L5 - HE Crucible III

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HSC Common Module: The Crucible
HSC: Common Module (Texts

and Human Experiences)
Lesson 5: The Crucible {iii)
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Delta Specialist Education 1

Introduction
Last week we covered the second act of The Crucible, with a focus on the internal
struggle of John Proctor and its links to human experiences of guilt, transgression
and hypocrisy. In this lesson, we will revise some of the themes from last week's
analysis and then move on to analysing Act III while continuing our evaluation of
human experiences and the dramatic and literary techniques Miller uses to convey
them.
Revision
These Delta books are yours to keep and use throughout Year 12, but please look Answer the questions that follow quoting liberally from the text.
after them carefully as they take a substantial amount of time, resources and effort
ing to this lost or damaged books will incur a compulsory $110 Discuss how Miller's text offers enduring insight into the psychological weight
to prepare. Ow ,
of guilt.
replacement fee.
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2 Delta Specialist Education 3

Delta Specialist Education
HSC Common Module: The Crucible HSC Common Module: The Crucible
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Is the conservatism that affects Miller's McCarthyist context the same as that however; you must be sure to fmd a related text that develops, subverts, or
otherwise reflects similar ideas.
of the Salem context represented in the text? What enduring human tendency
is realised through this similarity? Forgiveness
• There is an evident strain between Elizabeth and Proctor following his affair,
seen through both their physical and emotional distance from each other. Yet
there are signs that their relationship can be mended, with Elizabeth willing
to forgive her husband. However, Proctor first has to forgive himself. It is his
own dwelling on the past that is the main obstacle to their reconciliation (see
Guilt).
Guilt
• While Elizabeth prompts Proctor to expose Abigail as a fraud he hesitates,
betraying a sense of inaction and passivity. We see that Proctor is trapped by
his own guilt over the affair, manifesting as a reluctance to confront Abigail.
• Throughout Act 2, we see Proctor become defensive with his wife. He conveys
a sense of victimisation and judgment, blaming Elizabeth for being cold and
unforgiving. However, as Elizabeth astutely points out, the seemingly
omniscient judge that Proctor is attacked by is none other than himself, a
projection of his internal guilt.
,r------, Power
'
• The shifting of power within Salem in Act 2 is best seen through Mary
Warren. As Elizabeth states, "It is a mouse no more. I forbid her go, and she
Human experiences in Act II
raises up her chin like the daughter of a prince... " Once at the mercy of her
As we did last week, we reflect briefly on the prominent human experiences elders, Mary's role as an accuser of witches has elevated her to a status
represented in the previous act we studied. similar to royalty in Salem. Mary Warren has been given a new sense of her
own power through the value placed on her testimony in court.
Remember, the material recorded below should guide your thematic decisions in an
essay, each of these is more than substantial to write a body paragraph on -
Delta Specialist Education 4 Delta Specialist Education 5

Hysteria
Giles also tells the judges that an 'honest man' heard Putnam admit that he had
• We learn through Act 2 that much has changed in Salem behind the scenes,
accused one of the townspeople of witchcraft so he could gain his land. Hathorne
representative of how rumours and suspicion often breed insidiously in the
demands that Giles provide the name of his informant but he refuses and is
background before their consequences come to light.
threatened with arrest for contempt of court. Giles loses his temper and tries to
• The arrest of people such as Rebecca nurse has shaken the foundations of attack Putnam but Proctor calms him down, saying that he will prove their cause.
Salem and is a sign that the hysteria has reached catastrophic levels. This
foreshadows a foreseeable collapse of the society's foundations. Proctor tells the judges that Mary and the other girls lied about being attacked by
spirits. Hale pleads with Danforth to allow Proctor a lawyer to help argue his defense
• As Proctor explains, "the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the
but Danforth declines this as unnecessary. He reads Mary's statement and questions
kingdom". Chaos is descending upon Salem and Abigail's vengeance has
her about it. She insists that the girls were lying before beginning to cry. The other
taken a life of its own in self-perpetuating hysteria.
girls, including Abigail, are brought into the court. Abigail denies Mary's
accusations. Proctor insists that Abigail is not the child she seems and he reveals
Act Ill - synopsis
that she led the girls to dance in the woods. Danforth is unsettled by this.
In court, Judge Hathorne interrogates Martha Corey about her involvement in

