Kevin McAadam
AP English/ Mr. George
12/16/09
Character Analysis
Abigail Williams
Abigail Williams is a misleading and convincing character who relies solely on her word to maintain her power in society.

Abigail’s commanding seat atop society in Salem was constructed by her lies and deception. Abigail provoked the witch hunt by making wild accusations, false or true. The town had fallen into deep paranoia and relied strongly on Abigail’s guidance to influence their decision making. Abigail put on a show for the townspeople to preserve their belief in her power. She was very convincing in her work which gave her a safety net to fall back on if she ever got into trouble: “I want to open myself!... I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand” (Miller 48). Abigail’s accusations and acting as a witch are the basis for the plot of the novel and she keeps it so the attention and authority are always placed in her hands.

Abigail is like a politician. Like Abigail, politicians tell voters what they want to hear how they want to hear it. They get their popularity by putting on a good show for the crowd. They do all they can to convince people that they are truthful in what they say and plan to do, but rarely do what they were elected for. This is similar to Abigail because she pretends to be something she is not just to gain power and success when she does not deserve it.

Abigail reminds me of professional wrestler John Cena because of the way both of them put on a convincing show for the crowd, and while it is obvious to many that their acts are fake, many are still fully immersed in the action and believe it is real.