The Crucible Abigail Williams

The novel, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, tells a fictional story based on the events of the Salem Witch Trials. In the book, a group of young girls begin to accuse others of witchcraft and dealing with the devil. Their false accusations lead to mass hysteria and the dramatic deaths of 19 innocents. Although there were many characters who contributed to the chaos, it is obvious that Abigail Williams is most at fault since, from the beginning, she had the most control of the situation and used it it to her own advantage. While others may blame the court, which also had a leading role in witch hunt, without Abigail they would not have been able to pursue the court’s convictions. Abigail’s claims were the primary evidence used by the court to justify the hangings. It shows how heavily they relied on Abigail’s word when Cheever and Hale were sent by the court to investigate Proctor’s and Elizabeth’s home for poppets, solely on Abigail’s claims. The court’s reliance on Abigail was also exhibited when Cheever said, “I find here a poppet Goody Proctor keeps. I have found it, sir. And in the belly of the poppet a needle’s stuck. I tell you true, Proctor, I never warranted to see such proof of Hell, and I bid you obstruct me not, for I -” (Pg.75) The poppet alone, which supported Abigail’s antics, were enough proof for the court to …show more content…
Her main intentions were to claim Elizabeth a witch, so she can be executed, and Abigail can be with Proctor instead. Her purposes are very apparent to both the reader and the other characters, as Elizabeth and Proctor also know that she is after Elizabeth. She also tries to convey her feelings to Proctor multiple times throughout The Crucible to possibly achieve her goals. While the entire town was terrified of witches, she took advantage of the hysteria, that she made, for her own selfish