Monday, October 22, 2012

In the play, The Crucible, what does Abigail say to John Proctor to convince him to be with her?

Abigail Williams tries to convince John Proctor to be with her by emphasizing the fact that it was his wife, Elizabeth, who fired her seven months ago, not him.  She reminds him of the sexual heat and passion between them before Elizabeth released Abigail from their service.  She says, "I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!"  She believes that John still loves her, and he does not deny it; he only says that he will never "reach" for her again.  Moreover, Abigail says that she has looked out her window at night and seen John looking up at it, "burning in [his] loneliness."  She knows that he is lonely and that he still, to some extent, desires and even cares for her, and she tries to get him to give in to those feelings.  Abigail also insults Elizabeth, calling her "sickly" and accusing her of trying to harm Abigail's reputation in town.  Of course, none of this works, and John rebuffs Abigail and returns to his wife.

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