While reading Act 2 and 3 I became more and more frustrated with the actions of the townspeople of Salem. It was frustrating because Salem had become wrought with distrust and violence, all because of a group of teenage girls, specifically Abigail. And what’s even more frustrated is contemplating why Abigail started all of this. There are most likely two reasons Abigail is accusing people. The first reason is that she had an affair with John Proctor and wants to be his wife, so in her mind, the only way for her to accomplish that is to start accusing people of witchcraft. In a deleted scene of Act 2, Abigail says “Oh John, I will make you such a wife when the world is white again!” In her twisted mind, Abigail believes that if she forces this purge of hangings to occur, she will be able to be with John Proctor. The second reason is that she is started to enjoy all of the attention and praise she’s getting from the townspeople. Abigail is seen as a saint by the people of Salem because they think God is speaking through her/guiding her to accuse these “sinners”. This appreciation the town has for her keeps her from telling the truth about the situation, and it’s what keeps the townspeople from believing Mary Warren. In Act 3, Mary Warren admits that she was lying about seeing spirits, devils, etc. But Abigail accuses Mary of lying, and because she has this reputation in the town of being a saint, the people of Salem believe her. Abigail’s reputation is what lets her keep this giant lie going, even when others have evidence that disprove her claims.
The Warped Religion of Puritanism In Act Two, after Elizabeth Proctor has been accused of witchcraft, Reverend Hale visits the Proctors' house to question "the Christian character" of the family. This is evidently for the purpose of detecting a presence of witchcraft in the home, since the Christian character of individuals has come under scrutiny with the outbreak of witchcraft accusations. He takes note of exactly how many times John Proctor attended church in the past year and a half ("twenty-six time in seventeen month"), questions why he didn't come to church while caring for his sick wife, asks about his childrens' baptisms, gives bonus points for his having helped build the church, and makes him recite the Ten Commandments. For most modern Christians such as myself, this testing seems outrageous because the Gospel doesn't require one to follow all of the "rules," in fact, the entire point of the Gospel was to assert that the love of Jesus redeems all people from their sins, therefore people are not expected to be perfect. The way that this integral part of Christianity appears ignored reflects how religion functioned as law in the Puritan community. Puritans, no matter how much they believed themselves to be faithful, were not operating out of love for God but respect (or fear) for the law. Any society needs a code of law plus its enforcement, and the function of the Bible as that code places the judgement and enforcement into the hands of people, not God. Because of this, people would be more likely to rebel against what they view as harsh legal restrictions rather than commandments from a real and loving God. This harsh legal enforcement behind the guise of religious morality is probably what provoked the teenage girls to go dancing in the woods in the first place- they were young and probably wanted to feel powerful in the way teenagers do by rebelling against laws they don't understand. After getting caught, they most likely began the witchcraft accusations to protect themselves under the Puritan law, because those who break religious laws are not just breaking the law but demonstrating their apparent lack of morality/spirituality. The entire story of The Crucible is an example of the danger of religious law as exemplified by Reverend Hale's questioning of John Proctor.
In today’s culture, the Bill of Rights has established many rights for those of accused persons and it is practice that all people are innocent until proven guilty. From what we’ve seen in the Crucible, beliefs towards trials are incredibly different. The book describes no clear way that defendants could clear their name. One example of this is the arrest of Elizabeth Proctor. She is given a poppet by Mary Warren and soon after, men from the village come to the Proctor house to arrest her. While there, Mary Warren clearly states, “Conjures me? Why, no, sir, I am entirely my-self, I think. Let you ask Susanna Walcott - she saw me sewin’ it in court. Or better still: Ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it.” Mary even admits earlier that she left the needle in the poppet. Despite the fact that there is a clear confession from one of the accusers themselves, Elizabeth Proctor is still considered guilty for hurting Abigail and is taken away. Later on, we see justice is left behind yet again as John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse plead for the release of their wives, on the basis that they are good Christian women. In response, Parris says, “All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem! These people are gloomy for it. [To Danforth :] And I think you will want to know, from each and every one of them, what discontents them with you!” Instead of accepting the group movement in defense of the accused women, it is instead stated that there is no possible way the courts could be wrong and if the women are truly good Christians, they will be freed. However, the courts cannot truly be relied on because they are convicting “witches” based on the words of a few girls with no true physical evidence. Had the Puritans not been blinded by their intense religion and listened to reason, the deaths of these many women (both in the play and in real life) could have been avoided.
How Ironic were the Puritans? Act two of The Crucible starts off very calmly compared to the chaos with which Act one ended. As news stirred up in the community regarding the people that are being accused of witchery, John and Elizabeth Proctor are challenged by Hale over their Puritan religious beliefs. Hale is a very genuine and religious individual, in fact, he is a reverend in the community. He is not easily tricked like the judges at the court, instead, he is suspicious of everyone and everything that is happening. Unlike other individuals, Hale is more suspicious of Abigail in terms of the situation, he knows that the girls are lying at the court and that they are doing it to get away with the “satanic rituals.” He understands that revenge between the whole community is taking place in this situation. For instance, act one of the book points out that Rebecca Nurse and her husband are in a higher placement in a society based on the religious hierarchy of the community. Also, Rebecca and her husband are wealthy, and that is why the Putnam’s always acted “sourly” when the Nurse’s were in a conversation with them. One of the most ironic occurrences in this section of the book was when Rebecca Nurse was accused of witchcraft, everyone including Hale were really surprised. This was ironic because Rebecca was the old lady of the community, she was well respected. In simple terms, she was like the person who everyone admired and could trust. Having called her out for witchery was the most fraudulent occurrence of this act in my opinion. When we think of Puritans, we imagine holiness, purity, intelligence, wisdom and religiously driven, and those were the characteristics of Rebecca Nurse. However, this situation demonstrates that the Puritan society was in fact “rigged” by the actions of the people. Everyone in the community should have known that Rebecca Nurse was innocent. Another ironic scene in this act was when Hale challenged Proctor’s connection to his faith. He was asked to name the ten commandments but ironically forgot adultery, “Proctor: … Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… Hale: You have said that twice, sir… Proctor: Aye. He is flailing for it. Elizabeth: Adultery, John.” This further goes to demonstrate that the Puritan society was actually not so religiously driven or pure as we might think of them. Like all humans, we make mistakes and we might all have a “dark side” of ourselves, just like Hawthrone emphasized in “Young Goodman Brown.” Being faithful and of the Christain community involves making mistakes, like all the characters in this book parallel.
