Abigail, the orphaned niece to Reverend Parris, is cast out of the house of John and Elizabeth Proctor because of her part in the infidelity committed with John Proctor. Her uncle is suspicious of her hasty exit, and even more so when he discovers her dancing in the woods. In order to avoid punishment, Abigail claims to be victimized by evil, thus causing madness that spread like wildfire through Salem, claiming many innocent souls. Yet …showed first 75 words of 826 total…

…showed last 75 words of 826 total…was able to control each character as though they were puppets on strings. She never did succeed in making John Proctor her husband, for her evil nature undermined her efforts to make John fall in love with her. She did, however, turn the whole town upside down and create conflict after conflict. Genius though they are in many ways, her rapacious methods of preying on the weaknesses of others are those of a true villain.