, Research Paper
Within the Crucible, there lies a complex story involving the
accounts and happenings surrounding the 1692 Salem witch trials
in Salem, Massachusetts. Act 1 of the Crucible sets up the
unfolding of events which lead to witch accusations and increasing
superstition among the puritan community. The Crucible reveals
the intriguing and malicious character of Abigail Williams to be a
manipulative and unabashed liar, who possesses the remarkable
quality of self preservation even among what seem to be
insurmountable odds. The character of Abigail Williams
demonstrates domineering behavior throughout the act in such
events as Abigail’s threatening the girls to remain silent regarding
events in the forest, Abigail’s attempts of seducing John Proctor,
and the repeated unsubstaincle accusations of Abigail placed on
people within the Puritan community.
Throughout the community, word of the supposed
“witchcraft” begins to leak out under the immediate concern of
Rev. Parris. Rev. Parris fears that the incident could taint his
reputation among the other Puritans. As a result, Rev. Parris
continually interrogates Abigail with the intent of getting what he
feels is the truth. Abigail continually acts innocent in order to
eliminate the suspicion of Rev. Parris. To keep the incident a
secret, Abigail threatens the girls involved in the incident, so that
they will not talk. More specifically, she threatens the girls with
death by her hands. Her logic for this is quite clear, she wants to
be cleared of all suspicion, and by putting fear into the girls, she
feels that this is a adequately accomplished. As a result, Abagails
tatics of manipulation keep her from receiving harsh persecution
and accusations.
Another act of domineering behavior on part of
Abigail is her repeated attempted seducing of Mr. Proctor.
Abigail’s reasons for this are not quite clear, but one could
conclude that it is purposed for the reason of separating Mr.
proctor from his wife Elizabeth Proctor and take her place as his
wife. It seems as though Abigail and Mr. Proctor had previous
intimate relations, and Abigail’s seducing of Mr. Proctor is an
attempt to rehash this past relationship. It is for obvious reasons
extreme megalomania that Abigail takes this course of action.
Lastly, Abigail show herself to be an even more
mischievous character by accusing Tituba of Witchcraft, and
wrong doing. Tituba in turn is held in suspicion of being a witch
and is threatened with the taking of her life if she refuses to talk
about her supposed involvement with the devil. Tituba reluctantly
gives in to the accusations after the realization that it was necessary
in order to save her life. This action on part of Abigail helps shift
blame and suspicion from herself solely to that of Tituba. Tituba
invents lies and sends the witchcraft fear further into a sense of fear
for the Puritan community. This incident is a vivid example one of
Abigail’s most remarkable character attributes, her ability to
manipulate those around her as she sees fit. The false accusations
of Abigail confirm her character as being domineering and
untruthful at the expense of others.
Abigail emerges from act 1 of the Crucible as an
evil-spirited, manipulative young girl. The callous behavior of
Abigail most likely stems from her childhood. She observed her
parents being murdered by Indians at a young age and was
orphaned as a result. No matter the reason for her violent nature,
Act 1 clearly defines Abigail as a person bent on crushing those
who oppose her. Abigail’s domineering acts of threatening the
other girls with death for talking of the events in the forest,
seducing of John Proctor, and her false accusations of witchcraft
serve as substantial reason for classifying Abigail as such an evil
person. To conclude, Abigail Williams arrives in Act 1 as one of
the most complex and intriguing characters of the Crucible.
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