At the beginning of the second act of The Crucible, it drew my attention that the Proctor lied to his wife about going into Salem. But he told the truth about Abigail and what happened between them. With that being said, it surprised me that Elizabeth kept on sticking up for herself and said her opinion about how she feels about this situation. I am surprised by this because back in that time, it was very unusual for a woman to talk to her husband like that. This gives me the impression that Elizabeth is outspoken but also has morals. I believe this because even though she was rude to her husband, when other adults came into their home she was very polite and self-kept. Even when Hale started asking her questions accentuating that she might be a witch, she kept her composure and acted very innocent. With that being said, I feel that the tone is defensive and scared. The evidence that supports this is that whenever someone talks to the Proctor during this act he always gets defensive either on his behalf, or his wifes. For example, when Hale was asking Elizabeth meaningless questions, Proctor immediately started asking questions on why he is doing this and why he believes that Elizabeth has anything to do with being a witch. I believe that since they took Elizabeth away to get trailed, the Proctor is going to have to make a very important decision, either causing his wife to die for witchcraft, or coming out as being unfaithful to his wife and giving valuable information on Abigail.
In the beginning of the third act, I am surprised that they handled courts the way that they did back then. For example, they wouldn’t be consistent with evidence. What I mean when I say this is that for some people they would need concrete evidence, but for others they would take their word on it. Also they wouldn’t make sure that the evidence was accurate or the person testifying was a reliable source. With that being said, I believe that the tone of this act was very frustrating. I began to grow frustrated with the teenage girls who were called in for testimony because I knew that they were lying and that they are the ones who actually did witchcraft, but no one will believe that they ever done such a thing because they are young, manipulative, and good liars. All of the teenage girls look up to Abigail, which is the ringleader of the group, but I wonder why. Why do they listen to her, and why are they scared of her. I wonder if the teenagers will finally get caught in the final act of the book, or if they will go freely. I also wonder if the girls feel any type of guilt for causing innocent people to die because of crimes that they committed. -Trinity A
In today's society people are convicted guilty or innocent until real and confirmed evidence has been against the "Felon". On the other hand, in Acts two and three there is injustice in the Salem Village. The judges of the Salem village think that a women was doing witchcraft but have no stable evidence to convict the women not guilty for doing the witchcraft. People of the Salem village wanted to share their side of the story of the women not doing witchcraft but then turned to another point of view and started to incarcerate the people because they couldn't clear her name. Over 90 people were incarcerated because they wanted to speak their "truth". For example, one of the characters names Elizabeth in the story admitted that she was doing witchcraft but then turned the story around that she wasn't doing witchcraft on a doll with a needle. The author describes,“Conjures me? Why, no, sir, I am entirely my-self, I think. Let you ask Susanna Walcott - she saw me sewin’ it in court. Or better still: Ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it.” This quote shows how Elizabeth confessed that she was doing witchcraft and then turned to the result she was sent to Jail. On the other hand, injustice happens again in the story because of John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse beg the people to let their wives walk freely because they don't sin and have a very strong belief in God. Paris emphasizes,"These people are gloomy for it. [To Danforth :] And I think you will want to know, from each and every one of them, what discontents them with you!” While there is still judgement that the wives are very good christian women they might release but for now the court thinks that they will be kept in jail. On the other hand, the courts are not really reliable because they are convicting people that they are doing witchcraft and believe only a couple of girls but they do not have a real reason or evidence to back their claim. In the Puritan civilization they were blindsided in their religion and had a strong belief in reason. The people that were accused and hung for doing witchcraft could of been eliminated if they were not so Puritan. -Amador Espinoza
Abigail's Vengeance Act Two opens up with Elizabeth and John conversing, and it is very tense, as they seem like they’re walking on eggshells around one another. Elizabeth knows that John cheated on her with Abigail, and he gets very angry that she doesn’t trust him, which I think she has every right to be skeptical of him, but that is beside the point. This is the beginning of Abigail's vengeance against the Proctors, as the whole cheating scandal is separating them emotionally, and things are very awkward between Elizabeth and John. She is hurt that John rejected her after the affair and is jealous of Elizabeth. To make matters worse, Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft because there was a needle in a poppet that matched where a needle was found in Abigail. I think this is an absurd reason to accuse someone of witchcraft, especially when it was not Elizabeth’s poppet, it was Mary Warren’s, and Elizabeth wasn’t the one who put the needle in the poppet. Abigail saw that Mary Warren was sewing the doll, so I wouldn’t put it past her to hurt herself, to make sure she can destroy Elizabeth and take her place. Later in the Act, John aggressively commands Mary Warren to tell the courts that Abigail stuck the needle in the doll, which is how Act Two ends. In Act Three, when John goes to the courts to bring forth his evidence, Abigail walks in and starts being questioned by some of the people there. As soon as Hale started believing John, she “sees” a bird that is supposedly Mary Warren. “Abigail, with a weird, wild, chilling cry, screams up the ceiling.” This starts happening to her immediately after Hale stated he believed John. I don’t think it is a coincidence that she was being “attacked” by Mary Warren right when people were starting to see through her act. Abigail is a very manipulative person, so she knew she had to pretend to be attacked by Mary Warren to get her to turn on John. Without Mary Warren to back John upon his accusations, nobody believed him. Abigail’s vengeance has not only put Elizabeth in jail but now has destroyed John’s reputation as well.
All I can think about well I am reading this book is how there is absolutely no communication. Think about it, during Act II, what if, instead of Elizabeth just being arrested and hauled off we actually stopped and talked, which yes they did about the doll a little instead of just assuming but there could have been more. Elizabeth was telling the truth, we can't just calm someone is lying and take them away. These people were scared, that is their motive for everything, they are scared. That is why the slightest little thing like a doll with a needle in it sends them in a panic, they don't want anything to happen to them or their families. But it has gotten out of hand, even at the beginning when we found out about the death, what if we just talked to her, Abigail could have meant no harm. But now she is angry and I do not blame her. She is messing with them because of how they are acting, they are holding these trials for girls because there is something new around them that they don’t like. Things could just be at peace if they just stop trying to kill the otherside. Let's make this a Disney movie, come on people. Rachael Cooper
Every cause has an effect, and in Salem, the actions of characters clearly have deep repercussions in their society. It is highlighted and demonstrated through characters such as John Proctor, Abigail, and Elizabeth. A clear example of this cause and effect relationship can be observed when Abigail indirectly accused Elizabeth of hurting her through some form of witchcraft. Unfortunately, this does not have a negative consequence on Abigail, instead Elizabeth is punished and is taken away from the Proctor house due to this accusation that we later learn was false. “The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast. [Parris] draws a needle out… testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.” The connection supposedly proves that the “poppet” that Elizabeth had was like a voodoo doll in which she stabbed with a needle and which “hurt” Abigail. Now, this is an entire act set up by Abigail and it her “masterplan” is revealed in the deleted scene of Act 2. She clearly explained to John Proctor that she would eventually take the place of Elizabeth as his wife because she would be executed due to her “witchcraft”. Additionally, as seen throughout the book so far, Abigail and Proctor’s previous affair has clearly caused many problems, specifically for Proctor. This cause and effect relationship, whether Proctor thought about the repercussions or not, is clearly taking toll on his personal life. Abigail’s accusations about witchery can also be somewhat compared to the indirect effect that Giles Corey actually had on his wife during Act I. He mentions that she reads some mysterious books and that he finds it very strange because she keeps them away from him, however, this suspicion eventually indirectly leads to her being arrested for potential “witchcraft.”
