The Murder Of Abigail Williams In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, suggests that often the primary response to one's own fault is to blame another individual. In the playwright, a young girl, Abigail Williams, is found to be dancing and conjuring spirits with her friends in the woods, going against the town’s religious beliefs. Immediately after getting exposed, Abigail attempts to put the blame on their servant Tituba, whom she knows cannot dispute the claim. Her insolence and lies cause an undesirable chain reaction that puts the town into a state of chaos and terror. Eventually, she is forced to flee town or risk considerable punishment for the havoc she caused by her deception and fabrication. Although is able to avoid the consequences of her decisions initially,

Abigail believes that denying the truth will be enough to convince Parris that she was not at fault. Abigail’s willingness to lie and twist the facts shows her desperation to conceal the truth from the rest of the town’s people. Parris, however, knows more than he is letting up. As reverend Parris reveals more and more about what he knows concerning Abigail's situation she realizes that she can no longer continue to deny what has obviously occurred. Her fear of “[blackening]” her “white” reputation in town and her unwillingness to face the consequences of her actions drives her to continue her lies (pg 10) (pg 10). She knows that if the entire truth surfaces she would be in a great plight. As her desperation heightens so does her temper. Her lies begin to unfold before her very eyes and become painstakingly obvious. To Reverend Parris, it becomes clear Abigail knows more than she is willing to reveal.Slowly the truth is revealed and Abigail knows that soon no amount of lying will aid her in avoiding the consequences of her own

Those accused by Abigail found themselves in the same hopeless situation Abigail had originally been in. Their desire for survival leads them to accuse others of the same crime and avoid the consequences that rightfully belongs solely to Abigail. Fear and paranoia envelope the village, and many are punished and even executed. Slowly, as the fear dissipates in the town, many begin to strive to find the root of the mayhem. Talks of a “rebellion” against the court cause worry and anxiety in Abigail (pg 127). She realized that the new “faction” fighting for power is seeking retribution against those who had provoked the widespread panic (pg 127). She knows that as an ally of the court and as the first to accuse others she will be the primary suspect in the inciting of the chaos in Salem. Abigail, “[fearful]” for her own life once again, decides to “run” from the town of Salem in search for another life (pg 127) (pg 127). Her original decision to pin her wrongdoing on another had set into motion a chain reaction that would destroy her reputation and force her to leave