witchcraft, which she denies. Giles Corey storms into the court and shouts out that Hathorne asks Mary to prove that she pretended to faint on previous accusations by
he has evidence in support of his wife. Hale attempts to aid his defense but Judge pretending to faint again. However Mary is unable to do it, throwing doubt on her
Danforth tells Giles he must submit his evidence in an affidavit following proper testimony. Abigail and the other girls start to shiver and claim that Mary is freezing
court procedures. He orders him to leave the court. them. Mary pleads with Abigail to stop. Proctor jumps at Abigail and calls her a
whore, before admitting his affair with Abigail to the court.
Francis Nurse enters the court and pleads that they be heard. He says that the girls
are frauds. Proctor enters with a frightened Mary who tells Danforth that she and Danforth and the others are horrified. Abigail denies the accusations. Elizabeth is
the other girls were lying about the witchcraft. Parris insists that Proctor is trying to brought in to question whether the claim is true. While Proctor and Abigail are
overthrow the court however Proctor claims that he is only trying to free his wife. ordered to keep their backs turned from her, Elizabeth is questioned about Proctor's
Danforth then informs Proctor that his wife is pregnant and will thus not hang for at affair and she lies to uphold his reputation. Danforth dismisses her and decides
least a year. Proctor is surprised but says he cannot give up his fight as his friends' Proctor is lying. Hale argues with Danforth, saying that he believes Proctor. Abigail
wives are still condemned. He presents a document signed by 91 people vouching for suddenly points to a 'bird' on the rafters and the girls start screaming and begging
the good character of Rebecca, Martha and Elizabeth, claiming they have never seen Mary not hurt them. Mary becomes hysterical and accuses Proctor of being a witch.
them involved in witchcraft. Parris insists that all these people be arrested for Danforth orders his arrest and Proctor yells that they will both be damned. Hale
questioning and Danforth orders their arrest. angrily quits the court.

• How does the balance of power change throughout this Act?'

Questions to consider upon analysis
• What psychological elements of hysteria are we introduced to?
Textual issues
• What is the significance of Proctor choosing to sacrifice his reputation? In
• Evaluate Miller's description of the physical properties of the courtroom. what ways are the events of this Act cathartic for him?
What specific details make the room "forbidding"?

Textual analysis
• The end of Act III is often a climax or turning point in a play (Shakespeare
The vestry room of the Salem meeting house, now serving as the anteroom of the
plays, for instance). How is the end of Act III a turning point in The Crucible?
General Court. As the curtain rises, the room is empty, but for sunlight pouring
• What various techniques does Miller use to achieve heightened drama at the through two high windows in the back wall. The room is solemn, even
end of Act III? forbidding. Heavy beams jut out, boards of random widths make up the walls. At
the right are two doors leading into the meeting house proper, where the court is
• There are various types of logical, ethical and emotional fallacies, including:
being held. At the left another door leads outside. There is a plain bench at the left,
o Circular reasoning - when the conclusion of an argument is used as a and another at the right. In the center a rather long meeting table, with stools and a
premise of that same argument.
considerable armchair snugged up to it. Through the partitioning wall at the right
o Appeal to fear - frightening people into agreeing by predicting we hear a prosecutor's voice, Judge Hathorne's, asking a question; then a woman's
unrealistically dire consequences. voice, Martha Corey's, replying.
o Either/Or Choices - reducing a complicated issue to only two possible

• Act 3 opens in a vestry room serving as courtroom, reinforcing that the
courses of action.
church and law are inseparable in Salem (NB: a vestry room is a building
o Argumentum Ad Hominem - attacking a person's character rather attached to a church, used for church meetings). Again, Miller evokes a
than the person's reasoning. conservative, forbidding atmosphere (Refer to Lesson 1 material on Miller's
Try to find examples of these throughout the Act and the effect of their use. use of lighting and closed spaces). The 'sunlight pouring' through the high
How does Miller show the suspension of logic and evidence in favor of windows suggests hope; however, the height of the windows implies that this
ignorance and paranoia? hope is beyond the reach of those who are about to enter the courtroom.
Ideas - Human experiences HATHORNE'S VOICE: Now, Martha Corey, there is abundant evidence in our
hands to show that you have given yourself to the reading of fortunes. Do you deny
• How do we get a sense of the court's intolerance of dissent and the black and
it?
white nature of their viewpoint?

such an act may be. Even for those who would in any ~ase support the
MARTHA COREY'S VOICE: I am innocent to a witch. I know not what a witch is. treatment of suspected Communists, the fact that they were acting upon
impulse rather than educated reason severely jeopardises the integrity of the
HATHORNE'S VOICE: How do you know, then, that you are not a witch? entire judicial process.
MARTHA COREY'S VOICE: If I were, I would know it.

