Problematic Girls
By Sofia V
Can anyone be certain of what they would or wouldn't do in an extreme situation to save themselves? The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Miller's classic play is centered around the witch hunts and trials that took place in 17th century Salem, Massachusetts. When a young girl called Abigail Williams and her friends were seen dancing in the woods. On top of that, Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor and Tituba of being witches, which sparks a massive witch hunt in which Abigail Williams falsely accuses other Salemites of witchcraft. She is also receiving accusations. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams and her friends accuse others of witchcraft in an effort to divert controversy away from themselves.
Abigail Williams is in love with John Proctor and, hoping to have him all to herself, she attempts to use witchcraft for the most part to harm John’s wife, even though using witchcraft in the 17th century New England puts her directly at odds with God and her community. Abigails threatening other Salem women not to leak the incident in the woods, "And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.". Later on in the play, she finds herself at risk of having her affair with John Proctor exposed. If this scandal and the witchcraft were unveiled, it could potentially ruin her reputation and lead to execution. Hence, why she is running away from these accusations and allegations by placing the blame on others. By being in love with John proctor she struggles to do so and to keep a low profile.
Once the witchcraft accusations start in Salem, Abigail begins to accuse women in the town such as Betty, Elizabeth, and Mary of witchcraft. Abigail accuses a girl named Mary Warren of sending a bird to attack the girls. Abigail Williams cries this out in the courtroom when the girls accuse Mary Warren of sending a "bird" "But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face. Envy is a deadly sin, Mary.” (p. 115) Abigail knew perfectly well that Mary had not committed witchcraft. By accusing Mary, Abigail hopes to deflect suspicion away from herself and so that if the attention is on Mary, perhaps they won't dig too deeply into Abigail herself. Abigail goes through this charade in order to distract from the accusations that are being made against her about her affair with Proctor, and that she is trying to set up Elizabeth.
Beyond accusing others, Abigail also portrays herself as a victim, as someone who's being unfairly persecuted and mistreated. Abigail says, during the trials, she claims to have a “gift” which is to stage the devil out in people. "I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin’ out! I have been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil’s people - and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a - " (p. 111) She gaslights Danforth into believing that just because of her deeds of detecting the devil, she's innocent. Abigail presents herself as a victim in order to shift blame away from herself and to win sympathy from others. In this manner she is also gaining attention by portraying herself as the hero.
If you were in an extreme situation, would you put the blame on others no matter the severity of the claim to save yourself? The Crucible shows that when people feel trapped they can resort to acts of desperation and tend to behave horribly towards others. In Abigail's case, she blames Mary Warren, Betty, and Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft in order to save herself and marry John Proctor. She doesn’t even question what others are going through before blaming them. It is important to take responsibility for your actions instead of bringing the burden on others.