From Act One to Act two of The Crucible I have found many connections, and tone changes throughout dialogue, events, and interactions between certain characters. During act two the Narrator has stopped interjecting about characters, although stage directions are still present, which allow readers to understand the emotion in which words should be interpreted as. We do get to meet Elizabeth Proctor (aka goody Proctor) who was mentioned by Abigail in Act One. Goody Proctor and John Proctor take up most of Act two with a cold bickering conversation. The fight gets interrupted when Mary Warren returns home, and she brings a gift for Goody Proctor a “poppet”. Later Hale shows up and informs John that his “wife’s name is - mentioned in the court.” he further starts questioning not only Elizabeth but also John’s devotion to the church, which creates quite a hostile environment. During this interrogation Herrick and Cheever show up with a warrant, generating confusion among all characters. Due to the warrant Elizabeth gives in to fear and goes with the arresting “officers”, while John becomes irritated that one would find his wife a “witch”. John threatens the hysteric Mary warren to testify or “else”. The overall differences in tone from Act one and Two is completely different. While we still do see subtle hints of confusion through both acts, acts one consisted more of questioning and critical analysis, whereas act two seems to ridicule characters. Act two consists of a hostile environment filled with suspicion and doubt surrounding certain characters.
While Abigail and the other girls are the immediate cause or instigators through their accusations what in the community or cultures allows those accusations to not just be believed, but embraced?
Act II opens up with Elizabeth and John Proctor discussing the situation over Abigail, which is a calculating, manipulative, liar character. Her affair with John has created Abigail a person full of hatred towards someone who she thinks she’s in love with but has nothing more than lust for; and Elizabeth who she see’s as the introvert in her and John’s impossible “relationship.” So why focus on this want to be “love triangle”? Abigail since the beginning of the play was the hypocrite one, who was the one caring for Betty but tried her best to cover the truth. Abigail’s character is portrayed as a toxic person. Elizabeth pressures John to convict Abigail of fraud, John refuses which makes Elizabeth think he still feels something for Abigail. Elizabeth gets arrested and accused of witchery, all this because of Abigail. Abigail’s hatred turns into vengeance, she is willing to do anything in order to get rid of Elizabeth. It’s quoted, “I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem-- vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom…” John on the other hand tries to avoid that, he knows Abigail is lying which stirs more anger in Abigail. Even though Elizabeth knew and felt the affair between Abigail and John, she still felt the need to not go against him even if it would cost her freedom. She was questioned about the famous affair and lied to cover and protect her husband’s reputation. Abigail so young haw become more feared and traumatized than the “witches” of the play. It seems as if she’s attacking the Proctor’s to keep her true “identity” covered, even though her true self comes out.
By far the most infuriating thing throughout, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is the blind acceptance of the devil and the Gung-Honess of the court because of it. Throughout Act II and III faithfulness to religion was used as evidence against the villagers, specifically, John Proctors’ character came into question due to his failure to come to Sunday worship. This is evident when Hale presses Proctor inside his own home, stating, “Good, then. He makes himself more comfortable. In the book of record that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day.” I understand that it was extremely important for the villagers to show up to Sunday mass but that proves no wrongdoing or correlation to the devil. It was also shocking to me how Proctor brought (not extremely foolproof evidence) but a decent amount of evidence and well-regarded persons to court to testify to the innocence of the accused. And his evidence and testimony were all but dismissed by two ignorant judges, a bitter preacher, and some insane children. I know that the court believed they were doing gods’ work but god never said, “hang thy neighbor” let alone the fact that they only hung them if they didn’t confess to witchcraft. So much was wrong in Salem and I believe mental illness and religion were the biggest factors. Abigail was truly psychotic and self-harmed in order to try and prove that witchcraft actually existed, not only did she terrorize the village but also her own body. And all of her testimony was blindly believed largely in part of her being a pastors niece.
In the beginning of the second Act, we see some distrust and vulnerability in Elizabeth proctor as we watch her hint to John that he is still in-fact in relations with Abigail, which he then responds, "Women, I shall not Have your suspicion anymore" and were she re-bustles, "Then let your not earn it". Once she finds out from marry (who has returned home) that she is being accused of witchcraft, she suspects Abigail is behind it, to try and break her up from john. To me, it is highly odd that Elizabeth is not concerned that maybe Abigail is the one behind all the witch events in Salem if she has in fact that she's trying to make honest married women look bad in front of the church. If she is capable of such convincing activity then maybe she's behind more. Later on, Hale comes into the home on john Proctor and tries to test their religious knowledge to see whether or not they might be missionaries of satan. The main focuses in Act 2 and 3 is the every lingering suspicion of everyone against everyone, even John Proctor who built the church with his own hands, was not safe from the scrutinizing eyes on the town, and Elizbeth is not safe from the delicious way of Abigail who I am sure is out for revenge. I feel as though this conflict between Procter, Elizabeth, and Abigail is one of the most important details of the rising in witch activity in Salem. After all, isn't Abigail the one you tried to conjure a spell against Elizabeth in the first act? - Alexis Phillips
By far the most infuriating thing throughout, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is the blind acceptance acceptation of the devil and the Gung-Honess of the court judicature because of it. Throughout Act II 2 and III faithfulness fidelity to religion was used as evidence against the villagers, settlement rs, specifically, John Whoremonger Proctors’ character came into question doubtfulness due to his failure to come to Sunday Lord's Day worship. This is evident when Hale presses public press Proctor inside his own home, stating, “Good, “Goodness , then. He makes shuffle himself more comfortable. In the book of record book that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day.” I understand that it was extremely important for the villagers villager to show up to Sunday mass stack but that proves no wrongdoing or coefficient of correlation to the devil. It was also shocking to me how Proctor brought (not extremely foolproof evidence) but a decent amount of evidence and well-regarded persons individual to court to testify to the innocence artlessness of the accused. And his evidence and testimony testimonial were all but dismissed by two ignorant judges, jurist , a bitter preacher, and some insane children. I know that the court believed they were doing gods’ deity ’ work but god never said, “hang thy neighbor” neighbour ” let alone the fact that they only hung them if they didn’t confess to witchcraft. witchcraft . So much was wrong in Salem and I believe mental illness malady and religion were the biggest factors. Abigail was truly psychotic and self-harmed in rules of order to try and prove that witchcraft actually existed, not only did she terrorize the village but also her own body. physical structure . And all of her testimony was blindly believed largely in part percentage of her being a pastors niece. niece .