FRANCIS: We are desperate, sir; we come here three days now and cannot be heard.
HATHORNE'S VOICE: Why do you hurt these children?

DANFORTH: Who is this man?
MARTHA COREY'S VOICE: I do not hurt them. I scorn it!

FRANCIS: Francis Nurse, Your Excellency.
• Miller introduces Judge Hathorne as a slightly ridiculous character with a

HALE: His wife's Rebecca that were condemned this morning.
mistakenly confident belief in his own intellect. He may be seen as providing
some comic relief in an otherwise bleak Act. Throughout the Act we see him
DANFORTH: Indeed! I am amazed to find you in such uproar. I have only good
repeatedly rely on logical fallacies to present weak arguments that have no
report of your character, Mr. Nurse.
weight. Despite the apparent existence of "abundant evidence", he uses
circular reasoning in an attempt to entrap Martha into a confession. He
HATHORNE: I think they must both be arrested in contempt, sir.
repeatedly calls out people for 'contempt of court' without provocation,
representative of the town's intolerance towards even the hint of dissent. The
DANFORTH, to Francis: Let you write your plea, and in due time I will-
townspeople now regard anyone who does not conform exactly to the laws of
Salem as a potential witch. Fear and automatic suspicion replace reason.
FRANCIS: Excellency, we have proof for your eyes; God forbid you shut them to it.
• Moreover, it is important to note that Miller opens this Act with voiceovers - The girls, sir, the girls are frauds.
we cannot see the proceedings, only hear them. This contributes to the sense
of secrecy as well as coercion governing the witch trials. The responder
DANFORTH: What's that?
remains ignorant as to the physical reality of the event just as the
townspeople of Salem are ignorant to the realistic consequences of their
• This exchange highlights the tendency of Salem's authority to hear only what
actions. It also perhaps speaks to the ignorance of the American public during
serves their interests best. While Abigail and the girls were taken seriously
the Second Red Scare - those who accused their fellow citizens for
almost immediately - they were not cross-examined or doubted - those who
Communism were often not fully aware, if at all, what the consequences for

speak against them, such as Francis, aren't even being heard. This point is • We see Danforth's inflated sense of self-importance stemming i;om the number
humorously brought home when Francis claims "the girls are frauds" to which of people he has 'successfully' sentenced. Danforth here employs the logical
Danforth's immediate reply is "Whats that?" The judges are portrayed as both fallacy known as the 'argument from authority': an attempted syllogism that
metaphorically and physically 'dear to any evidence contrary to the relies upon the supposed authority of an individual to validate a claim, taking
witchcraft accusations. Thus Miller shows how one individual's voice is easily the form:
drowned out by the crowd's cry.
A is an authority on a particular topic
• We also see Danforth repeat "Who is this?" several times throughout the Act, A says something about that topic
A is probably correct
regarding Francis, Giles and Proctor. These are well-known and respected
people in Salem, and Danforth's ignorance conveys that he is out of tune with
• This logical progression is however inherently fallacious as it does not
the people of the town and the tensions that may exist there, yet he still feels
account for the susceptibility of that authority to error, bias, dishonesty or
he is in a position to convict them. As the number of arrests increases, the
groupthink.
court shows no mercy and refuses to acknowledge the idea that the accusers
may have hidden agendas.
• Danforth attempts to argue his infallibility on the grounds of his past judicial
experience and merit. However, his argument ignores the fact that all past
'seventy-two' judgments themselves were perhaps erroneous or at least
HATHORNE: This is contempt, sir, contempt!
founded in an irrelevant, immoral form of logic. Miller suggests that although
Danforth has much judicial experience, this experience itself is invalid given
DANFORTH: Peace, Judge Hathorne. Do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse?
the nature of his irrationality and ignorance to reason. The same can be
applied to the judicial proceedings of McCarthy era America - with the
FRANCIS: I surely do, sir, and I think you must be a wise judge to be what you are.
arrests and convictions of many Communist suspects justified by the past
merits of established authority figures.
DANFORTH: And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from
Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature?
• The constant use of imperatives suggests that Danforth likes to keep order
and control. The workings of the court concern him more than the actual
FRANCIS: I -
individuals participating in the proceedings. His evident boasting also seems
at odds with Puritan ideals. Danf~rth is supposed to be doing the 'work of
DANFORTH: And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?
God' yet keeps referring back to "his signature", using synecdoche to refer to
the court proceedings. Danforth sees himself as synonymous with the court

