What passage do you think single-handidly best represents the Salem witchcraft tragedy and why? Make sure you quote a piece of the passage as part of your comment and provide a specific reference to its location in the play.
PROCTOR: “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (he has just received the warrant – he will be going to court to testify against Abigail) This quotes ties in a lot of themes throughout the play, but most importantly touches on the fragility of Massachusetts’s Puritan society. Abigail can easily use the fragile court system against itself – and to her advantage – simply by lying and accusing others. The legal system is (in a sense) a paradox because it takes on a dual role: it responds positively to those who take advantage of it by immoral means, yet hurts those who retain their integrity. This also brings in the concept that communal deterioration derives solely from individuals who abandon their morality to save their reputation.
Danforth: "In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other...we must rely on upon her [ the witch's] victims" (Miller 93) (During the trial where Mary Warren makes accusations about the other girls)
This quote represents the type of logic used in these witch trials. It exemplifies the ridiculousness of the whole" justice" system in place during the salem witch trial. To take nothing into account except the testimony of the so called "witch" and "victim" is completely unfair and bias against the "witch." Under this logic it is obvious why there were so many convicted "witches" in Salem; that is why I think this passage best represents Salems witchcraft tragedy.
Danforth: "...Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed, the names of these seven are given out and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part;..." (Miller 124) (Act IV, Hale trying to convince Danforth to pardon the accused.)
This quote demonstrates a major problem with the system. The accused were presumed guilty, not innocent. They were not given a chance to prove their innocence, the only way they could save themselves was to admit guilt. People were encouraged to confess even if there was no truth behind it. Also, Danforth is so worried about his reputation that he refuses to pardon anyone out of fear that it might show weakness on his part. If he postpones the executions of the accused, than people will begin to question the twelve people that were already hung. If it turns out that the witnesses lied, Danforth will have sentenced twelve innocent people to death, and he fears that.
Proctor: "... Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem." (after Cheever comes to the Proctor's house with a warrant for Elizabeth)
This quotation is representative of what's happening beneath the surface in Salem, and of a fundamental flaw in the judicial process. Once the accusations started, jealousy became a major motive in determining who was accused. For example, Abigail accused Elizabeth because Abigail wants to be Proctor's wife, and an accusation was a convenient method of getting Elizabeth out of the way. Parris wants to weaken Proctor because Proctor doesn't support his position as minister. Furthermore, this quotation shows that the court doesn't question Abigail or Parris's motives or the truth of their accusations. Instead of being presumed innocent until proven guilty, all accused are guilty until proven innocent, and the court is restrictive of any evidence that might prove innocence.
“Hale: Then you do not believe— Proctor: I have no knowledge of it; the Bible speaks of witches, and I will not deny them. Hale: And you, woman? Elizabeth: I—I cannot believe it. Hale, shocked: You cannot!”(Act 2)
Hale’s paranoia because of Elizabeth’s disbelief in witches demonstrates the prevalence of the belief in witchcraft. His reaction shows that the Puritans were afraid to reject the existence of witches because they were mentioned in the bible. That led the Puritans to believe in the witches more, to protect themselves from accusations of being witches. Witches were not merely a superstition or myth that people created to explain the unexplainable, but they were a part of their religion.Hale’s rejection of witches confirms her “weak faith” in God.
"Hale: This is a strange time, Mister. No man may longer doubt the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village. There is too much evidence now to deny it. You will agree, sir?" (When Proctor asks if Hale actually believes that Rebecca took part in witchcraft)
The belief that witchcraft is everywhere in Salem drives people to insanity and extreme paranoia. People accuse each other left and right of taking part in witchcraft, and it is almost impossible to prove one innocent without throwing another person under a bus. This conflict is the reason why the adolescents such as Abigail get away with blaming whomever they want, and why Proctor is forced to make a decision between accusing someone else who is innocent or dying for a crime he did not commit.
