Who Is Abigail Williams Selfish In The Crucible

Selfishness Consumes

Human beings are innately driven by self-interest. They pursue goals, careers, achievements and all too often are deceitful and cheat in order to obtain them. The character Abigail in the play the Crucible is no different. The play, the Crucible, depicts the mass hysteria that overtook a town in Massachusetts during the Salem witch trials. In the midst of this fear, this panic, in the eye of the storm, lies the character of Abigail Williams. As we witness the play unfold, we are able to see Abigail’s true character, and though she tries to conceal her true personality, the reader is able to identify it through her actions and most interestingly her beliefs.

Abigail Williams varies far from traditional Puritan society. Instead of abiding by the general rules of Puritans, Abigail decides that she is above the laws. This fact becomes evident when she pursues, then successfully seduces John Proctor, and when she

She is shown to be young, wide-eyes through her description “Abigail Williams, seventeen- a strikingly beautiful girl.” (8) Thus Abigail has idealized her entire relationship with John Proctor instead of seeing it for what it truly was, an affair that took place because Proctor, a bit lonely, felt distant from his wife and consequently turned to Abigail for warmth, she see’s the two of them as being in love and the only thing keeping them apart is John Proctors wife, Goody Proctor. This is portrayed quite clearly in Abigail's motivation throughout the play as she is constantly trying to eliminate Goody Proctor. This is seen in the Act I when it is revealed by Betty Parris that it was Abigail who was attempting to kill Goody Proctor when the girls were dancing in the woods, all in attempt to be with John Proctor "You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!"