--,------
and law, holding it in his hands, yet another character blinded by the lure of
power. DANFORTH: I pray you, Mr. Parris. Do you know, Mr. Proctor, that the entire
contention of the state in these trials is that the voice of Heaven is speaking through
• Interestingly, Hathorne and Danforth act as both foils and mirrors to each
the children?
other. Both embody the prejudice and intolerance of the witch trials but while
Hathome's constant cries of "contempt!" and reliance on logical fallacies are
PROCTOR: I know that, sir.
a manifestation of the overt fear-mongering and hysteria in Salem, Danforth
represents the more implicit and hidden prejudice driving the corrupt legal
DANFORTH, thinks, staring at Proctor, then turns to Mary Warren: And you, Mary
system that pretends to be fair on the surface. He puts up a pretense of
Warren, how came you to cry out people for sending their spirits against you?
hearing the evidence and allowing a fair trial, yet selectively decides which
evidence to accept.
MARY WARREN: It were pretense, sir.
DANFORTH: Who is this? DANFORTH: I cannot hear you.

• Parris becomes more and more unbalanced as the play progresses in keeping
PROCTOR: John Proctor, sir. Elizabeth Proctor is my wife. with his growing paranoia surrounding the security of his position in Salem.
Before Proctor can speak, Parris tries to discredit him with an ad hominem
PARRIS: Beware this man, Your Excellency, this man is mischief. attack that metaphorically likens him as the embodiment of "mischief', thus
casting his arguments into doubt before they can be presented. We see also
HALE, excitedly: I think you must hear the girl, sir, she- his almost fanatical fear-mongering and his belief that Proctor, and other
members of Salem, are plotting to "overthrow the court".
DANFORTH, who has become very interested in Mary Warren and only raises a hand • Such a line regarding the children might seem humorous to a modem
toward Hale: Peace. What would you tell us, Mary Warren? audience, with Danforth explicitly confessing without shame that the
proceedings are founded upon the evidence of 'bewitched' children. It is a
Proctor looks at her, but she cannot speak. defence justified only by a steadfast belief in the supernatural and a rejection
of reason and logic. Thus Miller recognises the complexity and self-
PROCTOR: She never saw no spirits, sir. perpetuating hypocrisy of a court founded in illogic from its commencement.
It is also one that asserts the innate innocence of a child, elevating them to a
DANFORTH, with great alarm and surprise, to Mary: Never saw no spirits! level of infallibility that obstructs the fair pursuit of justice.
• Again, while Danforth adopts an outward appearance of fairness and
PARRIS: They've come to overthrow the court, sir! This man is- proposes to listen to Mary, subconsciously he 'hears' only what will preserve

his reputation and that of the court. Anything that casts doubt on the court, hypocrisy that underpins the Salem witch trials - that in 'a bid to avoid
and thus on the judges, is immediately under scrutiny. While Danforth's eternal damnation the citizens of Salem descend to modes of behaviour
depicted old age may explain some of this 'selective hearing', it is symbolic fundamentally anti-Christian in nature. This resonates with the hypocrisies
of the wider internalised biases and prejudices that define Salem. underpinning McCarthyism in post-war America. Indeed, in a nation founded
on libertarianism and the equality of the individual, in order to protect the
nature from totalitarian infiltration, the State begins to take on distinctly
PARRIS, in a sweat: Excellency, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be totalitarian qualities - including the limitation of personal liberties such as
spread in open court! the freedom of speech and association.
DANFORTH: Indeed not, but it strike hard upon me that she will dare come here
with such a tale. Now, Mr. Proctor, before I decide whether I shall hear you or not, DANFORTH: I judge nothing. Pause. He keeps watching Proctor, who tries to meet
it is my duty to tell you this. We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all his gaze. I tell you straight, Mister--! have seen marvels in this court. I have seen
concealment. people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and
slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that
PROCTOR: I know that, sir. the children may be deceiving me. Do you understand my meaning?
PROCTOR: Excellency, does it not strike upon you that so many of these women
• Danforth's statement defines The Crucible: have lived so long with such upright reputation, and-
o "We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment."