Danforth, after Proctor has just admitted to seeing the Devil: "You will not sign it? Proctor: You have all witnessed it; what more is needed?... Parris: Proctor, the village must have proof that- Proctor: Damn the village! I confess to God, and God has seen my name on this! It is enough!...God does not need my name nailed upon the church!" Later, John Proctor is hanged, and Danforth proclaims "Who weeps for these [Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor], weeps for corruption!" (131-134, Act 4). I found this section to be the book's lasting image of Salem's failure to recognize the contradiction between God and Law. While Danforth wants him to submit to the town's authority for their own self-assurance (to maintain the town's purity and unity), Proctor argues there is no ligitamite reason for him to sign an official paper. He fights against the legitamacy of the government to tell him what's right in order to redeem himself from God. In fact, Proctor is not redeemed of his fault just because it is a communal sin, therefor requiring him to abide by law. Rather, law takes the place of actual true morals - no one actually cares if Proctor actually submits to God, as long as he signs the papers. Ironically, Danforth says weeping for Proctor would only weep for corruption, when they had argued against corruption but for true morality under God. The epitome of the play is that communal sin, instead of playing the role to protect society from loss of integrity on Christian morals, has led to a society that relies too much on a government with corrupt morals.
Elizabeth: "The town's gone wild I think... Abigail brings the girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. And folks are brought before them, and if they scream and howl and fall to the floor- the person's clapped into jail for bewitchin' them... Its a fraud" (Miller 50, Act 2).
This quote not only epitomizes the witch situation in Salem, but it also addresses the the ludicrousness of the witch hysteria as well as the flawed legal system. This quote describes the immense paranoia of the Devil among the community. This fear makes the community vaunrable, making them more susceptible to believe an adolescense screaming accusations of basphemy. The community believes Abigail because they are just looking for a way to escape this fear. So they view Abigail as a saint wielding the remedy of the impiety that supposedly plagues the town, and hopefully reverts the community back to its formal glory. However, Elizabeth Proctor (as well as her husband who agrees with her) doesn't believe in the wide spread hype. In fact, they think the town has gone insane with this false hysteria. She believes that Abigail is manipulating the frightened people and flawed court systems, by accusing those of her choosing of witchcraft. All she has to do is preform a good show and feed the fear of the judges and the townspeople to place innocent people in jail. This idea essentially sums up the the entire theme and plot of the play.
At the end of Act One Abigail screams "I go back to Jesus. I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the devil. I saw Goody Osborn with the devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the devil." This passage and the last ten lines of Act One display the hysteria and lies at work in Salem. The increasing number of names parallels the increasing madness that will grip Salem as these girls influence grows. In addition this passage provides a portrait of the Salem tragedy because it displays the girls first realization of their own power. Abigial knows her act is convincing. Not only has she evaded punishment for her cavorting and misbehavior, but she has gained power and attention. This passage does not deal with the guilt or property greed that are essential themes of the story, yet these lines capture the feeling of crazed vehemence and exploitation that is at the core of the Salem Witch Trials.
In Act Four John Proctor, trying to figure out if he should “confess” about being in league with the devil, suddenly clasps his hands and asks; “God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?” (Miller 127). In this sentence Proctor is questioning his identity. Who is he? In an endogenous society where one is constantly watching over the acts of ones neighbors one looses site of who they are. Though this close knit church and covenant is slowly beginning to crack. Material things like competition for land, or even in Proctor’s case committing adultery, are starting to infiltrate the pious society. In times of turmoil one is forced to ask themselves who they are. This quote shows the shift in Salem as people are trying to figure out their identity for themselves.
In Act Three Danforth calls upon Abigail to ask her if she is really just faking it all or not (due to Proctor's claims). Abigail is offended by such a charged faced at her and responds angrily.
"DANFORTH, weakening: Child I do not mistrust you... ABIGAIL, in an open threat: Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it!"
In this brief occurrence Abigail threatens Danforth that he could be a 'witch' too. (Or really that she could just accuse him as one…) I think here Danforth actually realizes that she has the power to accuse him and pretty much seal his fate however she wants because she has the power. And, of course, Danforth ends up siding with her in the end. I believe he does this because of his fear to go against the majority, so nothing bad happens to him. I believe this is what happens throughout the Witch Trials. I believe many people realize the whole 'witch business' is really just a big lie. However, out of their fear they do nothing to stop it, thus adding fuel to the flames. I believe that this is why the Witch Trials were so crazy. The majority, out of their fear to deny what they no is wrong, just added fuel to the fire until it got out of control.
