Abigail Williams Research Paper

Kevin Montague
English 3 CP
Mrs. Eckert
Is Abigail Williams Evil or Not?

John Proctor was hung for witchcraft while his accuser had run away from her own judgment. Abigail Williams from the Crucible is known infamously as one of the greatest villains in American literature. Abigail was just a young girl in 17th century Massachusetts who wanted to cover up that she had an affair and was in love with John Proctor but ended up sentencing several people to death. (2) However Abigail Williams is not a villain because she was young, the death of her parents affected her mentally, and her love for John Proctor made her desperate. (2) Abigail was a young seventeen year old girl while John Proctor was much older and married. (3) John Proctor…show more content…
If Abigail had an easier childhood she never would have done any of the things that she did. Had John Proctor not decide to have an affair with her Abigail would never have been desperate for him and needed to be with him. Abigail Williams was a victim of a very different time which was less understanding of human error. Abigail Williams will be remembered as a villain but looking deeper into her as a character she isn’t a villain and possibly a victim in the story.

Citations (1) Schissel, Wendy. "Re(dis)covering the Witches in Arthur Miller's The Crucible: A Feminist Reading." Modern Drama 37, no. 3 (Fall 1994): 461–473 New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. (2) Abbotson, Susan C. W. "Abigail Williams." Critical Companion to Arthur Miller: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work, Critical Companion. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2007. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 21 Nov. 2014. (3) Morgan, Edmund. "Arthur Miller's The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials: A Historian's View." In The Golden and Brazen World: Papers in Literature and History, 1650–1800, 171–186. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985. Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea Publishing House, 2009. Bloom's Literature. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 21 Nov.