PARRIS: Do you read the Gospel, Mr. Proctor?
• Danforth mistakenly and ironically believes in the power of the court to
uncover the truth. However, his words hold more weight when considered in PROCTOR: I read the Gospel.
the context of the play as a whole. The symbolic 'crucible' generated by the
heat of the witchcraft trials and accusations has indeed melted down all PARRIS: I think not, or you should surely know that Cain were an upright man,
'concealment'; the audience has been exposed to the lies, motivations and and yet he did kill Abel.
hidden agendas festering behind the scenes and the true value of each
individual has come to light when they are placed in these trying PROCTOR: Aye, God tells us that. To Danforth: But who tells us Rebecca Nurse
circumstances. murdered seven babies by sending out her spirit on them? It is the children only,
• His metaphor is also eerily reminiscent of a Calvinistic conceptualisation of and this one will swear she lied to you.
Hell - with fire and melting. Through this metaphor, Miller is exposing the
Delta Specialist Education Delta Specialist Education 17

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• Danforth is tyrannical and domineering, his repeated use of personal

pronouns highlighting the emphasis he places on himself and his PROCTOR: I-I think I cannot.
interpretation of the evidence, a literal embodiment of taking the law 'into

one's own hands'. DANFORTH, now an almost imperceptible hardness in his voice: Then your purpose
is somewhat larger.
• Parris' misplaced biblical analogy once again captures Salem's hypocrisy

when it comes to living by the word of God, rather than drawing on it when it PARRIS: He's come to overthrow this court, Your Honor!
serves their interests. Proctor's use of hypophora (NB: hypophora is a figure

of speech in which the speaker poses a question and then answers the question) PROCTOR: These are my friends. Their wives are also accused-
allows him to capture the court's attention for the first time, a turning point
in this Act. Unlike the others, Proctor forgoes analogies and hyperbole in DANFORTH, with a sudden briskness of manner: I judge you not, sir. I am ready to
favour of making his point simply and logically: when and on what basis hear your evidence.
was it decided that the children, and their testimony, were infallible?
• Danforth repeats his ironic claim that he does not "judge" from earlier, again
capturing his inflated sense of his own fairness and infallibility, which
ultimately dooms the falsely accused.
PROCTOR: But if she say she is pregnant, then she must be! That woman will never
lie, Mr. Danforth.
• More importantly in this exchange we see Proctor fully begin to embrace his
role as the 'hero', an everyday man struggling against impossible forces -
DANFORTH: She will not?
corruption, the authorities and the hypocrisy. He is representative not of one
man's fight, but everyone's, as he fights not only for his own dignity and his
PROCTOR: Never, sir, never.
wife's survival but also the other accused. Proctor's repeated insistence
( "never ... never'') that Elizabeth cannot lie is a testament to his unwavering
DANFORTH: We have thought it too convenient to be credited. However, if I should
belief in her honesty, however it is this very belief that dooms him.
tell you now that I will let her be kept another month; and if she begin to show her
natural signs, you shall have her living yet another year until she is delivered-what
• Danforth's observation here concisely summarises the shift in
say you to that? John Proctor is struck silent. Come now. You say your only purpose
characterisation occurring within Proctor. Having temporarily saved his wife,
is to save your wife. Good, then, she is saved at least this year, and a year is long.
he chooses to continue his case in the Courts in defence of his friends and
What say you, sir? It is done now. In conflict, Proctor glances at Francis and Giles. Will
their wives. It is a selflessness that transforms The Crucible from a purely
you drop this charge?
political appraisal to an acutely personal tale. The Crucible comes to follow

,.
the principled pursuits of the individual John Proctor, subsequently exposing not necessary as his interpretation and application of the, law is divinely
the difficulties and indeed futility of individual resistance within an imposing sanctioned and thus infallible.
political/judicial framework. Proctor's disenfranchisement within Salem's

