Abigail As A Victim In The Crucible

In The Crucible Abigail can be known as the bad guy and the killer of many, but it seems like she can also be the victim of this whole situation. The Crucible is a play that was written by Arthur Miller and based upon the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The Crucible is a story in where Abigail and a bunch of girls are accusing people of being witches, it all starts off when Parris catches Abigail, Tituba, and others dancing in the woods. Betty faints and now everyone is saying that’s it's the work of the devil. Abigail and the rest of the girls were gonna say that there was no witchcraft involved, but at the end, that didn't happen. Abigail then used this opportunity to kill Goody Proctor so she can be with John. Abigail was a victim in this whole …show more content…
One reason is the fact that she witnessed some pretty cruel stuff before she moved in with Parris and Betty. In Act One Abigail quotes “... I saw Indians smash my dear parents’ head on the pillow next to mine…” Before she moved in with Parris and Betty she has already witnessed the death of her parents which can leave her traumatized. When a person is traumatized they can go through emotional symptoms like depression, numbness, anger, and a feeling of being out of control. When going through these emotions your mind can be in a weak state, which means that she couldn't possibly make any rational choices. Abigail also points out in Act One “... I have seen some reddish work done at night…” Again not only has she witnessed the death of her parents, but she probably witnessed the death of many other people. Which again could cause trauma and affect the way her brain hurts. In the 16th century there was no such thing as therapy and on top of that, it seems like no one ever asked Abigail if she was ever okay. Without help or guidance, she would, of course, make wrong …show more content…
Parris thinks that there was witchcraft involved in this whole thing and wants to know the truth since he caught Betty and Abigail dancing in the forest like “heathens”. “I would never hurt Betty. I love her dearly.” Abigail in a way is trying to tell Parris that she did not do witchcraft in the forest because it would possibly involve someone getting hurt and she would never put Betty in a situation like that. However, Parris does not believe her since he keeps on questioning her which leads her to be very distressed. “Why, I am sure it is, sir. There be no blush about my name.” When Abigail claims “There be no blush about my name,” she is trying to say that her reputation in town is good and she hasn’t been fooling around. Again she is feeling pressure to keep a clean name by declining these false accusations. It seems to be that she does this so everyone in town can view her as normal and not get