Abigail Williams. What are horrible, godforsaken, coldhearted girl. One who deserves no pity or sympathy on account of all her actions. And she was given none of the above from my class. Everyone had an opinion on her character (None of which were positive) and the feelings in the room radiated a range of pure irritation to absolute hatred. So if talking about Abigail just creates frustration and anger, why do we do it? Because every story needs a villain. A bad guy, an antagonist, someone so outside the normal realm of humanity that all we can do is stand back and gape at them. Without these shocking characters there would be no story, no conflict. To relate to the world outside The Crucible, I believe Miley Cyrus demonstrates this effect beautifully. Though she is not putting up people to hang, she is still putting a very harsh imprint on todays youth. From going from sweet country girl to punk twerker, she can represent Abigail's shift from innocent village girl in love with John Proctor to an unfeeling sociopath. By giving Miley all this confrontational and negative publicity the public is keeping her famous or alive. Just as by talking about how horrible Abigail is, we keep her and The Crucible alive.
I love your use of the word villain, I'd say it's pretty appropriate for this weekend! You made a really interesting point in saying that as much as we hate her we are the ones keeping her relevant. It's really relatable to high school.
ReplyDeleteNo, I actually hate hating her. I don't think we need villains to have heroes. We need a challenge, of course, but a challenge doesn't have to be big. A challenge can be as small as smiling to a stranger. There is no villain there. And the lines of good and evil can be muddled, as in The Great Gatsby. It's kind of difficult to decide who you want to side with for much of the movie-there is no distinct evil, no distinct crazy. So sure, a villain is something that can add a bit of value to a story, but it is not necessarily necessary.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your points! People who are infamous are maybe disliked, but they are nevertheless famous because everyone talks about them. Also, we can all relate to the Miley Cyrus reference. Great blog post Emma! :)
ReplyDeleteDang, Emma! This was really fascinating-- a great blog post!! I thought the Miley Cyrus reference was a brilliant and really insightful comparison; I doubt most people think of her as a villain in the purest sense of the word, but people's hatred of her does make her an icon. You could have even delved further into your point about people needing a villain because--let's face it-- it's easier to be against something than for something, and-- because of the inherent pettiness in human nature-- everyone wants to be able to talk about someone who is worse than himself.
ReplyDeleteThis is so strange... I wrote about Miley's transformation, too! Great minds think alike!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Connor, however, that not every story needs a villain. Many conflicts arise internally to create the plot of a story. But I like how you said that by hating Abigail, we are keeping The Crucible alive. Well said, Emma!