"Danforth: You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just" (119).
This quotation made me really, really angry, not just at Danforth but at Puritan society as a whole. Danforth makes his priorities very clear: the appearance of justice is much more important to him than actual justice. By modern standards, it is unjust to kill an innocent person. Yet in Puritan society, where one person's sin punishes the entire community, it is less important to save innocent people than it is to keep up the image of morality and honesty. Danforth would not admit that he made a mistake and took twelve lives for no reason, even if more lives depended on him telling the truth. The tragedy of the witch trials was how they escalated until they reached a point of no return. After the first hangings, anyone accused may as well have already been dead. There was clearly nothing anyone could do to stop the spread of rumors and hatred throughout Salem. The Puritan ideals of communal sin and profound guilt made certain that anyone accused of witchcraft would be punished, even if no one truly believed the accusations were true.
"Abigail: I used to weep for my sins when the wind lifted up my skirts; and blushed for shame because some old Rebecca called me loose. And then you burned my ignorance away.As bare as some December tree, I saw them all- walking like saints to church, running to feed the sick, and hypocrites in their hearts! And God gave me strength to call them liars, and God made men to listen to me, and by God I will scrub the world clean for the love of Him! Oh, John, I will make you such a wife when the world is white again!"
This quote, I feel, represents the Salem tragedy because it shows a prominent cause of the whole hysteria. Here, Abigail shows her jealousy for Rebecca, Proctor's wife. She, like many other girls, is afraid that as she grows older there will not be enough men for her to have a husband. Thus, the girls feel the need to rid their community of these women, making room for themselves. In addition to old rivalries between East and West and property, I feel this is a main cause of the Witch trials and is well portrayed by Miller in this quote.
Proctor: "I hear the boot of Luficer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face and yours Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this is fraud!"
This is at the end of Act III where Proctor is persecuted. He tries to use Mary Warren as proof that these trials are false accusations. But she breaks under the pressure, eventually leading Proctor to break as well.
The quote shows how the men of the court are basing it off of a group of girls' accounts. They show narrow minded views in the persecution of devil worshipers. Proctor speaks that the Devil lives within all who are in Salem not in the sense that they caused the trials, but rather that the trials released the devil like attitudes.
One quote that best describes the Salem tragedy is when Mr. Hale tries to convince Goody Proctor to save Proctor’s life. He says, “Life, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie.” This quote seems so important because this was the decision that all of the accused had to make. People could either lie and live, or they could tell the truth and die. However, many of the accused, such as Giles and Rebecca Nurse, refused to lie because they didn’t think they would earn salvation in the end. Also, they didn’t want to confess to witchcraft when they had done nothing of the sort. This quote describes the internal conflict that faces most of the characters in the book.
“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 133). I feel John Proctors quote is the single most powerful quote from the Crucible. While Proctor struggles with his identity and reputation, he refuses to sign away his name and his legacy. By not signing he takes a dramatic stand to end the hyteria in Salem. His actions defy the struggle between church and state as the Salem witch hunt was seen by some as a religous matter and by others as one the state needed to deal with.
HALE: Nonsense! Mister, I have myself examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and numerous others that have confessed to dealing with the Devil. They have confessed it.
PROCTOR: And why not, if they must hang for denyin' it? There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang; have you never thought of that?
This passage represents the hysteria and lack of standardization in the Puritan justice system durng the Salem witch trials. Accusations by the "bewitched" girls were brought to court, and a primary reason for the extensive number of hangings and imprisonments stemmed from the idea that if one confessed, they were indeed a witch, but if one denied, they were dead. It is an impossible situation, and clearly depicts the absolute madness of the entire incident.