Act two of "The Crucible" was one of the more intense of the Act's and carried a lot of subtle character messages in it through Proctor and Hale. The town was going crazy and arresting everyone who had even a hint of some witch related accusations against them and it was beginning to get out of hand but the Proctor and Elizabeth were of the few to call against it. Proctor played a big role in this because unlike the rest of the town, he was the only to stand up to Hale and demand truth behind this wall of lies and accusation. I believe that the Proctor in this is supposed to represent humanism and romanticism because he believes that these witch trials are not rational and that anyone will call accusations against another to escape blame, and that we all have good inside us, but the only true evil within is human nature, not the devil. Another common subject in Act Two was the affair between the Proctor and Abigail which is an important argument he has within which is that Abigail isn't being honest and that it just proves his point that people will quickly blame one another for their own selfish greed; But this affair is also an important contrast to the towns behavior and beliefs, because while everyone is calling witches and the devil being the evil in the human spirit, the affair ends up being the evil in ones spirit, not something religious, but just of human nature and selfishness. This Act was important to the plot because it truly highlights the hypocrisy of Salem and it's people, while also revealing the only kind of evil that is within people, selfishness.
A Marriage on the Mend One of the focuses in Act Two, especially at the very beginning, was the dynamic of the broken Proctor household after Elizabeth had found out about the affair that Proctor previously had with Abigail. The first scene is a dinner scene in the Proctor household with a great amount of tension between the two of them. They begin with small talk and dry responses such as Proctor saying, “Pray now for a fair summer” to which Elizabeth responds “Aye”, and then Proctor asking, “Are you well today?” to which Elizabeth responds “I am”. Typically in such a long term marriage, small talk is out of the question, but because of the great strain afflicted on the relationship by the affair, thoughtful conversation is difficult for Elizabeth to engage in. Although the dinner is quite awkward, it is easy to see that Proctor is still making great attempts to regain Elizabeth’s trust and warmth after crossing such a line. One way he does this is by complimenting her cooking, even when it wasn’t completely sincere. It is revealed in the scene description before the dialogue that Proctor adds some salt to Elizabeth’s bland dish without her knowing because he is displeased with its flavor. Then amongst the dry conversation, he tells Elizabeth that the rabbit is well seasoned. The author places this interaction here to show how Elizabeth begins to open up more at this praise, as it says that she blushes with pleasure. Soon after this opens Elizabeth up more, Proctor “gets up, goes to her, and kisses her. She receives it.” The author uses the word choice of “receives” here in order to illustrate that while she is accepting and even wanting of Proctor’s love, it is still extremely difficult for her to reciprocate anything back because her trust had been tainted.
Through Act II we see that through the witch trials you could blame almost anything on anyone and claim that they were a witch, and as long are you are the one who is the one doing the accusing you are considered innocent. Another strange thing in the trials was that after the accused confessed if they turned evidence convicts someone else the charges for the person that has confessed are automatically dropped. IN Act III Marry reveals that the girls have been pretending to be bewitched and making themselves faint and prick them selves with pins and doing the same to dolls they made but saying that other people made them. Giles also announces that Putnam is just trying to take people's land. And even though they both have good reason they are over looked because judge Hawthorn does not want it to come out that a group of girls out smarted him and over ran his court. Along with him Parris doesn't want everyone to know that his daughter and niece are liars because it would ruin his reputation in Salem. So the two keep everything under wraps by continuing to insisted that the girls stories are true. Practor even admits to having an affair with Abigail but Elizabeth who is still attempting to save her husbands reputation does not admit to this when testifying. Aidan Reitz
Sexism in Salem By no means is sexism limited to 17th century Salem Massachusetts, it was common belief all across the world, specifically Europe, that women and men were not equal in nature. Men were supposed to be the providers. The ideal man was high in class, intellect, and athleticism. Women were supposed to be pure and were held at a high moral standard. It was a common belief that women held a strong moral compass. It was their job to teach their children to have a high moral standard. It was believed that women held a stronger sense of morals than men and it was their job, if their husband acted out, to bring him back to his “normal self”. This viewpoint of women was adopted in Salem and was expected of all its woman inhabitants, including Elizabeth Proctor. Throughout the play, Elizabeth truly feeling the effects of the witch craze. She is directly affected by it because her husband, John Proctor is having an affair with one of the main accusers of witchcraft, Abigail Williams. It is completely reasonable for Elizabeth to be angry with John, but she isn’t. It can be argued that Elizabeth isn’t cold to John or Abigail because of societal expectations. Elizabeth is trying her best to forgive John, even if at this point he doesn’t deserve it. At the beginning of Act 2 Elizabeth is introduced. In this scene Elizabeth finds out that John has been talking to Abigail alone. This brings up distrust and coldness and Elizabeth’s attitude towards John changes, she fears that John hasn’t gotten over Abigail yet and he might even still have a romantic relationship with her. John doesn’t like that Elizabeth is judging him, “You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your husband any more.” This is unfair because Elizabeth should not be expected to have complete trust in John after he has proved that he is unfaithful. She is expected to have no pride and dignity.
The crucible act two and three was an absolute rollercoaster. So everything is getting completely out of hand with all the “witch craft” going on and everyone is accusing everyone. Abigail (who is a total dingus by the way) accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witch craft for the sole purpose of hoping to be able to be Johns wife after Elizabeth gets hanged, which is also totally sadistic; but I mean if she loves him she must think it is fair. But honestly, I don't think she actually loves him she is just super jealous and wants attention. Then John is also accusing the girls of being frauds which convinces Hale to rethink the validity of their claims, which is like duh they’re a bunch of crazies who are just looking for some drama, so annoying. But after they find the doll that Mary Warren gave Elizabeth has a needle in it they then suspect some foul play. Even though Mary Warren wants to tell the truth, she’s scared of Abigails power of persuasion and that really shows how cruel Abigail is. The fact that she’s willing to turn against her own “friends” is crazy and sad. Annabelle Peterson
Reputation Reaps Rewards
ReplyDeleteWhile reading Act 2 and 3 I became more and more frustrated with the actions of the townspeople of Salem. It was frustrating because Salem had become wrought with distrust and violence, all because of a group of teenage girls, specifically Abigail. And what’s even more frustrated is contemplating why Abigail started all of this. There are most likely two reasons Abigail is accusing people. The first reason is that she had an affair with John Proctor and wants to be his wife, so in her mind, the only way for her to accomplish that is to start accusing people of witchcraft. In a deleted scene of Act 2, Abigail says “Oh John, I will make you such a wife when the world is white again!” In her twisted mind, Abigail believes that if she forces this purge of hangings to occur, she will be able to be with John Proctor. The second reason is that she is started to enjoy all of the attention and praise she’s getting from the townspeople. Abigail is seen as a saint by the people of Salem because they think God is speaking through her/guiding her to accuse these “sinners”. This appreciation the town has for her keeps her from telling the truth about the situation, and it’s what keeps the townspeople from believing Mary Warren. In Act 3, Mary Warren admits that she was lying about seeing spirits, devils, etc. But Abigail accuses Mary of lying, and because she has this reputation in the town of being a saint, the people of Salem believe her. Abigail’s reputation is what lets her keep this giant lie going, even when others have evidence that disprove her claims.
