Have you ever met a manipulative person? Abigail Williams, a 17-year-old girl in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is a manipulative orphan who wants attention, which leads her to take absolute control of her friends, have a relationship with a married man, and cause the Salem Witchcraft Trials.
Abigail has instilled a great amount of fear into her friends, which makes it easier for her to control them. Abigail shows the extent of the control she has over them when her friends come to visit Betty. Mary Warren enters the scene and is worried because of the talk of witchcraft in the town when she suggests Abigail should confess and get whipped Abigail replies with “Oh, we’ll be whipped” (311-320). Here the girls’ fear of Abigail shows because after Abigail replies “Oh, we’ll be whipped” every ounce of defiance leaves the girls in the room. Abigail’s use of fear is also shown after Elizabeth Proctor is arrested. John Proctor is trying to get Mary Warren to confess that she made the doll, but Mary continues to say Abigail will kill her for confessing that she made it …show more content…
From the conversations between John and Abigail you can tell John gave her a lot of attention. When Abigail says, “I know how you clutched my back behind/ your house and sweated like a stallion whenever/ I come near! Or did I dream that?” (423-425) she is trying to entice John with their past experiences. The attention John shows Abigail is further established when Elizabeth, John’s wife, questions him about their relationship. Elizabeth asks John if he ever made a promise with Abigail, John replies that the promises he made with Abigail were all empty. Here John proves that during his and Abigail’s encounters that he did give her the attention that she lacked in her everyday life, even if it was not sincere. Through her relationship with John Proctor Abigail shows that she is trying to compensate for a lack of
Abigail has instilled a great amount of fear into her friends, which makes it easier for her to control them. Abigail shows the extent of the control she has over them when her friends come to visit Betty. Mary Warren enters the scene and is worried because of the talk of witchcraft in the town when she suggests Abigail should confess and get whipped Abigail replies with “Oh, we’ll be whipped” (311-320). Here the girls’ fear of Abigail shows because after Abigail replies “Oh, we’ll be whipped” every ounce of defiance leaves the girls in the room. Abigail’s use of fear is also shown after Elizabeth Proctor is arrested. John Proctor is trying to get Mary Warren to confess that she made the doll, but Mary continues to say Abigail will kill her for confessing that she made it …show more content…
From the conversations between John and Abigail you can tell John gave her a lot of attention. When Abigail says, “I know how you clutched my back behind/ your house and sweated like a stallion whenever/ I come near! Or did I dream that?” (423-425) she is trying to entice John with their past experiences. The attention John shows Abigail is further established when Elizabeth, John’s wife, questions him about their relationship. Elizabeth asks John if he ever made a promise with Abigail, John replies that the promises he made with Abigail were all empty. Here John proves that during his and Abigail’s encounters that he did give her the attention that she lacked in her everyday life, even if it was not sincere. Through her relationship with John Proctor Abigail shows that she is trying to compensate for a lack of