THE CRUCIBLE

Act 1 Exam Review

Abigail Williams

Former servant for The Proctors Dismissed because she has an affair

with John Proctor Seventeen year old orphan whose

parents were killed by Native Americans

As a female and as an orphan, she has low standing in the community.

“Endless Capacity For Dissembling”

She is extremely deceptive She finds an alternative to the lack of love

and attention she receives by engaging in practices forbidden by the community. Dancing in the forest Affair with Proctor

We should always question her reliability We should search for a hidden motive in

her words

Abigail’s Dissembling

What she said to the adults as opposed to what she said when the adults were gone.

She encourages Parris to go pray with the people seemingly worried about his ministry, but she really just wants to get him out of the room.

She knows Betty will hear everything she says to John Proctor.

Why Does Abigail Admit to Dancing in the Forest?

She knows Parris saw them It is a lesser offense than witchcraft She hopes this will satisfy him and prevent

further questioning and/or an accusation of witchcraft

Abigail’s ‘Spotless’ Reputation

Claims there are no disparaging rumors about her character.

Was discharged from Goody Proctor’s service.

Goody Proctor rarely goes to church to avoid “sitting so close to something so soiled.”

No one else in the village will hire her.

Abigail's Character

Parris asks Abigail if her name is "entirely white" in the town.

He also asks her what Goody Proctor meant by referring to her as "soiled."

This suggests that Abigail may be participating in improper sexual activities behind her uncle's back.

The Three Sides of Abby Williams

With her uncle—feigns concern and righteous indignation

With the girls—domineering and cruel With Proctor—coy and seductive

Reverend Parris

Hypocritical: He uses the church to justify his demands for money.

Paranoid: he wonders if those who oppose him serve the devil, and he thinks Proctor is the leader of a plot.

Arrogant: He believes that church members must obey the pastor or chaos will ensue.

Sneaky: He observes the girls dancing in the forest

Why Does Rev. Parris Become So Upset at the Thought That Betty's Illness Is a Result of Unnatural Causes?

Rev. Parris sees himself as a man of God-- as the pastor of a theocratic village, he must.

Parris feels that the Devil should be attacking the town's nefarious residents, not its holiest citizen.

He fears this might be used to oust him as the minister of Salem.

What Negative Aspects of His Character Does This Reveal?

This reveals Rev. Parris' pride and arrogance.

He believes that his holiness will shield him from the Devil's attacks.

Rev. Parris refuses to acknowledge that he is fallible whereas in reality he is just as frail as any member of his congregation, if not more so.

Parris’ Character Revealed When Questioning Abigail

His ministry is at stake His reputation could be exposed to

suspicion Doesn’t want to be blind-sided with info

about her that others may have Fears that if people think there's

witchcraft in his household, he'll lose his position as minister of Salem.

Reverend Parris’ Change of Heart

Initially, he doesn’t believe there to be any witchcraft in Salem.

Putnam reminds him that he has taken Parris’ side in all contentious matters so far, but threatens to withdraw that support if Parris holds back in this matter.

Everyone is always questioning his actions—which he doesn’t like—so he says that he is beginning to wonder if that is the work of the devil.

“What victory would the Devil have to win a soul already bad? It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister?”

Betty Parris

Betty Parris is Reverend Parris' only child and Abigail Williams' cousin.

She entered this state the night before when her father caught her dancing with Abigail and a number of their friends.

She is under the influence of Abigail and is unable to consider the consequences of her actions.

Her accusations are made for the purpose of being accepted by Abigail and the older girls

Betty is embarrassed that she got caught doing something she knew she wasn’t supposed to be doing, and she is falling victim to peer pressure in order to solve problem.

REVEREND HALE

Believes that his authority resides in his books

Uses the power of suggestion in his questioning

An expert in the supernatural called to Salem to investigate the "witchcraft.“

Will not leave without finding what he is looking for, whether it exists or not.

GILES COREY

Giles Corey is a slow-- but ultimately honorable-- old man. Proctor treats him with familiar warmth. Even when they disagree the two men have a long-standing friendship that cannot be overlooked.