• Moreover, Miller introduces the notion of privacy and its importance to
political landscape speaks more broadly to the marginalisation of the
individual liberty. Danforth in this statement is arguing that if one has
individual in all political contexts. No matter how noble one's intentions,
nothing to hide, then one has nothing to fear. It is an argument that
Miller suggests that an individual's attempt to influence their political system
necessarily deprives the individual of the right to privacy and it is
is largely futile - especially within such an insular and hostile political
predicated upon a belief in the infallibility of established political
landscape.
systems. Indeed, such an argument asserts that under no circumstances is
the breaking of established law codes justified, due to their inherent
infallibility. Therefore, one who does not break the law has no reason to value
DANFORTH: The pure in heart need no lawyers. Proceed as you will.
their own privacy. It is an argument that disregards the fundamental
human desire for privacy, one that exists regardless of one's adherence to
PROCTOR, handing Danforth a paper: Will you read this first, sir? It's a sort of
the law, and as such dehumanises the individual for political purpose. It is
testament. The people signing it declare their good opinion of Rebecca, and my wife,
reflects the ultimate prevailing of the political of the personal.
and Martha Corey. Danforth looks down at the paper.
• Note Proctor's description of the witnesses as "farmers, members of the
PARRIS, to enlist Danforth's sarcasm: Their good opinion! But Danforth goes on church". These are everyday people of good character and respected in the
reading, and Proctor is heartened. community, yet as we see this is not enough to stem the tide of hysteria.
PROCTOR: These are all landholding farmers, members of the church. Delicately,
PARRIS, sweating: These people should be summoned. Danforth looks up at him
trying to point out a paragraph: If you'll notice, sir-they've known the women many
questioningly. For questioning.
years and never saw no sign they had dealings with the Devil.
FRANCIS, trembling with anger: Mr. Danforth, I gave them all my word no harm
• Miller's characterisation of Judge Danforth portrays the subversion of justice would come to them for signing this.
and normal legal proceedings by the hysteria of the witch trials. Danforth's
maxim that the "pure in heart need no lawyers" is echoed when he later mocks PARRIS: This is a clear attack upon the court!
Giles attempt to defend himself as "Oh, it is a proper lawyer". These
statements reveal that Danforth devalues people's attempts to adopt proper HALE, to Parris, trying to contain himself: Is every defense an attack upon the
court procedures. He evidently thinks legal defense, a right of all accused, is court? Can no one - ?

I PARRIS: All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem!
MARY WARREN, hardly audible: Aye.
PROCTOR: "Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee."
- A sharp contrast exists between the two reverends, Parris and Hale. Parris
is unbalanced and fanatical in an attempt to preserve his position and MARY WARREN: Aye.
authority within Salem. He repeatedly tries to insert himself into the court
proceedings and discredit the testimonies of Giles, Francis and Proctor. • Danforth's use of imagery is sharp and precise (''a sharp time, now, a precise
Stage directions (nervous, sweating) capture his progressively increasing time'') evoking the dichotomy that rules Salem (refer to Lesson 1). It is also
fear.
reminiscent of his approach to the court, where there is no room for
- In the last line, Parris draws a false conclusion between one's Christian
flexibility or exceptions.
fidelity and their support for the established political institution. It is a
• Ironically, Danforth claims that the "shining sun" is up, yet it is evident that
generalised conclusion that is predicated on the infallible authority of
night and darkness are soon to descend upon Salem with the scheduled
the Church, and maintains the Salem witch trials to be adherent to
hangings. Again, we see that the concealment and lies of the accusers go
Christian values and ideals. He also thus uses and guilt by association to
unrecognised by this "dusky afternoon" which has blinded Salem to the truth.
slander the witnesses to Francis' testimony. Proctor however argues the
witch trials represent a perversion of Christian doctrine, one that • Moreover, Danforth maintains that one is either for or against the court -
contradicts itself in the exploitation of fear and selfishness for political there is no middle ground. This dangerous Manichean perspective inevitably
benefit. creates an imbalance empowering the governing institution - in this case the
court. It allows no room for dissension or criticism and is predicated on the
DANFORTH: No, old man, you have not hurt these people if they are of good purported infallibility of the Court. It fundamentally denies the subjectivity
conscience. But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court of human experience, as it exists in reality. It is distinctly totalitarian in its
or he must be counted against it, there be no road between. This is a sharp time, perspective, attempting to marginalise and criminalise any and all criticisms
now, a precise time-we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed against the ruling party. It is an attitude that necessarily disenfranchises the
itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God's grace, the shining sun is individual and perpetuates a culture of insularity and hostility. Danforth's
up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it. I hope you will be one of those. rhetoric is representative of the marginalisation of the individual by
Mary Warren suddenly sobs. She's not hearty, I see. autocratic political institutions. Miller communicates through his
representation of the Salem witch trials, that one's empowerment within a
PROCTOR: No, she's not, sir. To Mary, bending to her, holding her hand, quietly: Now dominating political structure requires the individual to sacrifice personal
remember what the angel Raphael said to the boy Tobias. Remember it. integrity in favour of the prevailing ideological framework.

