Arthur Miller’s careful use of stage directions and dialogue in The
Crucible reveal Abigail’s manipulative nature. At the beginning of the
first act of the play, Abigail responds “innocently” (11) to her uncle’s
questioning about her activities in the forest. She hopes that by
answering in an innocent tone, her uncle will assume that her behavior
has also been pure and innocent. Instead, Parris continues to confront
her with more incriminating facts when he reports “someone naked
running through the trees” (11). Like the practiced liar that she is,
Abigail responds directly and without hesitation to her uncle’s claim
telling him that he “mistake[s] himself” (11), but he remains “half
convinced” (11).
Abigail’s true nature becomes more and more evident as Parris’s
questioning continues. Her eventual “ill-concealed resentment” (12)
toward her uncle indicates that Abigail is uncomfortable with his
unrelenting scrutiny. The longer he questions her, the more difficultly
she has hiding the truth. Her resentment for her uncle illustrates her
impatience and bitterness toward people who do not blindly and
unquestioningly accept her word as truth. This reaction reveals a young
woman who regularly talks her way out of situations, and when this fails
to work, she resorts to attacking the person who is questioning her.
Abigail’s tactics for concealing her activities in the forest depict a young
woman who cannot be trusted.
S---Statement---Which adjective are you
focusing on?
E---Example---Your quote. Introduce it
with speaker, listener, situation.
E---Explain----How does the example
shows that the character is
________________ (adjective)?
K---Conclude---- Why do you think the
character is acting like this?