Crucible Essay #2

Daryl Thomas

AP English- Mr. George

3 December 2008

“The Crucible” Essay 2: Toying with Emotions

Abigail Williams elicits a plethora of vile emotions; one’s head is overwhelmed by anger, hate, annoyance, frustration, and irritation when thinking of her. Those who have seen or read “The Crucible” would have some exceedingly foul words for Abigail. Why is this so? To the ignorant in Salem, she may be the only hope for amity, but Reverend Hale and John Proctor know that Abigail Williams is merely “a lump of vanity” (Miller, 110). As the play proceeds, her treacherous actions and deceitful manipulations create a character that manifests the Devil, which forms a fervent feeling of animosity towards her.  When her devilish ways are put into question, she rides the ignorance of others to circumvent losing her reputation and being caught lying. From sinfully committing lechery with John Proctor until sneakily fleeing for the Barbados, Abigail Williams was always a conniving and devious minx.

As the chaos in Salem was imminent, accusations of witchcraft were proliferating. When Tituba was incriminated for this act, she cunningly stated that she worked for the Devil, yet was now obedient to God. She then began to shift the blame by condemning others for this sinful deed. Inspired by the effectiveness of Tituba’s duplicity, Abigail found an opportunity to obtain revenge on Elizabeth Proctor. Since Abigail slept with John, Elizabeth was creating a bad name for her. When asked about the removal of Abigail, Elizabeth would coldly say, “she– dissatisfied me” (112). The townspeople interpreted Elizabeth’s words as insinuating Abigail for doing something unacceptable. Salem was a strictly theocratic society that wanted “to keep the community together […] and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies” (7). Therefore, any intimation of misbehavior was taken seriously. Abigail then followed the footsteps of Tituba, saying, “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” (48). Thereafter, she trumped false charges against others, eventually accusing Goody Proctor. Abigail’s vengeance laid the foundation for her treacherous actions.

Abigail’s false accusations were mere appetizers to the main course of her profound deceit. Having lied once, it was necessary to continue lying to avoid being caught. She used the townspeople’s ignorance of witchcraft to instill fear as a diversion. An example of this was the poppet Mary Warren gave Elizabeth. Abigail purposefully stabbed herself in the stomach, knowing that Mary stuck a needle in the poppet. She then lied saying that Goody Proctor’s spirit hurt her, knowing that the poppet would back her claim. This brought horror upon the people of Salem for it was their validation of witchcraft. The scheming Abigail successfully diverted their attention, continued to get her revenge on Elizabeth, and could use Mary Warren as a scapegoat if need be. This constant manipulation of others helped Abigail continue to disrupt Salem.

Many fell for Abigail’s exploitation. Though she may have been a girl in a masculine society, her words were assertive and seemed true. When Abigail guided the girls to be equivocal when speaking of the night they danced, she threatened them if one told the truth: “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, […] 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). All the girls were forced to conform to Abigail’s liking for she instilled fear, just as she did to the whole town. When Judge Danforth questioned Abigail if the spirits were merely an illusion, she took away his superiority by manipulating his idea of the witness being the only truth; if she were to help his problem, then he would have to believe her: “I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people–and this is my reward?” (108). At this point, Abigail controlled the head of theocracy in Salem. Her power was at its maximum as she headed towards pure evil.

Since Abigail overpowered everyone in Salem, the fate of the accused laid in her hands. The justice of God was expected to judge the case, yet the final judgment was that of the Devil. Though she fled for the Barbados before the hangings, Abigail left her influence; she did enough damage to Salem. Elizabeth Proctor did not get killed, but many innocent, pious men and women were collateral damage for her demoniac intentions. Murder could now be added to the long list of wrongs committed by Abigail.

            From vengeance to pure evil, Abigail Williams fully transformed into the Devil. A lie to save her name opened a door to get revenge. This led to chaos in a whole town and the death of innocent people. Knowing Abigail for the villain she is, it is a relief that Salem “had no ritual for the washing away of sins” (20). Though she may run away from the responsibility, she will always be stained with the blood of those killed for the rest of her life, as she marches towards Hell.