Ten-year-old Betty Parris was the daughter of Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem Village. She is the first to become “afflicted” by witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, based on the events of the Salem witch trials, seventeen-year-old Abigail has an affair with John Proctor, one of the town’s more prominent men. His lust for Abigail and her subsequent jealousy of his wife ultimately lead to the events of The Crucible. The Puritan society oppressed the girls that led the accusations. Unmarried girls were supposed to stay in the home and free time was not allowed. These restrictions could easily have led to their “rebellious” behavior and actions of accusing innocent women of witchcraft. However, this is not likely the case with Abigail Williams. She is a manipulative harlot because she lies to many people, deceives the other young girls, has an affair with John Proctor, and targets Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, in her accusations, all of which lead to the continuation of the Salem witch trials and the consequent
Ten-year-old Betty Parris was the daughter of Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem Village. She is the first to become “afflicted” by witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, based on the events of the Salem witch trials, seventeen-year-old Abigail has an affair with John Proctor, one of the town’s more prominent men. His lust for Abigail and her subsequent jealousy of his wife ultimately lead to the events of The Crucible. The Puritan society oppressed the girls that led the accusations. Unmarried girls were supposed to stay in the home and free time was not allowed. These restrictions could easily have led to their “rebellious” behavior and actions of accusing innocent women of witchcraft. However, this is not likely the case with Abigail Williams. She is a manipulative harlot because she lies to many people, deceives the other young girls, has an affair with John Proctor, and targets Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, in her accusations, all of which lead to the continuation of the Salem witch trials and the consequent