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From whose service was Abigail discharged in The Crucible?

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Abigail Williams was discharged from the service of John and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible. This dismissal was due to her affair with John Proctor, which led Elizabeth Proctor to fire her. The incident fuels Abigail's subsequent actions, including accusing both Proctors of witchcraft, significantly impacting the play's events. Abigail's inability to secure employment elsewhere further suggests her unsatisfactory reputation in the community.

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In the first pages of the play, Abigail Williams is questioned by her uncle, the Reverend Parris, regarding her discharge from the employ of John and Elizabeth Proctor. He asks,

Abigail, is there any other cause than you have told me, for your being discharged from Goody Proctor's service? I have heard it said, and I tell you as I heard it, that she comes so rarely to the church this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled. What signified that remark?

In other words, there are rumors which imply that Abigail was fired because she is dirty or unclean, which typically implies something sexual, and that Goody Proctor bears a grudge against her for this. Abigail insists that Elizabeth simply hates her, that Elizabeth is a horrible woman, and she tells her uncle not to give credence to the rumors. However, he also says,

it...

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has troubled me that you are now seven month out of their house, and in all this time no other family has ever called for your service.

He means that no other family has attempted to hire Abigail, despite the fact that it has been many, many months since her employment for the Proctors ended. It begins to look as though she was somehow unsatisfactory, that there may be reason to believe the rumors. If no one wants to hire her, there must be some reason why.

We learn later in this act, of course, that Abigail and John had a sexual relationship during Abigail's employment in his household, that his wife found out, and this is why Abigail was fired.

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Abigail Williams was discharged (fired) from her job working for the Proctors.  She worked for Mrs. Elizabeth Proctor but was fired.  Mrs. Proctor fired her because Abigail was having an affair with Mr. John Proctor.  You can see proof of this in Act I, Scene 2.

It is this firing that causes a lot of problems for the Proctors.  Abigail will end up accusing both of them of witchcraft.  Elizabeth will not die because she is pregnant when sentenced, but John will not be so lucky.  He will be executed at the end of the play.

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