The quiet before the storm If anything is a perfect example of the quiet before the storm, it would be this small village before the chaos. Not many like to hear about the past of this little village in eastern Massachusetts;they all just want to hear about the commotion. What they do not understand is that sometimes to understand the present, you have to analyze the past. Some people haven’t looked close enough. To those people, the real story will be revealed in this text about what Salem was like before it became the hell that it is today. It all started with one girl… “Abigail” John Proctor said with empathy in his voice “I feel your pain; such a young soul like you should never have to be put through such torture” “My dear friend,” Abigail …show more content…
She needed all the help she could get and thankfully for her, John was willing to lend a helping hand. Unfortunately Elizabeth, John’s wife, had always disliked Abigail with a burning passion. This hatred mostly gravitated towards her envy of Abigail’s youthful beauty. “Cook the stew, sweep the study, wash the clothes” Elizabeth barked these orders to Abigail “and if you are finished by noon, and only noon, can you …show more content…
Then Abigail screams “I will try that! It should work just fine” Who says this? The next day John decides to talk to Abigail about his wife for the same reason she talks to her friend. John thought of her as an innocent child but she wanted to change that. “Oh whatever shall I do? I am at wits with this woman. Day in and day out she has me by the neck over every little detail I miss” John complains “What is this?Where is this coming from? Are you not happy with Elizabeth?” Abigail says with an undetectable amount of hope in her eyes “I have thought about our marriage. It feels as if I am forever trapped in a lukewarm hell” Abigail comforts him realizing her plan is going better than she had hoped. Later on that night, John does something he would regret sooner rather than later. Not only did he have an affair, but it was no secret. Once Elizabeth discovered about the two, she was quick to blame herself for what was clearly not her fault. Although Abigail hoped that John would leave Elizabeth for her, to her surprise, she was disappointed by the news that not they had worked out their
Later in the story Robert Olen Butler introduces a handsome stranger by the name of John Marsh. At this point the reader is able to assume this unexpected houseguest will intrigue Abigail. Butler then
ABIGAIL WAS A MINISTER’S DAUGHTER ( REV WILLIAM SMITH ) FROM THE NEARBY TOWN OF WEYMOUTH. SHE KNEW OF JOHN THROUGH A COUSIN, HANNAH QUINCY. JOHN WOULD COME TO HER HOUSE WITH HER SISTER’S (MARY) FINANCEE (MR CRANCH). JOHN AND ABIGAIL BEGAN DATING ON THE DAY THE FAMILY PLANNED HER SISTER’S WEDDING. JOHN THOUGHT ABIGAIL WAS THE MOST EDUCATED WOMAN HE HAD MET. ABIGAIL’S MOTHER, ELIZABETH QUINCY, DIDN’T THINK TOO HIGHLY OF JOHN BECAUSE SHE THOUGHT LAWYERS WERE WICKED. THEY COURTED FOR SOME TIME. MRS SMITH WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DELAY, SUPPOSIVELY SHE COULD NOT BARE TO LOSE TWO DAUGHTERS IN ONE YEAR. UPON MARRIAGE TO JOHN, ABIGAIL MOVED TO BRAINTREE. SHE HAD TO TRANSITION FROM THE POSITION OF A FIRST FAMILY OF WEYMOUTH TO THE MODEST SOCIAL STANDING OF THE ADAMS. SOMEHOW ABIGAIL FOLLOWED THE SAME STEPS AS JOHN’S MOTHER (THE BOYLSTON, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST FAMILIES OF MASSACHUSETTS) WHO THOUGHT TO HAVE MARRIED BENEATH HER WHEN SHE CHOSE JOHN ADAMS.
Abigail and John’s affair seven months ago is still causing problems between Elizabeth and him. There’s a lot of tension in one of the beginning exchanges between Elizabeth and John. “Elizabeth: ‘Then go and tell her she’s a whore. Whatever promise she may sense- break it, John, break it.’ John:
John is a loving husband. He proves that by telling Elizabeth, “It is well seasoned” (p. 48) in reference to the rabbit she cooked, in which he had to add salt to. He likes to make her happy, which shows he loves her, and so he asks, “Would that please you?” (p.48) He is asking in reference to buying a heifer for her if the crops are good. He assures her he will “fall like an ocean on that court” by which he shows his love in caring for her freedom (p.73). To the court he admits he has “known her” he is talking about Abigail and their affair (p.102). He is showing his love towards his wife by throwing away his freedom, life, honor, dignity, and pride to prove Elizabeth’s innocence and have her freedom. He tells Elizabeth to “show honor now” as he is to be hanged in the gallows (p. 133). He is showing his love for her by letting her know he cares about her enough to want her to be strong even though he is to die.
