Hester Vs Abigail

Often in exceptional works of literature, identities, personalities, and surroundings

can be quite similar or distinct with characters in other works. Two works of literature

that display both aspects are The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The

Crucible, by Arthur Miller. Abigail Williams and Hester Prynne are two women with

many similarities while they also can be illuminated with many differences.

The two works of literature have very similar qualities, including setting, conflict,

and general aspects of the characters, while there are also specific parallels between

characters, such as Abigail Williams and Hester Prynne. The time period, for which

Abigail and Hester lived were almost the same, The Scarlet Letter takes place around the

1640s, while The Crucible occurs in 1692. The time period is very important in both

pieces, because it is a time of religious intolerance and a conservative attitude pervades in

New England, where Abigail and Hester lived. Both are startlingly similar in many

ways. For one, both go through the same types of dilemmas, because they are both very

much alone in their lives. Hester is shunned by society and lives on the outskirts of town.

Abigail is an orphan, and considering she is never really part of a family, she probably

has a feeling of loneliness for all of her life. Another similarity between the two is that

they are both are adulteresses. Hester who commits adultery with Dimmesdale, her true

love and Abigail commits adultery with John Proctor.

On the other hand, Abigail Williams and Hester Prynne have much dissimilarity.

Hester is introduced to the reader as a devout Puritan with the exception of her sin of

adultery. She appears to be acceptant of her sin and the reproductions that followed it,

while Abigail’s sins are hidden from society and is accusing many innocent people for

witchcraft. After recognizing her sin Hester works for forgiveness by helping the poor

and giving to charity while Abigail works for vengeance aiming to put an end to her foe.

Hester is a married woman who is unfaithful by sleeping with another man, Dimmesdale.

Abigail is not married, but also commits adultery by sleeping with a married man, John

Proctor. Both sins are essential to the plot of both works of literature. However, Hester

pays the price of this sin, while Abigail does not.

Abigail Williams and Hester Prynne have many similarities and differences,

which are explicitly depicted by the two writers, Hawthorne and Miller. In these two

pieces one can see the differences in writing methods used by the two writers and how

many distinct ways they portray their characters. Also in these two fine works, characters

such as Abigail and Hester can be misconstrued so that readers are unclear of the

thoughts and intentions of these characters. But the reader must dig deeply to find the

true meaning and the truth that lies beneath it all, that is what makes reading literature

amusing.