Look at Miller's presentation of Abigail in 'The Crucible'. How realistic is his presentation of her as a controller?

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Rosie Oliver                                                                              10T2 10U1

Look at Miller’s presentation of Abigail in ‘The Crucible’. How realistic is his presentation of her as a controller?

In Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’, Abigail Williams is presented as a controller of many of the key characters. Abigail can successfully manipulate and control many of the characters because she is described as being; ‘…a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling’. Her beauty allows her to influence others as they are intimidated by, and in awe of, her beauty. Having beauty gains power as people are basically shallow and want to be seen with the good-looking person, as they may then be associated with beauty. ‘An endless capacity for dissembling’ simply means that she has a natural talent for wrapping people around her little finger. The fact that Abigail is an orphan suggests that she uses the pity of others to influence them. People sympathise with her because her parents were killed and allow her to get away with a lot of things, as they think that she has had enough bad experience and don’t want to reprimand her. The fact that she witnessed her parents’ murder by Red Indians also gives her kudos as it is as though she has been into the darkness and all the things that the girls are afraid off as survived. It also gives her an air of mystery because she is believed to be more capable of these things now she has seen them done. By Abigail saying ‘I will come to you in the dead of night…and bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you’, this threat is more serious coming from her than any of the other girls as, from her past experiences, they almost believe that Abigail would do it.

By writing ‘The Crucible’, Miller was making a comment on the social autocracy of 1950’s America and the concept of ‘McCarthyism’. ‘McCarthyism’ was a movement led by Senator John McCarthy and was very similar to the Salem witch hunts in 1692. McCarthy encouraged the citizens of America to ‘tell tales’ on their neighbours or anyone they suspected of having communist or anti-government connections. The point of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ was to make an anti-government statement (the actions of the characters in ‘The Crucible’ closely mirror those of many Americans at that time) without actually mentioning the government and running the risk of arrest. This was especially risky for him as an author because many of the people being arrested on charges of anti-government activities were authors and journalists.

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It is in no doubt that Abigail is the leader of the group of girls that lead the trials. She holds immediate authority over the whole group. We know this because of phrases she uses such as, ‘Now look you, all of you’. The tone of this expression is one of confidence and power. The girl’s reaction to this is to simply pay attention. Another reason Abigail holds such sway over the other girls is her affair with John Proctor. The girls have yet to have had any sexual experiences, so Abigail's affair with John must seem to them ...

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