For most people, with the word "Puritanism" comes the idea of modesty, a strong belief in God and Jesus, purity, and living according to the Bible. However, in Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible", despite the fact that teenaged Abigail Williams lives in a Puritan household, she proves to be deceitful and vain. Literary critic Wendy Schissel suggests that Abigail could not have been capable of seducing John Proctor, a married man whom she has had an affair with, because she had not been exposed to any sexuality as a Puritan girl. However, throughout the play, Abigail not only participates in, but also initiates, a series of lies and malicious acts in order to save herself and gain respect from people around her. She proves to be too smart for her own good, and just as she quickly figures out what benefits her in certain situations, that same intelligence and hungriness for power could have easily helped in her seduction of John Proctor.

Abigail Williams is, first and foremost, a liar behind an innocent disguise. At the conclusion of Act One, many adults, including her uncle Reverend Parris, are unsure if Betty, his daughter, is under the influence of the Devil. She i...

-13 12 20 23 50 abigail accord accus act action adult affair also although anyon appar around arriv arthur ask assert back barbado basic becom behind belief benefit betti beyond bibl bishop black blood bold book breath bridget bring call capabl care certain charact choic clear come conclus confess confid content continu control convinc could court cri critic crucibl danc danger dare daughter deceit defam despit devil dialogu direct disguis drank due earlier easili edg effect enough epiphani even everi evid exclaim expos face fact far feel figur first foremost free friend frighten furious furthermor gain girl give go god good goodi grown hand happen help hous household howev hungri idea immens import incid includ inde inert influenc inform initi innoc instanc intellig intens iron jesus john kiss knowledg last later let liar lie light like literari live long look love lucid ludicr made maid make malici man mani marri materi mere mid mid-monologu miller minist mischief modesti monologu motiv much must name natur necessari need night none observ occur old one open opinion oppos order osburn other overconfid page parri particip peopl perfect perform plain play pointi portray power preposter pretend prevent pride proclam proctor protect prove puritan puriti put quick quit rais reader realist realiz reckon refus regard relationship reluct remark remind reput respect rest result retort reveal reverend right righteous risk rude said salem sarah save saw say scene schissel seduc seduct see seem seen send sens senseless seri seventeen seventeen-year-old sever sexual show shudder simpli situat skill slave sli smart snap soil someth speak still stori strong sudden suggest take talk teenag tell terribl therefor thing threat threaten throughout thrown thus time tri turn uncl unheard unjustifi unsur use vain various villag virtuous waitin want way well wellb wendi whatev whether whole wife william win witch witchcraft wood word worri would wrote year