The Warped Religion of Puritanism
ReplyDeleteIn Act Two, after Elizabeth Proctor has been accused of witchcraft, Reverend Hale visits the Proctors' house to question "the Christian character" of the family. This is evidently for the purpose of detecting a presence of witchcraft in the home, since the Christian character of individuals has come under scrutiny with the outbreak of witchcraft accusations. He takes note of exactly how many times John Proctor attended church in the past year and a half ("twenty-six time in seventeen month"), questions why he didn't come to church while caring for his sick wife, asks about his childrens' baptisms, gives bonus points for his having helped build the church, and makes him recite the Ten Commandments. For most modern Christians such as myself, this testing seems outrageous because the Gospel doesn't require one to follow all of the "rules," in fact, the entire point of the Gospel was to assert that the love of Jesus redeems all people from their sins, therefore people are not expected to be perfect. The way that this integral part of Christianity appears ignored reflects how religion functioned as law in the Puritan community. Puritans, no matter how much they believed themselves to be faithful, were not operating out of love for God but respect (or fear) for the law. Any society needs a code of law plus its enforcement, and the function of the Bible as that code places the judgement and enforcement into the hands of people, not God. Because of this, people would be more likely to rebel against what they view as harsh legal restrictions rather than commandments from a real and loving God. This harsh legal enforcement behind the guise of religious morality is probably what provoked the teenage girls to go dancing in the woods in the first place- they were young and probably wanted to feel powerful in the way teenagers do by rebelling against laws they don't understand. After getting caught, they most likely began the witchcraft accusations to protect themselves under the Puritan law, because those who break religious laws are not just breaking the law but demonstrating their apparent lack of morality/spirituality. The entire story of The Crucible is an example of the danger of religious law as exemplified by Reverend Hale's questioning of John Proctor.
The Lack of Justice in Puritan Culture
ReplyDeleteIn today’s culture, the Bill of Rights has established many rights for those of accused persons and it is practice that all people are innocent until proven guilty. From what we’ve seen in the Crucible, beliefs towards trials are incredibly different. The book describes no clear way that defendants could clear their name. One example of this is the arrest of Elizabeth Proctor. She is given a poppet by Mary Warren and soon after, men from the village come to the Proctor house to arrest her. While there, Mary Warren clearly states, “Conjures me? Why, no, sir, I am entirely my-self, I think. Let you ask Susanna Walcott - she saw me sewin’ it in court. Or better still: Ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it.” Mary even admits earlier that she left the needle in the poppet. Despite the fact that there is a clear confession from one of the accusers themselves, Elizabeth Proctor is still considered guilty for hurting Abigail and is taken away. Later on, we see justice is left behind yet again as John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse plead for the release of their wives, on the basis that they are good Christian women. In response, Parris says, “All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem! These people are gloomy for it. [To Danforth :] And I think you will want to know, from each and every one of them, what discontents them with you!” Instead of accepting the group movement in defense of the accused women, it is instead stated that there is no possible way the courts could be wrong and if the women are truly good Christians, they will be freed. However, the courts cannot truly be relied on because they are convicting “witches” based on the words of a few girls with no true physical evidence. Had the Puritans not been blinded by their intense religion and listened to reason, the deaths of these many women (both in the play and in real life) could have been avoided.
How Ironic were the Puritans?
ReplyDeleteAct two of The Crucible starts off very calmly compared to the chaos with which Act one ended. As news stirred up in the community regarding the people that are being accused of witchery, John and Elizabeth Proctor are challenged by Hale over their Puritan religious beliefs. Hale is a very genuine and religious individual, in fact, he is a reverend in the community. He is not easily tricked like the judges at the court, instead, he is suspicious of everyone and everything that is happening. Unlike other individuals, Hale is more suspicious of Abigail in terms of the situation, he knows that the girls are lying at the court and that they are doing it to get away with the “satanic rituals.” He understands that revenge between the whole community is taking place in this situation. For instance, act one of the book points out that Rebecca Nurse and her husband are in a higher placement in a society based on the religious hierarchy of the community. Also, Rebecca and her husband are wealthy, and that is why the Putnam’s always acted “sourly” when the Nurse’s were in a conversation with them. One of the most ironic occurrences in this section of the book was when Rebecca Nurse was accused of witchcraft, everyone including Hale were really surprised. This was ironic because Rebecca was the old lady of the community, she was well respected. In simple terms, she was like the person who everyone admired and could trust. Having called her out for witchery was the most fraudulent occurrence of this act in my opinion. When we think of Puritans, we imagine holiness, purity, intelligence, wisdom and religiously driven, and those were the characteristics of Rebecca Nurse. However, this situation demonstrates that the Puritan society was in fact “rigged” by the actions of the people. Everyone in the community should have known that Rebecca Nurse was innocent. Another ironic scene in this act was when Hale challenged Proctor’s connection to his faith. He was asked to name the ten commandments but ironically forgot adultery, “Proctor: … Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image… Hale: You have said that twice, sir… Proctor: Aye. He is flailing for it. Elizabeth: Adultery, John.” This further goes to demonstrate that the Puritan society was actually not so religiously driven or pure as we might think of them. Like all humans, we make mistakes and we might all have a “dark side” of ourselves, just like Hawthrone emphasized in “Young Goodman Brown.” Being faithful and of the Christain community involves making mistakes, like all the characters in this book parallel.
