The Power In The Hands Of The Girl

Abigail Williams, a 17-year-old orphan raised by her uncle Parris, is known as the main an antagonist of “The Crucible”. Her decisive motives and action, which were fuelled by her affair and obsession with John Procter, and very clearly projected in the Salem with trails, which took in 1692. Marauding Native Americans killed Abigail’s parents when Abigail was still a young child. Abigail had become a servant of John Proctor, Abigail later became John’s lover before Elizabeth had found out and had fired her for stealing John’s heart. Abigail is beautiful, intelligent, crazy, and jealousy. She is also a very good liar. She had become the leader of her group of the kids and she is willing to do anything to protect herself from any situation.

Hysteria also upholds the significance in the play, because the society in Salem people does not like witchcraft, and the rapid growth of the madness in Salem destroys the impact of rational thinking. In Act 1 the plays tell us that when Abigail tries to escape from the judge saying that Tituba of witchcraft. Salem people believe that women were truly guilty of witchcraft and chose to punish them without explaining themselves.

The power and authority of the blood for the people in Salem, Abigail was helpless girl in the beginning of the play, after act 1 she becomes crafty and capable of destroying innocent lives, and the ones she did not like could have let them die. The group of child accused many innocent people as witchcraft, the people was hanged and killed for no reason. The judges exercise their power by rejecting Proctor’s rational explanation and pushing him and acquitting the girls. The theme of guilt is related to John Proctor’s character in the play. He is embarrassed of the disloyalty committed in the past and wants to bury it deep in the heart as if it never existed. He fails to refer his guilt to the background. In reaction to this, he turns against Elizabeth, accusing her of being judgmental. In reality, his is responsible for his mental confusion. Hale also becomes the victim of his guilt, as he once believed people engaged in witchcraft are criminals. However, as the play progresses, he considers them innocent and tries to save them. Thus, the theme of guilt plays an important role in shaping and reshaping the characters in the play. As he has been cheating behind Elizabeth’s back and had an affair with Abigail, as Elizabeth in the court still forgives him and lies for the first time in her life just to save John’s life. Another important theme seen through the character of Abigail is jealousy. She plots the whole blame to the affair with John Proctor. While Proctor does not want to continue the life with Abigail and leaves it behind as the forgotten past, she exacts revenge from Salem and look down on Elizabeth Proctor. She also threatens the girls that if they are going to reveal her secret of witchcraft, she will murder them on a dark night. Hence, jealousy gives birth to hatred and consequential evil performances against others. Abigail switches tactics once Hale makes it clear he believes there might have been witchcraft. Abigail gives him what he wants: she says there was witchcraft, and portrays herself as its innocent victim. Abigail continues to lie to save her reputation and her life, even as the evidence mounts against her. Just as witchcraft gives Mrs. Putnam an object to blame for her bad luck, it gives the formerly powerless Mary a new sense of strength. This feeling of strength, in turn, becomes a subconscious motive for her to believe that the witchcraft is real.