Elizabeth believes John has not forgotten Abigail and continues to judge him for his past mistake. She is
Elizabeth’s attitude changes after she gets accused By Abigail Williams. While she was in the courtroom, Danforth asked Elizabeth about why
Elizabeth is angry that John was having an affair with Abigail. John feels that he has endured enough. He knows what he did was not right, but he demands to Elizabeth that he needed a passion that she was not giving him. John uses emotional appeal to enforce his claim. She is offended at his suggestion that it was her fault that he was cheating on her. John says that he is only
John says ‘No, no Abby. That’s done with… Put it out your mind, Abby…Abby I never give you hope to wait for me.’ This shows John’s regret in having had an affair, he wants Abby to forget it, as... ... middle of paper ... ...
Basically there is not an evil bone in her body. Elizabeth lied about John’s adultery to protect him, saying he’s a “goodly man” (113). Yes, that does not sound like that big of a deal, but for Elizabeth this is a monumental thing. She's going against everything she believes in, even her own morals of being a good christian morals and following the ten commandments to protect John. This is shows her selflessness on a higher level because she such a strong will women. Another example of her selflessness is when she asks John to “forgive” (137) her for being “cold wife” (137). Elizabeth does this because she begins to believe that she is the reason John committed adultery. Elizabeth said “ it were a cold house I kept” (137), which goes to show she believed she was the reactant which led to the product of Johns mistake. Selflessness is shown because first, she is taking on the responsibility so John does not worry and blame himself. In the movie she saved his life for a little longer because she gave him some self worth and made him feel like a better person. If she would not have told John it was her fault he would of died with the burden of ruining the family, but instead she took the responsibility. Secondly she comes to think that because she was self conscious and did not lover herself she was “cold” (137) or did not let her husband love her. This made her believe that she made him feel like there was little compassion between him and her which led John to give “a promise that a stallion gives a mare” (62) to Abigail. Elizabeth is all around a selfless human being. Always trying to make it better for the other person and take the responsibility on her self which is opposite of
She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a - “ (24). Abigail’s jealousy is most noticeable in this quote. She uses the words ‘cold, sniveling woman’ to describe Elizabeth, reminding John of his wife’s reaction to the affair and her ‘coldness’ towards him, attempting to prod at a weak spot in their marriage. By telling John, a man, valued by his reputation and implacability, that he ‘bends to [Elizabeth, a woman]’, Abigail also seeks to hurt John’s self worth.
(Abbotson) Abigail soon comes to find out that her plan to kill Elizabeth had failed. In the end John is put into jail and dies. He risked his life to keep his kids reputation from being ruined. Abigail runs away and takes all of her uncle’s money with
Elizabeth, ‘reasonably’: John, have you ever shown her somewhat of contempt? She cannot pass you in the church but you will blush-
John and Elizabeth continue to argue. John Hale appears at their doorway. He is traveling to each house, talking to those who were mentioned in court, trying to find out more information about them. John says that he knows that Abigail and the other girls are not telling the truth. Two Salem citizens that have had wives arrested show up and a short time passes before a party comes to arrest Elizabeth.
The magistrate that sits in your heart judges you.” This is where Elizabeth suspects that John has committed adultery, but knows how good of man he is and tries to look over it. “Adultery, John.” This is where John tells her and she makes it sound like it is news to her even though she has known for awhile. She is trying to have John have a “good” name and not be a name that everyone discards. “No, sir.” Here she is protecting his name but she doesn’t know that John has just came out and said that he committed lechery. She thought that she was saving him but she was actually making it worse for him.“I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face.” Here he is talking about if he ever encountered the Devil that he would literally kick his ass.
To further complicate matters, John decides not to reveal to the court that Abigail has admitted to him in private that they were just sporting in the woods. Abigail spreads additional accusations and false rumors about her neighbors. These accusations have no basis in truth and their only purpose is for Abigail’s own benefit. Furthermore, Abigail is jealous of John’s wife, Elizabeth, and she schemes to get rid of her in order to take her place. Abigail’s plot is to accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft.