Crucible Assignment

The Crucible

Act I

The first act begins with Reverend Parris praying over his daughter, Betty's, bed. From a conversation with Abigail, Parris learns and suspects that Abigail, Betty, and numerous other girls were involved with occult activities in the forest. Parris is frightened at this this thought thinking that this occurrence could be used against him and destroy his reputation. Later, John Hale arrives at Parris's house upon being sent for to take a look at Betty. John Hale, being an expert in the supernatural, questions Abigail on what exactly happened in the woods, Abigail immediately accuses Tituba (a slave from Barbados) of leading the ritual and making her drink chicken blood. Tituba being frightened, confesses her sins and accuses numerous others of committing witchcraft to save herself, seeing this, Abigail does the same to clear herself of all suspicion, and Betty miraculously goes into a trance and gives out numerous other names and stating that they were with the devil, "I saw Alice Barrow with the Devil!" (Miller, 48) "I saw Goody Bibber with the Devil!" (Miller, 48).

During the 1950s, US Senator Joseph McCarthy claimed that the state department was infiltrated by Communists. This ideology eventually developed into McCarthyism, McCarthyism is basically accusations of disloyalty, or treason without any regard for evidence, which is exactly what this is. In the 1950s they hunted Communists, in the 1600s they hunted witches, they are basically the same thing. In the play, so far only Abby, Tituba and Betty have accused others of siding with the devil with absolutely no evidence what so ever, throughout the play, there will be a lot more of these false accusations with absolutely no proof.


Act II

The second act follows the first act with an eight days time leap. It starts at the Proctor's house, John Proctor has just come home from planting and learns from his wife, Elizabeth that Marry Warren, the Proctor's servant, has gone to town to testify in court after he strictly told her not to leave the house and is enraged when he finds out and threatens to whip her. When Marry Warren comes back, she hands Goody Proctor (Elizabeth) a small ragged doll claiming it being a gift and as a threat, says, "We must all love each other now, Goody Proctor." (Miller, 56) John and Goody Proctor learns from Marry Warren that 39 people have been accused and arrested for witchcraft and that Goody Osburn has been sentenced to hang. They are shocked, and even more so when they learn that Elizabeth has been accused as well, but Marry Warren told her that the court dismissed it after Marry Warren denied seeing Elizabeth of committing witchcraft. After a while, John Hale comes to the house and sees if John Proctor knows all his commandments, John recalls all of them except for Adultery. In the middle of their conversation, Giles comes in and interrupts that Giles's wife as well as Rebecca Nurse have also been arrested, this shocks everyone in the room. A little while later, Ezekiel Cheever comes in stating that he has an arrest warrant for Elizabeth, and says that Abigail has been stabbed by a needle in the stomach and she claims that it was Elizabeth's spirit that did so. His suspicions are confirmed when he sees the poppet with a needle stuck in it and takes Elizabeth away.

In the past, men held all of the power of the household, women (the wife) had very little control of what went on much less the slaves and servants. In the second act, we see the irony that all the decisive power in Salem has been transferred to the girls like Abby and Marry Warren. From a logical standpoint, it would be crazy for a servant to threaten the man or woman of the household and to accuse someone of higher status. This was all made possible by the belief of witchcraft and Satan, in reality, it is the church that has doomed people to think this way.


Act III

The Third act begins in the court room, a case is presented to the court that the girls are fraud and are what they say to be. This is followed by a signed petition which is presented by John Proctor. Giles claims that he has a witness, but is unwilling to reveal the witness to protect him from being arrested, and as a result gets himself arrested for contempt of the court. Abigail and the girls lie and say that the statement is false. John Proctor finally snaps and confesses his relationship with Abigail. Elizabeth is called to the court to confirm John's confession, not knowing that John has confessed, she says no to protect her husbands name. Seeing that things are going bad, Abigail and the girls pretend that Marry Warren has bewitched them and causes her to panic, in the end, Marry Warren gives up and says that John Proctor is the Devils man and that he is the one that threatened her to turn against the other girls, this gets John Proctor arrested.

Here, we know for that the relationship between Elizabeth and John Proctor has much since improved compared to the beginning. Before, she would occasionally remind John of his sin, but now, when she is asked that is John a lecher, she replies, "No, sir." (Miller, 113) After that, we know that she has forgiven John Proctor and no longer blames him from her attempt to protect his name in court.


Act IV

The last act starts in prison where everyone who has not yet been executed are waiting to hang. Hale is disgusted by the courts decision and tries to convince Elizabeth to tell John Proctor to lie to save himself. After Elizabeth and John have talked, John says that he has decided to confess, he signs the paper and snatches it before it could be stowed away and claims, "I confess to God, God has seen my name on this! It is enough!" (Miller, 142) Without hard evidence, the court cannot pardon John, although he knows this, he chose the right thing to do, and that is to not lie even if he hangs for it.

The Crucible has the elements of a Parable, teaching a morale lesson with a short story. In the last moments of the decision between life and death, he chooses to keep his name given by God and not lie even if it might save his life. The moral would most likely be that even if we make mistakes throughout our lives, we can cleanse and purify ourselves by making what was wrong, right, and that is exactly what John Proctor did, although he lost his life, he chose to not lie in the presence of god and made right what was wrong.