REBECCA NURSE

Rebecca is 72 years old and highly respected. Rebecca Nurse attributes Betty's condition to normal

childhood silliness. Children do strange things at one time or another--

usually to attract attention-- and will eventually tire of it and stop.

Her opinion should be respected even more than that of Hale, because while Hale knows books, he does not know children.

Rebecca Nurse has raised eleven children and knows more about them than anyone else in the community – this elicits jealousy from Ann Putnam.

THE PUTNAMS

Putnam is so concerned about the land he considers his and the materials on it he is willing to enter a physical confrontation.

Thomas Putnam acts out of personal vengeance. He is angry that his candidate for minister was not chosen and sees this as the ideal opportunity for retribution.

There has been a long-standing dispute between the Putnams and the Nurses over land.

Mrs. Putnam is upset over the death of seven of her eight children and someone/something to blame.

FYI Miller indicated that he considers Thomas

Putnam one of the play’s principal villains. He notes that Putnam was vindictive, with many

grievances against his neighbors. He had numerous complaints involving disputes over ownership of land.

Putnam seems to have played a key role in the accusations of witchcraft. Some historians have concluded that the real Thomas Putnam used accusations of witchcraft as an excuse to gain land.

Reasons The Putnams Believe the Girls and Tituba Are Involved in Witchcraft.

Their babies were murdered Ruth was close to conjuring up their

spirits. Some power of darkness struck her

dumb. A murdering witch is hiding among the

people.

When the Adults Are Gone …

Abigail becomes the dominant personality, telling the other girls what to say, threatening them and insinuating her capacity for violence if they betray her.

Betty responds when adults are out of the room Betty knows that Abigail did not reveal everything

about that night in the forest (drinking a charm to kill Goody Proctor)

In the conversation between Mercy Lewis, Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, and Mary Warren, the audience learns:

Abigail drank a blood charm to kill Elizabeth Proctor.

Abigail has the power of authority over the other girls.

The girls do not truly believe in witchcraft. The girls' plan to cover up their actions

ABIGAIL THREATENS THE GIRLS

The girls' plan to cover up their actions. They do not truly believe in witchcraft. Abigail drank a blood charm, but no

one saw the Devil or signed his book. Abigail has the power of authority. The girls will submit to her will and

value her opinion. They have no doubt that Abigail will

follow through with her threats.

The attitude of Giles Corey and the others gathered at the Parris’s home reflects that

the longing for a display of the paranormal is partially due to the strict rules of Puritanism.

the rumors of witchcraft are new and exciting and are a welcome break from the usual routine.

they have all heard claims of the supernatural and want to see it for themselves.

THE ACCUSATIONS

Abigail directs Hale to Tituba in order to the draw any suspicion away from herself.

it allows Abigail to seek the revenge and gain the attention she craves.

It allows Betty and Ruth to be accepted by Abigail and the older girls.

It allows them to get away with their behavior in the woods.

It gives them the attention they all crave.

How Does Miller Use Names To Imply Relationships?

The other girls say Mr. Proctor; Abigail calls him John.

Her uncle always calls her Abigail; Proctor calls her Abby.

This use of language suggests an intimacy borne out in the flirtatious exchange of this act.

John Proctor and Abigail Williams

He reached for her … for what purpose? “Wipe it out of mind” – pretend nothing ever

happened or to forget about anything ever happening

“We never touched” – Physically? Spiritually? Denial?

He doesn’t deny looking up at her window – Does this show lust or concern?

Who’s exaggerating? I am waitin’ for you every night I haven’t stepped off this farm in seven months.

Is Proctor merely guilty of flirting or something more?

FYI

Puritans believed that you did not have to actually commit the act to be guilty of it.

They thought that if you lusted in your heart, it was the same thing as committing adultery.

John Proctor could have considered himself guilty of cheating on his wife without ever having physically touched Abby.

THE CONFLICTS

Abby and Elizabeth Proctor Goody Proctor fired her. Abigail is infatuated with John Proctor and believes he loves

her. Mrs. Proctor’s death would clear the way for marriage

between them. Abby and John Proctor

He denies he gave her any reason to hope for anything between them.

She thinks she loves him and wants to be his wife. John Proctor and Reverend Parris

Demands the deed to his house Wastes the church money on extravagant furnishings Preaches hellfire and damnation without mentioning God’s

name

THE CONFLICTS

The Putnam's and the Nurse’s The Nurses own land that the Putnam’s covet Rebecca Nurse has never lost a child nor

grandchild, while Mrs. Putnam has lost all but one of her children

The Nurses opposed the Putnam’s choice for a minister

Reputation v. Integrity Proctors, Nurses, and Corys Parris, Putnams, and Abigail Williams

Gossip

Rev. Parris tells Abigail that he heard it said that Goody Proctor doesn’t go to church as often as she used to because she doesn’t want to sit next to something soiled.

Goody Putnam says she heard Betty flew over Ingersoll’s barn.

Abigail has been out of work for seven months, and no one will hire her which probably means people are speculating about why the Proctor’s fired her.

Goody Putnam tells everyone that Rev. Hale discovered a witch in Beverly last year.

Mr. Putnam says there are children dying in the village.

Irony

Rev Parris says “I don’t preach for the little children. It isn’t the children who are unmindful of their obligations toward this ministry.” He doesn’t think the children are important enough to be instructed and yet it’s the children who start the cries of witchcraft.

The audience knows the children are faking their illness, but some of the characters do not know.

Rev. Hale said the devil can’t overcome a minister, and yet Rev. Parris is evil.

Rev. Hale said Tituba was an instrument for saving the village, but she was really used to accuse innocent people.

“The Salem folk believed that the virgin forest was the Devil’s last preserve, his home base and the citadel of his final stand. To the best of their knowledge the American forest was the last place on earth that was not paying homage to God.”

Salem responds in horror to learn that the girls had been dancing in the forest.

Puritans believed forest was a wild, dark place—the abode of heathens and evil spirits.

The forest represents all that makes their community vulnerable to physical and spiritual attack.

Function of the Forest at Night

Practical -- makes sense that the girls would sneak into the forest at night so they wouldn’t be observed dancing.

Atmospheric — Salem in 1692 would be like a frontier outpost. Puritan inhabitants believed forest was a wild, dark place — the abode of heathens and evil spirits.

Figurative — represents all that makes their community vulnerable to physical and spiritual attack.

“I have heard it said, and I tell you as I heard it, the she comes so rarely to church this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled.” Abigail attacks Goody Proctor’s

character but does not deny Parris’s remark.

Elizabeth Proctor rarely goes to church because of her hatred for Abigail.

Parris feels Abigail’s lies may compromise his characters and put his ministry at stake.

“What victory would the Devil have to win a soul already bad? It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than a minister?”

Hale makes the assumption that the minister must be the best person in the village.

Ironically, the facts show that Parris is not a good man.

Foreshadows the eventual charges against respectable citizens.

“I think she’ll wake when she tires of it. A child’s spirit is like a child, you can never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and, for love, it will soon itself come back.” Rebecca is evidently an experienced maternal

figure and does not jump to the assumption that witchcraft is the cause of Betty’s illness.

Rebecca knows that all children do strange things at one time or another – usually to attract attention – and will eventually tire of it and stop.

Rebecca’s opinion should be respected more than that of Hale because it is easy to see that what little time he has spent with children has been in the context of witchcraft.

Explicate the following:

“He say Mister Parris must be kill! Mister Parris no goodly man, Mister Parris mean man and no gentle man, and he bid me rise out of my bed and cut your throat! I tell him, “No! I don’t hate that man! I don’t want kill that man!” But he say, “You work for me, Tituba, and I make you free! I give you pretty dress to wear, and put you way high up in the air and you gone fly back to Barbados!” And I say, “You lie, Devil, you lie!” And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, “Look! I have white people belong to me.” And I look…And there was Goody Good."