In Act One, one of the characters that is in the middle of a conflict is Abigail Williams. Abigail is in fact conflicted in two ways. First, she is in love with Proctor, who is married. He is her boss, and the two had an affair. This causes Abigail tremendous confusion, as well as hatred when the relationship ends. The second conflict is between Abigail and the norms of the community. She tells us that:
<em>"I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!"</em>
In these lines, she tells us that she now realizes Salem is a lie, and all the morality everyone talks about is fake and hypocritical. This shows that Abigail disagrees with the traditional, strict regulations of the town. It is also evidence of the fact that the community is tearing itself apart.