At the beginning of the second act of The Crucible, it drew my attention that the Proctor lied to his wife about going into Salem. But he told the truth about Abigail and what happened between them. With that being said, it surprised me that Elizabeth kept on sticking up for herself and said her opinion about how she feels about this situation. I am surprised by this because back in that time, it was very unusual for a woman to talk to her husband like that. This gives me the impression that Elizabeth is outspoken but also has morals. I believe this because even though she was rude to her husband, when other adults came into their home she was very polite and self-kept. Even when Hale started asking her questions accentuating that she might be a witch, she kept her composure and acted very innocent. With that being said, I feel that the tone is defensive and scared. The evidence that supports this is that whenever someone talks to the Proctor during this act he always gets defensive either on his behalf, or his wifes. For example, when Hale was asking Elizabeth meaningless questions, Proctor immediately started asking questions on why he is doing this and why he believes that Elizabeth has anything to do with being a witch. I believe that since they took Elizabeth away to get trailed, the Proctor is going to have to make a very important decision, either causing his wife to die for witchcraft, or coming out as being unfaithful to his wife and giving valuable information on Abigail.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the third act, I am surprised that they handled courts the way that they did back then. For example, they wouldn’t be consistent with evidence. What I mean when I say this is that for some people they would need concrete evidence, but for others they would take their word on it. Also they wouldn’t make sure that the evidence was accurate or the person testifying was a reliable source. With that being said, I believe that the tone of this act was very frustrating. I began to grow frustrated with the teenage girls who were called in for testimony because I knew that they were lying and that they are the ones who actually did witchcraft, but no one will believe that they ever done such a thing because they are young, manipulative, and good liars. All of the teenage girls look up to Abigail, which is the ringleader of the group, but I wonder why. Why do they listen to her, and why are they scared of her. I wonder if the teenagers will finally get caught in the final act of the book, or if they will go freely. I also wonder if the girls feel any type of guilt for causing innocent people to die because of crimes that they committed. -Trinity A
DeleteThe Injustice of the Puritan Civilization
ReplyDeleteIn today's society people are convicted guilty or innocent until real and confirmed evidence has been against the "Felon". On the other hand, in Acts two and three there is injustice in the Salem Village. The judges of the Salem village think that a women was doing witchcraft but have no stable evidence to convict the women not guilty for doing the witchcraft. People of the Salem village wanted to share their side of the story of the women not doing witchcraft but then turned to another point of view and started to incarcerate the people because they couldn't clear her name. Over 90 people were incarcerated because they wanted to speak their "truth". For example, one of the characters names Elizabeth in the story admitted that she was doing witchcraft but then turned the story around that she wasn't doing witchcraft on a doll with a needle. The author describes,“Conjures me? Why, no, sir, I am entirely my-self, I think. Let you ask Susanna Walcott - she saw me sewin’ it in court. Or better still: Ask Abby, Abby sat beside me when I made it.” This quote shows how Elizabeth confessed that she was doing witchcraft and then turned to the result she was sent to Jail. On the other hand, injustice happens again in the story because of John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse beg the people to let their wives walk freely because they don't sin and have a very strong belief in God. Paris emphasizes,"These people are gloomy for it. [To Danforth :] And I think you will want to know, from each and every one of them, what discontents them with you!” While there is still judgement that the wives are very good christian women they might release but for now the court thinks that they will be kept in jail. On the other hand, the courts are not really reliable because they are convicting people that they are doing witchcraft and believe only a couple of girls but they do not have a real reason or evidence to back their claim. In the Puritan civilization they were blindsided in their religion and had a strong belief in reason. The people that were accused and hung for doing witchcraft could of been eliminated if they were not so Puritan.
-Amador Espinoza
Abigail's Vengeance
ReplyDeleteAct Two opens up with Elizabeth and John conversing, and it is very tense, as they seem like they’re walking on eggshells around one another. Elizabeth knows that John cheated on her with Abigail, and he gets very angry that she doesn’t trust him, which I think she has every right to be skeptical of him, but that is beside the point. This is the beginning of Abigail's vengeance against the Proctors, as the whole cheating scandal is separating them emotionally, and things are very awkward between Elizabeth and John. She is hurt that John rejected her after the affair and is jealous of Elizabeth. To make matters worse, Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft because there was a needle in a poppet that matched where a needle was found in Abigail. I think this is an absurd reason to accuse someone of witchcraft, especially when it was not Elizabeth’s poppet, it was Mary Warren’s, and Elizabeth wasn’t the one who put the needle in the poppet. Abigail saw that Mary Warren was sewing the doll, so I wouldn’t put it past her to hurt herself, to make sure she can destroy Elizabeth and take her place. Later in the Act, John aggressively commands Mary Warren to tell the courts that Abigail stuck the needle in the doll, which is how Act Two ends. In Act Three, when John goes to the courts to bring forth his evidence, Abigail walks in and starts being questioned by some of the people there. As soon as Hale started believing John, she “sees” a bird that is supposedly Mary Warren. “Abigail, with a weird, wild, chilling cry, screams up the ceiling.” This starts happening to her immediately after Hale stated he believed John. I don’t think it is a coincidence that she was being “attacked” by Mary Warren right when people were starting to see through her act. Abigail is a very manipulative person, so she knew she had to pretend to be attacked by Mary Warren to get her to turn on John. Without Mary Warren to back John upon his accusations, nobody believed him. Abigail’s vengeance has not only put Elizabeth in jail but now has destroyed John’s reputation as well.
Giselle Diaz
Delete"I'm scared" could have solved a lot of problems.
ReplyDeleteAll I can think about well I am reading this book is how there is absolutely no communication. Think about it, during Act II, what if, instead of Elizabeth just being arrested and hauled off we actually stopped and talked, which yes they did about the doll a little instead of just assuming but there could have been more. Elizabeth was telling the truth, we can't just calm someone is lying and take them away. These people were scared, that is their motive for everything, they are scared. That is why the slightest little thing like a doll with a needle in it sends them in a panic, they don't want anything to happen to them or their families. But it has gotten out of hand, even at the beginning when we found out about the death, what if we just talked to her, Abigail could have meant no harm. But now she is angry and I do not blame her. She is messing with them because of how they are acting, they are holding these trials for girls because there is something new around them that they don’t like. Things could just be at peace if they just stop trying to kill the otherside. Let's make this a Disney movie, come on people.
Rachael Cooper
Cause and Effect with Massive Repercussions
ReplyDeleteEvery cause has an effect, and in Salem, the actions of characters clearly have deep repercussions in their society. It is highlighted and demonstrated through characters such as John Proctor, Abigail, and Elizabeth. A clear example of this cause and effect relationship can be observed when Abigail indirectly accused Elizabeth of hurting her through some form of witchcraft. Unfortunately, this does not have a negative consequence on Abigail, instead Elizabeth is punished and is taken away from the Proctor house due to this accusation that we later learn was false. “The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast. [Parris] draws a needle out… testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.” The connection supposedly proves that the “poppet” that Elizabeth had was like a voodoo doll in which she stabbed with a needle and which “hurt” Abigail. Now, this is an entire act set up by Abigail and it her “masterplan” is revealed in the deleted scene of Act 2. She clearly explained to John Proctor that she would eventually take the place of Elizabeth as his wife because she would be executed due to her “witchcraft”. Additionally, as seen throughout the book so far, Abigail and Proctor’s previous affair has clearly caused many problems, specifically for Proctor. This cause and effect relationship, whether Proctor thought about the repercussions or not, is clearly taking toll on his personal life. Abigail’s accusations about witchery can also be somewhat compared to the indirect effect that Giles Corey actually had on his wife during Act I. He mentions that she reads some mysterious books and that he finds it very strange because she keeps them away from him, however, this suspicion eventually indirectly leads to her being arrested for potential “witchcraft.”