PROCTOR: “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (he has just received the warrant – he will be going to court to testify against Abigail)
ReplyDeleteThis quotes ties in a lot of themes throughout the play, but most importantly touches on the fragility of Massachusetts’s Puritan society. Abigail can easily use the fragile court system against itself – and to her advantage – simply by lying and accusing others. The legal system is (in a sense) a paradox because it takes on a dual role: it responds positively to those who take advantage of it by immoral means, yet hurts those who retain their integrity. This also brings in the concept that communal deterioration derives solely from individuals who abandon their morality to save their reputation.
Danforth: "In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its nature, an invisible crime is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other...we must rely on upon her [ the witch's] victims" (Miller 93)
ReplyDelete(During the trial where Mary Warren makes accusations about the other girls)
This quote represents the type of logic used in these witch trials. It exemplifies the ridiculousness of the whole" justice" system in place during the salem witch trial. To take nothing into account except the testimony of the so called "witch" and "victim" is completely unfair and bias against the "witch." Under this logic it is obvious why there were so many convicted "witches" in Salem; that is why I think this passage best represents Salems witchcraft tragedy.
Danforth: "...Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed, the names of these seven are given out and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part;..." (Miller 124) (Act IV, Hale trying to convince Danforth to pardon the accused.)
ReplyDeleteThis quote demonstrates a major problem with the system. The accused were presumed guilty, not innocent. They were not given a chance to prove their innocence, the only way they could save themselves was to admit guilt. People were encouraged to confess even if there was no truth behind it. Also, Danforth is so worried about his reputation that he refuses to pardon anyone out of fear that it might show weakness on his part. If he postpones the executions of the accused, than people will begin to question the twelve people that were already hung. If it turns out that the witnesses lied, Danforth will have sentenced twelve innocent people to death, and he fears that.
Proctor: "... Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God's fingers? I'll tell you what's walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem." (after Cheever comes to the Proctor's house with a warrant for Elizabeth)
ReplyDeleteThis quotation is representative of what's happening beneath the surface in Salem, and of a fundamental flaw in the judicial process. Once the accusations started, jealousy became a major motive in determining who was accused. For example, Abigail accused Elizabeth because Abigail wants to be Proctor's wife, and an accusation was a convenient method of getting Elizabeth out of the way. Parris wants to weaken Proctor because Proctor doesn't support his position as minister. Furthermore, this quotation shows that the court doesn't question Abigail or Parris's motives or the truth of their accusations. Instead of being presumed innocent until proven guilty, all accused are guilty until proven innocent, and the court is restrictive of any evidence that might prove innocence.
“Hale: Then you do not believe—
ReplyDeleteProctor: I have no knowledge of it; the Bible speaks of witches, and I will not deny them.
Hale: And you, woman?
Elizabeth: I—I cannot believe it.
Hale, shocked: You cannot!”(Act 2)
Hale’s paranoia because of Elizabeth’s disbelief in witches demonstrates the prevalence of the belief in witchcraft. His reaction shows that the Puritans were afraid to reject the existence of witches because they were mentioned in the bible. That led the Puritans to believe in the witches more, to protect themselves from accusations of being witches. Witches were not merely a superstition or myth that people created to explain the unexplainable, but they were a part of their religion.Hale’s rejection of witches confirms her “weak faith” in God.
"Hale: This is a strange time, Mister. No man may longer doubt the powers of the dark are gathered in monstrous attack upon this village. There is too much evidence now to deny it. You will agree, sir?"
ReplyDelete(When Proctor asks if Hale actually believes that Rebecca took part in witchcraft)
The belief that witchcraft is everywhere in Salem drives people to insanity and extreme paranoia. People accuse each other left and right of taking part in witchcraft, and it is almost impossible to prove one innocent without throwing another person under a bus. This conflict is the reason why the adolescents such as Abigail get away with blaming whomever they want, and why Proctor is forced to make a decision between accusing someone else who is innocent or dying for a crime he did not commit.
Danforth, after Proctor has just admitted to seeing the Devil: "You will not sign it?
ReplyDeleteProctor: You have all witnessed it; what more is needed?...
Parris: Proctor, the village must have proof that-
Proctor: Damn the village! I confess to God, and God has seen my name on this! It is enough!...God does not need my name nailed upon the church!" Later, John Proctor is hanged, and Danforth proclaims "Who weeps for these [Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor], weeps for corruption!" (131-134, Act 4).
