The Crucible

Act 1
Summary act. 1
 Important terms
Important Terms:
- Allegory

- Hysteria
 Themes

Theocratic injustice
Person against person
 Discussion questions

- Why does Miller begin with several pages of background,

rather than immediately plunging into the action?
- In the ‘overture,’ Miller writes that the Salem tragedy
developed from a paradox. What is the paradox explored
in the play?

- Who is the protagonist of the story?

- Who is the antagonist, so far?
∗ How would you describe her?
 Paradox
A town that was conceived as a theocratic regime in the hopes
of maintaining unity and purity turned out to be the opposite
throughout the course of the trials. A town that prided itself
on moral notions of the good and spirituality that would
bring individuals together in the ultimate representation of
community turned out to be self interested, driven to
advance personalized and political agendas. A community
that professed to bring others into one unit could only
exclude and isolate others. This would also represent a
paradox.

(https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/crucible-by-arthur-miller-what-does-miller-mean-108681)
● Why isn’t it difficult for Ann Putnam to believe that Goody
Osborn is a witch?
● Why do Proctor and Rebecca speak out against Hale’s
coming? Why has Proctor set himself against Parris? How
does Rebecca’s departure affect those waiting at the
bedside?
● Why does Abigail accuse Tituba? Why does Hale believe
Abigail rather than Tituba? How does he lead Tituba into
naming names? Why do Abigail and Betty name names?
● Why does Hale believe the
Devil would strike Rev. Parris’s
house?
● Though Rev. Hale is trying to
get Tituba to name her
accomplices, who is the first
person to actually mention
names?
 Discussion questions p. 5 - 20
● What is Parris like? How does he feel about the
Parishioners?
● Why did Salem need a theocracy? Why had the settlers
begun to turn towards individualism?
● Why is Thomas Putnam willing to speak of witchcraft?
● Why does Abigail admit that Tituba and Ruth were
conjuring spirits?
● How does Abigail treat the other girls/her uncle?
 Discussion questions p. 20 - 25
● After Parris begins to believe his daughter to be
afflicted by witchcraft, what is Thomas Putnam’s advice
to him?
● What truths come out when the adults leave the girls
alone?
● What’s going on between Abigail and John Proctor?
● Why does Betty start screaming?
● Why are some people, including John Proctor, inclined
to stay away from Sabbath meeting?
∗ Describe the girls and their relationship to each other. Consider
why Miller uses the term “pointy reckoning” rather than more
direct language (p. 20).

∗ Consider Mrs. Putnam’s speech about her seven dead babies.

What is her fundamental motivation for seeking solace in the
idea of occult phenomena? Does this explanation make you feel
more compassion for Mrs. Putnam?
∗ Consider what Mrs. Putnam means when she says, “There are
wheels within wheels…and fires within fires” (p. 28). What is her
motivation for attacking Rebecca Nurse?
∗ Who is Rebecca Nurse? How would you characterize her?
∗ Note the passage where Parris incredulously discusses his
salary with Giles and Proctor. What does the passage
suggest about Parris and his relationship to his
parishioners? P. 28/29

∗ How does Tituba react when

∗ being questioned by Hale?
∗ Notice Abigail placing the blame on Tituba. Consider why
Tituba is a logical scapegoat.
∗ Consider the scene when Tituba changes her story. What
does this suggest will happen later in the play?
 Homework: Character study
Which characters have we met so far?

What do we know about these characters so far?

Collect quotes to support your answers.