Are you a hypocrite? Do you know what hypocrite means? A hypocrite is a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc. That he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. (Dictionary.com) In the book, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, has a very obvious character that is a hypocrite. If you guessed Abigail Williams, then you are correct!

White theatrical masks of a comedy and tragedy Via Flicker

Throughout the first two acts in the book, Abigail Williams gradually revealed herself as a hypocrite. In Act 1, Abigail looked like a really kind girl and wanted to help out Reverend Hale (a witchcraft expert) to find all the witches that were dancing in the woods. Everyone thought Abigail was telling the truth and not for her own benefits. Turned out, it was actually the complete opposite! Abigail lied and accused innocent people just to achieve her goal. It made her a huge hypocrite. What is her goal you may ask? Abigail had a desire to revenge on someone that she truly hated, and that was Elizabeth Proctor (I mentioned why she wanted to revenge in the last crucible post). Because of this whole witchcraft event, this set up Abigail to have the perfect time to legally accuse or even murder Elizabeth. In Act 2, John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor convinced Reverend Hale that Abigail was lying and that she did not follow the 10 commandments, number 8 “thou shall not lie”.

Abigail Williams being a huge hypocrite reminded me a famous Chinese novel. The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, by Jin Yong. Yue Buque is the leader of the second generation of the Hua Shan sect. He is nicknamed “Gentleman Sword” for his seemingly gentlemanly conduct and behavior, but as the story progresses, he gradually reveals his true personality, which was a selfish and power-hungry hypocrite. Yue Bugue even set up his daughter, son in law and his wife to reach his ambitious to be the greatest leader in the whole world. In the end, Yue Buque was incidentally killed by his son in law, Yilin.

The Smiling Proud Wanderer Via Flicker

No one is perfect in this world, we are not God. Everyone has his or her’s dark side. But we have to try our best and live up our values, not letting the dark side take over us.

Source: Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Smiling,_Proud_Wanderer_characters#Mount_Hua_Sect