Abigail Williams Research Paper

Words: 539
Pages: 3

During the 1619s in the town of Salem, hundreds of women were accused of compacting with the devil and were sentenced to death by hanging, as depicted in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. However, these accusations were proven false, leading to the end of witchcraft trials. Although the allegations against people compacting with the devil were false, the presence of the devil was still prevalent through the actions of characters such as Abigail William and Thomas Putnam by showing one of the seven deadly sins. Lust is one of the seven deadly sins and is a prime example of how the devil was present in the actions of Abigail Williams. Sin, lust, is committed by an individual when they have an extreme romantic desire and will stop at nothing to achieve it. Abigail Williams is the main …show more content…
The action of incorrectly sentencing someone to death is a sin on its own, however, knowingly attempting to murder someone inadvertently is a greater sin, showing that the devil is present in the actions of Abigail Williams. Additionally, she drank chicken blood during a ritual while hoping that Elizabeth Proctor would perish. By attempting to murder Elizabeth, Abigail broke the commandment, thou shall not murder, further showing how her actions have malicious intent. Her actions show that she would go through any desperate measure, including trying to compact with the devil, to achieve her quixotic goal of being in a romantic relationship with John Proctor. Ultimately, Abigail’s lust shows the devil’s grasp on Salem through her actions. Greed is a prevalent sin mainly shown in Thomas Putnam, revealing the hold the devil has on the town of Salem. Thomas Putnam uses his daughter, Ruth Putnam, to accuse his neighbors of witchcraft, sentencing them to death and making their land available for