I found this section to be the book's lasting image of Salem's failure to recognize the contradiction between God and Law. While Danforth wants him to submit to the town's authority for their own self-assurance (to maintain the town's purity and unity), Proctor argues there is no ligitamite reason for him to sign an official paper. He fights against the legitamacy of the government to tell him what's right in order to redeem himself from God. In fact, Proctor is not redeemed of his fault just because it is a communal sin, therefor requiring him to abide by law. Rather, law takes the place of actual true morals - no one actually cares if Proctor actually submits to God, as long as he signs the papers. Ironically, Danforth says weeping for Proctor would only weep for corruption, when they had argued against corruption but for true morality under God. The epitome of the play is that communal sin, instead of playing the role to protect society from loss of integrity on Christian morals, has led to a society that relies too much on a government with corrupt morals.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth: "The town's gone wild I think... Abigail brings the girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. And folks are brought before them, and if they scream and howl and fall to the floor- the person's clapped into jail for bewitchin' them... Its a fraud" (Miller 50, Act 2).
ReplyDeleteThis quote not only epitomizes the witch situation in Salem, but it also addresses the the ludicrousness of the witch hysteria as well as the flawed legal system. This quote describes the immense paranoia of the Devil among the community. This fear makes the community vaunrable, making them more susceptible to believe an adolescense screaming accusations of basphemy. The community believes Abigail because they are just looking for a way to escape this fear. So they view Abigail as a saint wielding the remedy of the impiety that supposedly plagues the town, and hopefully reverts the community back to its formal glory. However, Elizabeth Proctor (as well as her husband who agrees with her) doesn't believe in the wide spread hype. In fact, they think the town has gone insane with this false hysteria. She believes that Abigail is manipulating the frightened people and flawed court systems, by accusing those of her choosing of witchcraft. All she has to do is preform a good show and feed the fear of the judges and the townspeople to place innocent people in jail. This idea essentially sums up the the entire theme and plot of the play.
At the end of Act One Abigail screams "I go back to Jesus. I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the devil. I saw Goody Osborn with the devil. I saw Bridget Bishop with the devil." This passage and the last ten lines of Act One display the hysteria and lies at work in Salem.
ReplyDeleteThe increasing number of names parallels the increasing madness that will grip Salem as these girls influence grows. In addition this passage provides a portrait of the Salem tragedy because it displays the girls first realization of their own power. Abigial knows her act is convincing. Not only has she evaded punishment for her cavorting and misbehavior, but she has gained power and attention.
This passage does not deal with the guilt or property greed that are essential themes of the story, yet these lines capture the feeling of crazed vehemence and exploitation that is at the core of the Salem Witch Trials.
In Act Four John Proctor, trying to figure out if he should “confess” about being in league with the devil, suddenly clasps his hands and asks; “God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?” (Miller 127). In this sentence Proctor is questioning his identity. Who is he? In an endogenous society where one is constantly watching over the acts of ones neighbors one looses site of who they are. Though this close knit church and covenant is slowly beginning to crack. Material things like competition for land, or even in Proctor’s case committing adultery, are starting to infiltrate the pious society. In times of turmoil one is forced to ask themselves who they are. This quote shows the shift in Salem as people are trying to figure out their identity for themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn Act Three Danforth calls upon Abigail to ask her if she is really just faking it all or not (due to Proctor's claims). Abigail is offended by such a charged faced at her and responds angrily.
ReplyDelete"DANFORTH, weakening: Child I do not mistrust you...
ABIGAIL, in an open threat: Let you beware, Mr. Danforth. Think you to be so mighty that the power of Hell may not turn your wits? Beware of it!"
In this brief occurrence Abigail threatens Danforth that he could be a 'witch' too. (Or really that she could just accuse him as one…) I think here Danforth actually realizes that she has the power to accuse him and pretty much seal his fate however she wants because she has the power. And, of course, Danforth ends up siding with her in the end. I believe he does this because of his fear to go against the majority, so nothing bad happens to him. I believe this is what happens throughout the Witch Trials. I believe many people realize the whole 'witch business' is really just a big lie. However, out of their fear they do nothing to stop it, thus adding fuel to the flames. I believe that this is why the Witch Trials were so crazy. The majority, out of their fear to deny what they no is wrong, just added fuel to the fire until it got out of control.