-Rolando M
From Act One to Act two of The Crucible I have found many connections, and tone changes throughout dialogue, events, and interactions between certain characters. During act two the Narrator has stopped interjecting about characters, although stage directions are still present, which allow readers to understand the emotion in which words should be interpreted as. We do get to meet Elizabeth Proctor (aka goody Proctor) who was mentioned by Abigail in Act One. Goody Proctor and John Proctor take up most of Act two with a cold bickering conversation. The fight gets interrupted when Mary Warren returns home, and she brings a gift for Goody Proctor a “poppet”. Later Hale shows up and informs John that his “wife’s name is - mentioned in the court.” he further starts questioning not only Elizabeth but also John’s devotion to the church, which creates quite a hostile environment. During this interrogation Herrick and Cheever show up with a warrant, generating confusion among all characters. Due to the warrant Elizabeth gives in to fear and goes with the arresting “officers”, while John becomes irritated that one would find his wife a “witch”. John threatens the hysteric Mary warren to testify or “else”. The overall differences in tone from Act one and Two is completely different. While we still do see subtle hints of confusion through both acts, acts one consisted more of questioning and critical analysis, whereas act two seems to ridicule characters. Act two consists of a hostile environment filled with suspicion and doubt surrounding certain characters.
ReplyDeleteWhile Abigail and the other girls are the immediate cause or instigators through their accusations what in the community or cultures allows those accusations to not just be believed, but embraced?
ReplyDeleteLove “Triangle”
ReplyDeleteAct II opens up with Elizabeth and John Proctor discussing the situation over Abigail, which is a calculating, manipulative, liar character. Her affair with John has created Abigail a person full of hatred towards someone who she thinks she’s in love with but has nothing more than lust for; and Elizabeth who she see’s as the introvert in her and John’s impossible “relationship.” So why focus on this want to be “love triangle”? Abigail since the beginning of the play was the hypocrite one, who was the one caring for Betty but tried her best to cover the truth. Abigail’s character is portrayed as a toxic person. Elizabeth pressures John to convict Abigail of fraud, John refuses which makes Elizabeth think he still feels something for Abigail. Elizabeth gets arrested and accused of witchery, all this because of Abigail. Abigail’s hatred turns into vengeance, she is willing to do anything in order to get rid of Elizabeth. It’s quoted, “I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem-- vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom…” John on the other hand tries to avoid that, he knows Abigail is lying which stirs more anger in Abigail. Even though Elizabeth knew and felt the affair between Abigail and John, she still felt the need to not go against him even if it would cost her freedom. She was questioned about the famous affair and lied to cover and protect her husband’s reputation. Abigail so young haw become more feared and traumatized than the “witches” of the play. It seems as if she’s attacking the Proctor’s to keep her true “identity” covered, even though her true self comes out.
Monserrat Avalos Pantoja
Topic: Blind Faith caused by Religion and Culture
ReplyDeleteBy far the most infuriating thing throughout, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is the blind acceptance of the devil and the Gung-Honess of the court because of it. Throughout Act II and III faithfulness to religion was used as evidence against the villagers, specifically, John Proctors’ character came into question due to his failure to come to Sunday worship. This is evident when Hale presses Proctor inside his own home, stating, “Good, then. He makes himself more comfortable. In the book of record that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day.” I understand that it was extremely important for the villagers to show up to Sunday mass but that proves no wrongdoing or correlation to the devil. It was also shocking to me how Proctor brought (not extremely foolproof evidence) but a decent amount of evidence and well-regarded persons to court to testify to the innocence of the accused. And his evidence and testimony were all but dismissed by two ignorant judges, a bitter preacher, and some insane children. I know that the court believed they were doing gods’ work but god never said, “hang thy neighbor” let alone the fact that they only hung them if they didn’t confess to witchcraft. So much was wrong in Salem and I believe mental illness and religion were the biggest factors. Abigail was truly psychotic and self-harmed in order to try and prove that witchcraft actually existed, not only did she terrorize the village but also her own body. And all of her testimony was blindly believed largely in part of her being a pastors niece.
love lust and loss
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of the second Act, we see some distrust and vulnerability in Elizabeth proctor as we watch her hint to John that he is still in-fact in relations with Abigail, which he then responds, "Women, I shall not Have your suspicion anymore" and were she re-bustles, "Then let your not earn it". Once she finds out from marry (who has returned home) that she is being accused of witchcraft, she suspects Abigail is behind it, to try and break her up from john. To me, it is highly odd that Elizabeth is not concerned that maybe Abigail is the one behind all the witch events in Salem if she has in fact that she's trying to make honest married women look bad in front of the church. If she is capable of such convincing activity then maybe she's behind more. Later on, Hale comes into the home on john Proctor and tries to test their religious knowledge to see whether or not they might be missionaries of satan. The main focuses in Act 2 and 3 is the every lingering suspicion of everyone against everyone, even John Proctor who built the church with his own hands, was not safe from the scrutinizing eyes on the town, and Elizbeth is not safe from the delicious way of Abigail who I am sure is out for revenge. I feel as though this conflict between Procter, Elizabeth, and Abigail is one of the most important details of the rising in witch activity in Salem. After all, isn't Abigail the one you tried to conjure a spell against Elizabeth in the first act? - Alexis Phillips
By far the most infuriating thing throughout, “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is the blind acceptance acceptation of the devil and the Gung-Honess of the court judicature because of it. Throughout Act II 2 and III faithfulness fidelity to religion was used as evidence against the villagers, settlement rs, specifically, John Whoremonger Proctors’ character came into question doubtfulness due to his failure to come to Sunday Lord's Day worship. This is evident when Hale presses public press Proctor inside his own home, stating, “Good, “Goodness , then. He makes shuffle himself more comfortable. In the book of record book that Mr. Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day.” I understand that it was extremely important for the villagers villager to show up to Sunday mass stack but that proves no wrongdoing or coefficient of correlation to the devil. It was also shocking to me how Proctor brought (not extremely foolproof evidence) but a decent amount of evidence and well-regarded persons individual to court to testify to the innocence artlessness of the accused. And his evidence and testimony testimonial were all but dismissed by two ignorant judges, jurist , a bitter preacher, and some insane children. I know that the court believed they were doing gods’ deity ’ work but god never said, “hang thy neighbor” neighbour ” let alone the fact that they only hung them if they didn’t confess to witchcraft. witchcraft . So much was wrong in Salem and I believe mental illness malady and religion were the biggest factors. Abigail was truly psychotic and self-harmed in rules of order to try and prove that witchcraft actually existed, not only did she terrorize the village but also her own body. physical structure . And all of her testimony was blindly believed largely in part percentage of her being a pastors niece. niece .
