Abigail Williams The Crucible Essay

Putting it frankly, Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible because he had a story to tell. Being a political advocate for racial inequalities and an active supporter of labor and unions, he was often the prime target of Senator Joseph McCarthy, a man on a mission to rid the country of potential communists. Miller himself was later called to the House Committee of Un-American activities to defend himself, but refused to condemn any of his friends. This single experience, a rather blind accusation thrown at Miller without any sort of sufficient evidence remotely connected to communism, is what prompted Arthur Miller to write this play. However, the more he began to study the tragic events in Salem, the more he understood that McCarthy's hunt for Communists was nothing compared to the …show more content…
Abigail is a mean and vindictive person who always wants her way, no matter who she hurts. Throughout the play, her accusations and lies cause many people pain and suffering, but she seemed to never care for any of them. Abigail Williams is the obvious choice when giving the blame of the hangings to a character, but for good reason too. The insane delirium in Salem all stems from the fact that Abigail was not able to face the fact that she had been caught by her uncle, Reverend Parris, dancing in the woods with her Barbadian slave, Tituba. Solely in order to save her own skin, she began the witchcraft accusations by stating that Tituba had worked with the devil. Although Abigail did not accuse all of those arrested and tried on witchcraft charges, she was the first character to "cry witch”. These accusations are fabricated for the most part - simply made up by teenage girls. The responsibility for the lies rests with Abigail Williams and her group. However, it is at this point in the story that the responsibility shifts to the adults in the Salem