"Danforth: You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just" (119).
ReplyDeleteThis quotation made me really, really angry, not just at Danforth but at Puritan society as a whole. Danforth makes his priorities very clear: the appearance of justice is much more important to him than actual justice. By modern standards, it is unjust to kill an innocent person. Yet in Puritan society, where one person's sin punishes the entire community, it is less important to save innocent people than it is to keep up the image of morality and honesty. Danforth would not admit that he made a mistake and took twelve lives for no reason, even if more lives depended on him telling the truth. The tragedy of the witch trials was how they escalated until they reached a point of no return. After the first hangings, anyone accused may as well have already been dead. There was clearly nothing anyone could do to stop the spread of rumors and hatred throughout Salem. The Puritan ideals of communal sin and profound guilt made certain that anyone accused of witchcraft would be punished, even if no one truly believed the accusations were true.
"Abigail: I used to weep for my sins when the wind lifted up my skirts; and blushed for shame because some old Rebecca called me loose. And then you burned my ignorance away.As bare as some December tree, I saw them all- walking like saints to church, running to feed the sick, and hypocrites in their hearts! And God gave me strength to call them liars, and God made men to listen to me, and by God I will scrub the world clean for the love of Him! Oh, John, I will make you such a wife when the world is white again!"
ReplyDeleteThis quote, I feel, represents the Salem tragedy because it shows a prominent cause of the whole hysteria. Here, Abigail shows her jealousy for Rebecca, Proctor's wife. She, like many other girls, is afraid that as she grows older there will not be enough men for her to have a husband. Thus, the girls feel the need to rid their community of these women, making room for themselves. In addition to old rivalries between East and West and property, I feel this is a main cause of the Witch trials and is well portrayed by Miller in this quote.
Proctor: "I hear the boot of Luficer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face and yours Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this is fraud!"
ReplyDeleteThis is at the end of Act III where Proctor is persecuted. He tries to use Mary Warren as proof that these trials are false accusations. But she breaks under the pressure, eventually leading Proctor to break as well.
The quote shows how the men of the court are basing it off of a group of girls' accounts. They show narrow minded views in the persecution of devil worshipers. Proctor speaks that the Devil lives within all who are in Salem not in the sense that they caused the trials, but rather that the trials released the devil like attitudes.
One quote that best describes the Salem tragedy is when Mr. Hale tries to convince Goody Proctor to save Proctor’s life. He says, “Life, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie.” This quote seems so important because this was the decision that all of the accused had to make. People could either lie and live, or they could tell the truth and die. However, many of the accused, such as Giles and Rebecca Nurse, refused to lie because they didn’t think they would earn salvation in the end. Also, they didn’t want to confess to witchcraft when they had done nothing of the sort. This quote describes the internal conflict that faces most of the characters in the book.
ReplyDelete“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 133).
ReplyDeleteI feel John Proctors quote is the single most powerful quote from the Crucible. While Proctor struggles with his identity and reputation, he refuses to sign away his name and his legacy. By not signing he takes a dramatic stand to end the hyteria in Salem. His actions defy the struggle between church and state as the Salem witch hunt was seen by some as a religous matter and by others as one the state needed to deal with.
HALE: Nonsense! Mister, I have myself examined Tituba, Sarah Good, and numerous others that have confessed to dealing with the Devil. They have confessed it.
ReplyDeletePROCTOR: And why not, if they must hang for denyin' it? There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang; have you never thought of that?
This passage represents the hysteria and lack of standardization in the Puritan justice system durng the Salem witch trials. Accusations by the "bewitched" girls were brought to court, and a primary reason for the extensive number of hangings and imprisonments stemmed from the idea that if one confessed, they were indeed a witch, but if one denied, they were dead. It is an impossible situation, and clearly depicts the absolute madness of the entire incident.