In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams is known to be manipulative and selfish, as she would constantly lie and falsely accuse other people of participating in witchcraft. She often threatens other people in order to get things her own way, and would gain control over them. For example, in Act 1 when she had threatened the girls to not confess to anyone about anything that they had done in the woods, and to only say that they were dancing. If they had said anything, she threatened to stab the girls.
“Abigail: Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” (20).
Abigail had falsely accused many other people in order to protect herself, but it eventually led to her accusing other people to get things the way she wants. From the people that she has accused, most of them had gotten executed without much proof. This shows how she is the cause of many deaths, and that she has a lot of power.
“Abigail: I want to open myself! They turn to her, startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (48).
The reason for why Abigail acts this way is because she might have realized that she can get things done her way easily—by manipulating people and getting them killed.
Similar events that I have personally experienced were often when my siblings had gotten in trouble. An example was when I had caught my sister doing something that would upset my parents, and I was told to not tell anyone or else she would also get me in trouble. As siblings, there were often times when we would tell on one another, constantly getting one another in trouble.
“Manipulation”. Nitinbhatia, 2016, https://www.nitinbhatia.in/stocks/stock-price-manipulation-pledging-shares/. Accessed 16 Mar 2021.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York: Penguin Books, 1976.
Hello Alicia! My initial reaction was to think that Abigail was just a teenage girl with a power trip, but after considering the threats and actions that she did throughout the play, it is clear that Abigail enjoyed the power and decided to abuse it for her own good. But why do you think that is? Is it because she was afraid of getting accused? What would you do if you were in Abigail’s shoes and practiced witchcraft?
Hello Alicia! My initial reaction was to think that Abigail was just a teenage girl with a power trip, but after considering the threats and actions that she did throughout the play, it is clear that Abigail enjoyed the power and decided to abuse it for her own good. But why do you think that is? Is it because she was afraid of getting accused? What would you do if you were in Abigail’s shoes and practiced witchcraft?