Amanda Able Nordgaard Hour: 5 Honors English 10 Due: 11/4/15 Abigail is to blame In The Crucible, Abigail Williams is to blame for the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, because she started the witchcraft activity, brought innocent people into her little game, and used deceiving tricks to get the court to believe her story. Abigail’s past could have led up to her witchcraft activity and childish behavior. When Abigail was little, she witnessed her parents being murdered. She mentions, "I saw Indians smash my dear parents heads on the pillow next to mine..." (page 148 lines 359-361) After that traumatizing experience, she moved in with her uncle, Reverend Parris and grew up with her cousin Betty. In the play, "He (Parris) was a widower …show more content…
She had an affair with him seven months before all of this started. Abigail used to be the servant of Proctor and his wife Elizabeth, until Elizabeth found out about the affair and fired Abigail. John told Abigail that it was over and she should forget it ever happened, but she wouldn’t take no for an answer. He desperately tries to get rid of her saying, "Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again." (Page 150 lines 450-452) Because of this, Abigail tried to get Elizabeth out of the picture. She thought that if Elizabeth were dead John would fancy her. Her insidious plan involved accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. She did this after she saw Mary Warren making a poppet in court. Mary supposedly put a needle into the doll, and Abigail used that for her accusation. Later that night at dinner, she stabbed herself with a needle and claimed that Elizabeth sent out her spirit to do it. She continuously brings innocent people into the mess, like on page 162, Tituba and her name off random citizens in the town and wrongly accuse them of being with the devil. This just makes the story an even bigger