ReplyDeleteAct two of "The Crucible" was one of the more intense of the Act's and carried a lot of subtle character messages in it through Proctor and Hale. The town was going crazy and arresting everyone who had even a hint of some witch related accusations against them and it was beginning to get out of hand but the Proctor and Elizabeth were of the few to call against it. Proctor played a big role in this because unlike the rest of the town, he was the only to stand up to Hale and demand truth behind this wall of lies and accusation. I believe that the Proctor in this is supposed to represent humanism and romanticism because he believes that these witch trials are not rational and that anyone will call accusations against another to escape blame, and that we all have good inside us, but the only true evil within is human nature, not the devil. Another common subject in Act Two was the affair between the Proctor and Abigail which is an important argument he has within which is that Abigail isn't being honest and that it just proves his point that people will quickly blame one another for their own selfish greed; But this affair is also an important contrast to the towns behavior and beliefs, because while everyone is calling witches and the devil being the evil in the human spirit, the affair ends up being the evil in ones spirit, not something religious, but just of human nature and selfishness. This Act was important to the plot because it truly highlights the hypocrisy of Salem and it's people, while also revealing the only kind of evil that is within people, selfishness.
ReplyDeleteA Marriage on the Mend
ReplyDeleteOne of the focuses in Act Two, especially at the very beginning, was the dynamic of the broken Proctor household after Elizabeth had found out about the affair that Proctor previously had with Abigail. The first scene is a dinner scene in the Proctor household with a great amount of tension between the two of them. They begin with small talk and dry responses such as Proctor saying, “Pray now for a fair summer” to which Elizabeth responds “Aye”, and then Proctor asking, “Are you well today?” to which Elizabeth responds “I am”. Typically in such a long term marriage, small talk is out of the question, but because of the great strain afflicted on the relationship by the affair, thoughtful conversation is difficult for Elizabeth to engage in. Although the dinner is quite awkward, it is easy to see that Proctor is still making great attempts to regain Elizabeth’s trust and warmth after crossing such a line. One way he does this is by complimenting her cooking, even when it wasn’t completely sincere. It is revealed in the scene description before the dialogue that Proctor adds some salt to Elizabeth’s bland dish without her knowing because he is displeased with its flavor. Then amongst the dry conversation, he tells Elizabeth that the rabbit is well seasoned. The author places this interaction here to show how Elizabeth begins to open up more at this praise, as it says that she blushes with pleasure. Soon after this opens Elizabeth up more, Proctor “gets up, goes to her, and kisses her. She receives it.” The author uses the word choice of “receives” here in order to illustrate that while she is accepting and even wanting of Proctor’s love, it is still extremely difficult for her to reciprocate anything back because her trust had been tainted.
The progression of the trials and accusations
ReplyDeleteThrough Act II we see that through the witch trials you could blame almost anything on anyone and claim that they were a witch, and as long are you are the one who is the one doing the accusing you are considered innocent. Another strange thing in the trials was that after the accused confessed if they turned evidence convicts someone else the charges for the person that has confessed are automatically dropped. IN Act III Marry reveals that the girls have been pretending to be bewitched and making themselves faint and prick them selves with pins and doing the same to dolls they made but saying that other people made them. Giles also announces that Putnam is just trying to take people's land. And even though they both have good reason they are over looked because judge Hawthorn does not want it to come out that a group of girls out smarted him and over ran his court. Along with him Parris doesn't want everyone to know that his daughter and niece are liars because it would ruin his reputation in Salem. So the two keep everything under wraps by continuing to insisted that the girls stories are true. Practor even admits to having an affair with Abigail but Elizabeth who is still attempting to save her husbands reputation does not admit to this when testifying.
Aidan Reitz
Sexism in Salem
ReplyDeleteBy no means is sexism limited to 17th century Salem Massachusetts, it was common belief all across the world, specifically Europe, that women and men were not equal in nature. Men were supposed to be the providers. The ideal man was high in class, intellect, and athleticism. Women were supposed to be pure and were held at a high moral standard. It was a common belief that women held a strong moral compass. It was their job to teach their children to have a high moral standard. It was believed that women held a stronger sense of morals than men and it was their job, if their husband acted out, to bring him back to his “normal self”. This viewpoint of women was adopted in Salem and was expected of all its woman inhabitants, including Elizabeth Proctor. Throughout the play, Elizabeth truly feeling the effects of the witch craze. She is directly affected by it because her husband, John Proctor is having an affair with one of the main accusers of witchcraft, Abigail Williams. It is completely reasonable for Elizabeth to be angry with John, but she isn’t. It can be argued that Elizabeth isn’t cold to John or Abigail because of societal expectations. Elizabeth is trying her best to forgive John, even if at this point he doesn’t deserve it. At the beginning of Act 2 Elizabeth is introduced. In this scene Elizabeth finds out that John has been talking to Abigail alone. This brings up distrust and coldness and Elizabeth’s attitude towards John changes, she fears that John hasn’t gotten over Abigail yet and he might even still have a romantic relationship with her. John doesn’t like that Elizabeth is judging him, “You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your husband any more.” This is unfair because Elizabeth should not be expected to have complete trust in John after he has proved that he is unfaithful. She is expected to have no pride and dignity.
The crucible act two and three was an absolute rollercoaster. So everything is getting completely out of hand with all the “witch craft” going on and everyone is accusing everyone. Abigail (who is a total dingus by the way) accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witch craft for the sole purpose of hoping to be able to be Johns wife after Elizabeth gets hanged, which is also totally sadistic; but I mean if she loves him she must think it is fair. But honestly, I don't think she actually loves him she is just super jealous and wants attention. Then John is also accusing the girls of being frauds which convinces Hale to rethink the validity of their claims, which is like duh they’re a bunch of crazies who are just looking for some drama, so annoying. But after they find the doll that Mary Warren gave Elizabeth has a needle in it they then suspect some foul play. Even though Mary Warren wants to tell the truth, she’s scared of Abigails power of persuasion and that really shows how cruel Abigail is. The fact that she’s willing to turn against her own “friends” is crazy and sad.
ReplyDeleteAnnabelle Peterson