She hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 1. Abigail’s lies and deceit about Elizabeth Proctor begin, as she invents a story about why she lost her job with the Proctors. She claims that Elizabeth hated her because she refused to be her slave. But the truth is that Abigail was dismissed by Elizabeth because she had an affair with her husband John. It is Abigail’s intense jealousy of Elizabeth that drives the witch trials hysteria, leading to many innocent people being hanged. Her jealousy speaks loudly in this passage, where she mischaracterizes Elizabeth as "a bitter woman, a lying, cold sniveling woman." When we meet her in the play, Elizabeth turns out to be a kind, caring and honest woman.