words | 3 Pages

Abigail certainly abused her power once she realized, at the end of Act One, how powerful an accuser can be, she seized that role. Abigail also gained her power as women in Salem were the lowest class with few or no options in life. They usually worked as servants until they are old enough to marry. Abigail was also under the spell of John Proctor who took away her innocence when he committed adultery with her. As Puritans feared the opposition of god, Abigail’s accusations of witchcraft and the worshipping of the devil immediately grabbed the attention of the court.

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565 Words | 3 Pages

In a small village called Salem, witchcraft and sorcery exist, however everyone is pointing fingers but not a single soul knows who is actually to blame for this nonsense. During this time period of hysteria, there are multiple scenes that are very questionable due to one person and one person only. Abigail is the one most responsible for the hysteria and witchcraft in Salem. She threatens the group of girls that accompanied her in the woods while they all danced. She has also lied about many things on multiple occasions in which causes an extreme amount of suspicion.

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481 Words | 2 Pages

Abigail is extremely concerned with her well-being and reputation. In Act One, Reverend Parris confronts Abigail about dancing in the forest, and, instead of confessing, she begins denouncing others. This illustrates how she is willing to allow others to be harmed because of her extreme fear. One example of this is when Abigail states, “Not I sir—Tituba and Ruth” (Miller 15). The character of the residents of Salem is not exceptional.

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961 Words | 4 Pages

Abigail Williams is the catalyst to the witch hunt and is relentless in her plans to have Elizabeth Proctor killed, destroying the lives of many just because in her head that would mean John will want to be with her. She is obsessive and seems to lack

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799 Words | 4 Pages

Abigail seeks vengeance after her affair with John Proctor. She is still madly obsessed with him. After John rejected her, she makes up lies in court in desperate attempt to get Goody Proctor hanged. She thinks if she gets rid of Goody Proctor she will be able to have John all to herself. One quote that supports this is “I do sir.

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429 Words | 2 Pages

John Proctor also claims in court that “she only pretended to faint” to try to convince that she is being attacked by witches and devils. Abigail Williams evil actions caused lots of people to suffer. Abigail Williams, a static character does not change by the end of the play because she continues to protect her reputation instead of telling the truth. Throughout the play Abigail choose to continue to lie about the witchcraft instead of telling the truth. She is a static charatcer because she had many chances to stop the trails, and tell the truth.

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