Persecution Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

There is no human being in the world who has never experienced a form of fear in their life. Fear comes in many forms, that all result in very disparate consequences. One might fear the outcome of a critical academic test or athletic game. Communities might fear a particular form of government. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, fear was the very power that drove the entire plot. Suspicion of witchcraft engulfed the entire community of Salem. Although nearly the entire community had been invested in the witchcraft trials, at the very center of it all was Abigail Williams. After suspicion of witchcraft was directed towards Abigail, fear inflicted her to divert the criticism. Abigail’s sense of empowerment over other community members of Salem

Abigail did not explicitly express her internal fears, but indirectly expressed them with allegations of witchcraft. Abigail’s concern for herself generated strong internal strife. Consequent to Abigail’s internal calamity, resulting from fear of her own indictment, she had the effrontery to accuse others of witchcraft. It was evident that Abigail strongly feared her own indictment for many reasons. Mary Warren, one of Abigail’s accomplices in the forest, cried to Abigail, “Witchery’s a hangin’ error, a hangin’ like they done in Boston two year ago!...” Abigail replied in dread, “Oh, we’ll be whipped!” (Applebee et al. 174). Clearly Abigail feared the physical consequences that might result from her association with obscene practices. However, she also dreaded the social ramifications of living in a community with a blackened name, or perhaps complete excommunication from Salem. Abigail had already been associated with adultery in Salem, and was suffering the consequences. Following her dismissal from the Proctor home, she had not been employed. This in turn, caused her to live with her uncle, Reverend Parris. It was clear that Parris questioned Abigail’s involvement with witchcraft early in the story. Parris challenged Abigail, “...my own household is discovered to be the very center of obscene practice” (Applebee et al. 170). This greatly concerned Abigail, due to the fact that her name

Clearly Abigail was a formidable and influential character. Abigail expressed her ironically indignant attitude towards Mary Warren. As Abigail shouted out accusations and remarks in distress, the other girls in the courtroom mimicked her allegations. Abigail’s goal was to ascertain guilt upon Mary Warren. Mr. Danforth was a fanatic of the court, he was inclined to rule in favor of the plaintiff. This is due to his attempts to make personal gains in the court. As a result, Mr. Danforth possessed predilection in favor of witchcraft accusers. Although an iniquity, Mr. Danforth boasted his own reputation over the lives of other people. This is another insight, demonstrating Abigail’s keen awareness of the attitudes and viewpoints of other characters. Perhaps Mr. Danforth confronted similar obstacles to what Abigail experienced. Both characters possessed a concern for themselves and asserted it with the demise of others. In part because of this, Abigail most definitely was not regarded as a good Christian. This also could be concluded considering due her involvement with John Proctor. Mr Reverend Parris inquired to Abigail, “...discharged from Goody Proctor’s service? I have heard it said...She comes so rarely to the church this year...What signified that remark?”(Applebee et al. 171). This suggested that not only was Abigail not perceived as a good