The Crucible - Abigail Williams is to Blame

In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the main character Abigail Williams is to blame for the
1692 itch trials in !alem, Massachusetts" Abigail is a mean an# $in#icti$e %erson ho
ala&s ants her a&, no matter ho she hurts" Through out the %la& her accusations an#
lies cause man& %eo%le %ain an# suffering, but she seeme# to ne$er care for an& of them
e'ce%t (ohn )roctor, hom she ha# an affair ith se$en months %rior to the beginning of
the %la&" (ohn )roctor an# his ife *li+abeth use# to em%lo& Abigail, until *li+abeth
foun# out the affair an# thre Abigail out" Although (ohn tol# Abigail that the affair as
o$er an# he oul# ne$er touch her again, she trie# #es%eratel& to re,in#le their romance"
-Abb&, I ma& thin, of &ou softl& from time to time" But I ill cut off m& han# before I'll
e$er reach for &ou again"- .)age 2/0 !he claime# that she lo$e# (ohn an# that he lo$e#
her" Before the %la& began, Abigail trie# to ,ill *li+abeth ith a curse" !he thought that if
*li+abeth ere #ea# (ohn oul# marr& her" 1urther into the %la&, Abigail accuse#
*li+abeth of itchcraft" !he sa Marr& Warren, the )roctor's ser$ant, ma,ing a %o%%et"
Mar& %ut a nee#le into the #oll, an# Abigail use# that for her accusation" !he stabbe#
herself ith a nee#le an# claime# that *li+abeth's soul ha# #one it" Although Abigail
claime# she lo$e# (ohn, she ma& ha$e 2ust lo$e# the care an# attention he ga$e her" (ohn
care# for her li,e no one else ha#" In a a& he coul# be #escribe# as somehat of a father
figure to her" When Abigail as 2ust a chil#, she itnesse# her %arents' brutal mur#ers" -I
sa In#ians smash m& #ear %arent's hea#s on the %illo ne't to mine"""- .%age 230 After
her traumatic e'%erience, she as raise# b& her uncle, 4e$eren# )arris, ho is somehat
of a $illain" In the %la& it as ritten, -5e .)arris0 as a i#oer ith no interest in
chil#ren, or talent ith them"- .)age /0 )arris regar#e# chil#ren as &oung a#ults ho
shoul# be -than,ful for being %ermitte# to al, straight, e&es slightl& loere#, arms at
the si#es, an# mouths shut until bi##en to s%ea,"- .)age 60 Therefore, it is ob$ious to see
that Abigail gre u% ithout an& lo$e or nurturing" !he also as ithout an& real mother
or father figures" Abigail gre u% to be #eceitful an# treacherous, lac,ing trustorthiness"
7n account of the fear for her life, Abigail began to accuse the tons%eo%le of itchcraft"
After she an# the other girls ere #isco$ere# in the forest #ancing, she ,ne that the&
oul# be hi%%e# an# %ossibl& hung" Abigail claime# that the& ere beitche#, an#
began to name names of those ho ere 'ith the #e$il'" 8othing oul# sto% her from
%rotecting herself" When (ohn force# Mar& Warren to tell the truth about the lies that she,
Abigail, an# the rest of the girls ere telling, Abigail %roclaime# her innocence an# then
began to accuse Mar& of being a itch" !he claime# she sa Mar&'s s%irit in the form of
a bir#" -But 9o# ma#e m& face: &ou cannot ant to tear m& face" *n$& is a #ea#l& sin,
Mar&"- .)age 11;0 Abigail feare# for her life so much that she %rotecte# it e$en hen
(ohn as accuse# of itchcraft an# as sentence# to be hung" Although she lo$e# him,
she oul# not sacrifice herself for him" In conclusion, the cause of the itch trials as
Abigail Williams" Consi#ering the facts about her lo$e for (ohn, traumatic chil#hoo#, an#
fear for her life it is eas& to see that it as Abigail's fault that the trage#& occurre#" As the
horrible %erson that she as, Abigail fought to get her a& no matter hom she hurt, an#
unfortunatel& in the en# she #i#"