I believe that Abigail Williams was a symptom of what was wrong with Salem society. I think that it was a mixture of her background, her personality and living in an oppressive society that made her cause the witch hunts.The Puritan society of Salem was oppressive. There was no room for individuality. The theocracy in Salem was assembled to protect the people from everything unholy and as fears grew of attacks by Red Indians everything that could lead to disunity was outlawed. This had the opposite effect as it eventually tore the village apart. I believe it happened because everyone in the village, especially the children, wanted the right to speak freely. As Arthur Miller says, "It was also, and as importantly, a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to express publicly his guilt and sins."Abigail was only seventeen when the witch trials started, therefore she was still a child. She needed fun and entertainment but all things of that nature were considered evil. At the beginning of the play she and the other girls were dancing in the woods which in today's society would be seen as harmless. It was just entertainment but Reverend Parris made them feel guilty and evil. The younger girls, like Betty, didn't know what to do so they looked to Abigail to help them. Mary Warren says to Abigail, "What'll we do? The village is out! I've just come from the farm: the whole country's talkin' witchcraft! They'll be calling us witches, Abby!"Abigail is also power-hungry. It's part of her personality. She discovered that the girls needed her help and became their leader and manipulated them for her own benefit. She used Mary to implicate that Elizabeth Proctor was a witch so she could take her place as John's wife. Her affair with John also reflects her personality as she must have been mature as well as physically attractive.Abigail has a very complex personality. Even though she seems very harsh and malicious, she's very kind to Joh...
