The Relationship Between Abigail and Proctor
How does Miller present the relationship between Abigail and Proctor? In The Crucible, we follow the adulterous and turbulent relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor, and watch it change and develop throughout the play, from Abigail trying to reinstate the affair in Act 1, to John Proctor confessing and therefore destroying it at the end of the play. John Proctor is an honest, plain-speaking local farmer. He is an impressive presence in the room, being described as ‘a man in his prime’ and ‘powerful of body’, illustrating his strength and independence. Although some people criticise his religious commitments, he is generally ‘respected and even feared in Salem’, again suggesting his position in the community. However, we then learn that he is a ‘sinner’. Although it may be easy, at this point, for the reader to judge Proctor, forming a negative opinion of him, we then learn that he sins ‘against his own vision of decent conduct’ and regards himself as a ‘fraud’, implying that he regrets and is ashamed of his sins. Proctor represents common sense and decency. He is not perfect, but is very aware of his own faults, unlike many others in the play. He is his own harshest judge. He believes very strongly in telling the truth but is tortured by the knowledge that he is living a lie. Although he is guilty of hypocrisy, he condemns himself for it. Here, Miller presents proctor in a more positive light and intends for the reader to empathise with Proctor, given that he regrets his mistakes and is burdened constantly by guilt. Abigail Williams is Reverend Parris’s niece and the leader of the girls and drives the witchcraft accusations. She wants revenge on Elizabeth Proctor for dismissing her and winning John Proctor back from her after the affair. She is shown has powerful when she says to the girls: ‘Now, look you, all of you’, asserting that she is very much in charge. She is also very controlling; when she tells Mary Warren to ‘Shut it!’ and slaps