Wednesday 18 December 2013

What are some quotes that show how Abigail Williams is a victim of her society in The Crucible?

Abigail Williams is far from being a sympathetic character, but there is plenty of
evidence in the play to suggest that her position is an unenviable one and that she is a victim
of the stifling society in which she lives.

After her parents' violent death,
she was accorded the status of a poor relation in the home of the paranoid and tyrannical
Reverend Parris, whose obsessive questioning of her at the beginning of act 1 shows how
burdensome her position is. He reminds her of his charity in a way that must be very
galling:

I have given you a home, child, I have put
clothes upon your back - now give me an upright answer.


Finally, she has to ask him, with ill-concealed resentment:


Do you begrudge me my bed, uncle?


It is clear that life in Parris's house is miserable for Abigail, since she is a victim
of his character defects as well as of the wider society that oppresses both of them. Moreover,
her only escape was to accept the status of a servant in the Proctors' house.


She had no opportunity...

No comments:

Post a Comment

In 1984, is Julia a spy? Please provide specific examples from the book. My teacher says that he knows of 17 pieces of evidence which proves that Julia...

There is some evidence to suggest thatwas a spy throughout 's classic novel . Julia portrays herself as a loyal admirer of Big ...