Purchasing Themes can be expressed in many different ways. Since 1692 a great but superficial change has wiped out God's beard and the Devil's horns, but the world is still gripped between two diametrically opposed absolutes. Abigail distracts the judges from any rational investigation in this act by playing into this hysteria. She puts on a fake front to get what she wants, ultimately creating a persona thats even worse than that of the hypocrites she criticizes. In the case of a play like The Crucible, themes are revealed mainly through the dialogue of the characters. It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister." We have listed the best ones for you here. The Salem witch trials empowered several characters in the play who were previously marginalized in Salem society. In Act 2, John Proctors guilt over his affair with Abigail is demonstrated through an ironic exchange with Reverend Hale. Now, by God's grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it. references the many sentencing decisions he has already made in the trials of the accused. Armed with the false proof of these coerced confessions, the court officials aggressively persecute anyone who is accused. Renew your subscription to regain access to all of our exclusive, ad-free study tools. While I speak Gods law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering (pg. John finally comes to the realization that Mary's truthful testimony cannot compete with the hysteria that has taken hold of the court. Many people confess when threatened with execution, and this only heightens the paranoid atmosphere. Is reputation more important than truth? He appears to have no governing system of morality. Please wait while we process your payment. When Abigail accuses Elizabeth, a respected farmers wife, it shows that she is willing to take big risks to remove Elizabeth from the picture. This vicious cycle continues to claim the lives of more and more people as the play progresses. The overall message is that when a person's actions are driven by desires to preserve favorable public opinion rather than do the morally right thing, there can be extremely dire consequences. (Elizabeth, Act 4, p. 134). Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? on 50-99 accounts. This attitude comes from a man who has shown no remorse for condemning people to death throughout the play. Hale tries to combat his guilt by persuading the prisoners to confess, refusing to accept that the damage has already been done. in to her past affair with him. Some of the most important Crucible quotes relate to these ideas. The final major theme is that of the power of society and authority in Puritan Salem. When she cant get John to abandon Elizabeth for her, she decides to take matters into her own hands and gain control through manipulating the fears of others. 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 be fraudGod damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together! And you know I can do it; I saw Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine, and I have seen some reddish work done at night, and I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!" He walks as though toward a great horror, facing the open sky. This act also sees the irony of Hale discussing the powers of the dark that are attacking Salem (pg. How is the arrest of Rebecca Nurse a sign that the hysteria in Salem has gotten out of control? This includes not only accusatory lies about the involvement of others in witchcraft but also the lies that people consistently tell about their own virtuousness and purity in such a repressive society. Look no further! (Act 1, p. 12). How does Parris pride prevent him from doing anything to stop the progression of events in the play? (Act 2, p. 59). 71). The Crucible Power Analysis. Here are a few discussion questions to consider after you've read my summary of how the theme of reputation motivates characters and plot developments in The Crucible: If you're an old beggar woman who sometimes takes shelter in this creepy shack, you better believe these jerks are gonna turn on you as soon as anyone says the word "witch.". Why is everyone so quick to believe Abigails story? It is an invisible craft, evidence is hard to consider. Try your hand at explaining why each one is ironic and analyzing the difference between what the character mean when she said the quote and the hidden meaning. to her, he is desperately trying to put the incident behind him. They are all in the meeting room at court. I beg you, sir, I beg you - see her what she isShe thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! Now we cannot hope the witch will accuse herself; granted? Reverend Samuel Parris plays an important role in . Download it for free now: hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '688715d6-bf92-47d7-8526-4c53d1f5fe7d', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '03a85984-6dfd-4a19-93c8-5f46091f5e2b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Mrs. Putnam intends her exclamation to refer to the fact that there are witchy plots afoot, but it holds true even outside of that context things are not what they seem in Salem, and there are complex cause-and-effect chains. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Let us know whats wrong with this preview of, Until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven., Because it is my name! Proctor, a score of people have already testified they saw [Rebecca Nurse] with the Devil (pg.
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