Sample Persuasive Essay
Abigail’s Actions in The Crucible
(Introduction) “How do you call me a child!” (p. 177). This is Abigail Williams’ response to John Proctor,
her former lover, when he tries to tell her their affair is over. Abigail Williams may be a child in age, but
she certainly exhibits the strong will and power of someone much older. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible,
Abigail Williams’ many lies cause severe destruction to the people of Salem. Not only does she lie to
save her own life, but she also lies to seek revenge and to deliberately have others killed. For these
reasons, her lies cannot be justified.
(Argument 1, Ethos) In Act I of the Crucible, we already see Abigail Williams being dishonest.
After being asked by her uncle, Reverend Parris, why the Proctors had fired her, Abigail lies and claims
the reason is that Mrs. Proctor, “hates me, uncle… for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a
lying, cold sniveling woman… (p. 171). We find out later that Abigail had been having an affair with Mr.
Proctor, and this is the real reason that Mrs. Proctor fired her. By Act II, Abigail’s lies grow more serious
when she accuses Parris’ slave, Tituba, of forcing her, through witchery, to do evil acts. Sensing that her
life may be in danger, Abigail says, “ she [Tituba] comes to me every night to go and drink blood… she’s
always making me dream corruptions” (187). It is this lie that forces Tituba and the other girls to also
tell lies, falsehoods that eventually lead to the hysteria that causes the hanging of several innocent
women in Salem during the subsequent witch trials. Abigail’s lies lay the seed for the string of unethical
behavior that follows.
(Argument 2, Logos)We may be able to understand, to some extent, Abigail lying to save her
life. However, later in the play, in Act II, Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor of sending her spirit out and
stabbing her with a needle (203). The court official, Cheever, says to the Proctor’s, “Abigail Williams
[has testified]… it was your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it [the needle] in” (p. 203). At this point, Abigail
is no longer in danger of losing her life. The only reason for her to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of attacking
her is so that she will be hanged and Abigail may have John Proctor to herself. Even if we forgive Abigail
for lying to save her own life, this latter lie is given for purely vindictive reasons. We start to see that,
not only is Abigail dishonest, she is also dangerous.
(Argument 3, Pathos) In some ways, we may see Abigail as a victim. She had an affair with a
man whom she seems to love (John Proctor), but he is now ignoring her. The reader even gets the sense
that John Proctor had used her by taking advantage of the fact that Abigail Williams was a young servant
under his supervision. When Abigail desperately tells John Proctor that she is waiting for him every
night, he callously replies, “Abby, you’ll put it out of mind. I’ll not be comin’ for you more” (p. 176).
Thus, we understand Abigail’s vindictive feelings and want for revenge. This does not, however, justify
Abigail accusing other people (Tituba, and, later, Elizabeth Proctor) and putting their lives at risk. John
Proctor made a mistake, but this does not mean that his wife and others should die because of it.
(Opposing view and rebuttal) One may argue that Abigail Williams’ actions are justified by
stating that women in Salem had no real power, and that lying was the only way for them to gain power.
We know that in Puritan society a young girl was not allowed to speak her mind and her activities were
restricted to reading the Bible and doing household chores. After Abigail, and the other girls, are seen
as victims of witchcraft, they no longer are ignored by the citizens of Salem. They are now local
celebrities. Elizabeth Proctor describes to her husband how the town reacts to Abigail now that she has
lied: “She [Mary Warren] speak of Abigail, and I though she were a saint, to hear her. Abigail brings the
other girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel (p. 193). Here
we see that Abigail, and the other girls, are now seen as important individuals in Salem. However,
although we may be sympathetic to Abigail and the girls for living in such a repressive society, it does
not excuse her lying and putting other people’s lives in danger.
(Conclusion) Abigail Williams is a strong-willed character in Miller’s The Crucible, and she
certainly is entertaining. She gains power, a rare luxury for women in Puritan society, and she
manipulates others through her lies. She is a victim of an older man who had an affair with her, but she
refuses to stay the victim. Nevertheless, her actions (i.e., her lies) pave the road for the infamous witch
hunt of Salem and the successive loss of several innocent lives. Therefore, we see that Abigail Williams’
actions, although making for good literature, are in no way justified.