,
• Attitudes such as these were used in an attempt to unite the capitalist

populace in America in anti-Communist solidarity. Ironically however, such HATHORNE: And the name of this man?
insular and divisive language only served to fragment the community further
- as dissension became more prevalent among those unwilling to sacrifice GILES, taken aback: What name?
their rights of Freedom of Speech and Association.
HATHORNE: The man that give you this information.
DANFORTH: Mr. Putnam, I have here an accusation by Mr. Corey against you. He
GILES, hesitates, then: Why, I-I cannot give you his name.
states that you coldly prompted your daughter to cry witchery upon George Jacobs
that is now in jail.
• Other than "It is a lie" Putnam verbally contributes little to this scene yet his
PUTNAM: It is a lie. unsupported rebuttal is picked up by Danforth almost verbatim ("your charge
is a lie") to cross-examine Gile's testimony and repeatedly insist for
DANFORTH, turning to Giles: Mr. Putnam states your charge is a lie. What say "proof'. While it seems that Danforth may give everyone a chance to speak in
you to that? his court, the weight placed on the words of different people is not the same.
We see also the theme of holding on to one's integrity and loyalty in
GILES, furious, his fists clenched: A fart on Thomas Putnam, that is what I say to difficult circumstances as Giles is pressured to provide the name of his
that! informant but refuses.
DANFORTH: What proof do you submit for your charge, sir?

HALE: We cannot blink it more. There is a prodigious fear of this court in the
GILES: My proof is there! Pointing to the paper. If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit country-
up his property-that's law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so
great a piece. This man is killing his neighbors for their land! DANFORTH: Then there is a prodigious guilt in the country. Are you afraid to be
questioned here?
DANFORTH: But proof, sir, proof.

HALE: I may only fear the Lord, sir, but there is fear in the country nevertheless.
GILES, pointing at his deposition: The proof is there! I have it from an honest man
who heard Putnam say it! The day his daughter cried out on Jacobs, he said she'd DANFORTH, angered now: Reproach me not with the fear in the country; there is
given him a fair gift of land. fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!

F
nature, an invisible crime, is it not? Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it?
I HALE: But it does not follow that everyone accused is part of it. The witch and the victim. None other. Now we cannot hope the witch will accuse
herself; granted? Therefore, we must rely upon her victims- and they do
testify, the children certainly do testify. As for the witches, none will deny that we
• As the power of the court grows, the people of Salem live in fear. In contrast
are most eager for all their confessions. Therefore, what is left for a lawyer to
to Parris and the judges, Hale functions as a voice of reason and logic,
bring out? I think I have made my point. Have I not?
questioning the logical fallacies presented by Parris and the judges and their
unsupported conclusions (there is fear because there is guilt, or that the
• In his monologue, Danforth uses legal jargon ('ipso facto'') to convey
fear is due to the Devil's plot). However, his attempt at introducing logic into
authority and expertise while deflecting attention from the fallacies in his
the proceedings is unsuccessful.
argument. To strengthen his reasoning, he presents a series of rhetorical
• Danforth's attitude here reflects the attitudes of many conservative questions and utilises hypophora to answer them, preventing any challenge
politicians and Middle Americans during the early 1950s era of McCarthyism. to the court and his authority. These combine to present a completely
Danforth justifies the hysteria occurring within Salem as a necessary unsubstantiated and paradoxical argument that encapsulates the
consequence of the threat posed by witchcraft and diabolism. Similarly, the absurdity of this "invisible crime" and the corruption of the witch trials in
Cold War was an era defined by a belief that Communists inside and outside which the accused are allowed no defence.
the country were determined to 'topple' the established values and • This notion of an 'invisible crime' can be seen to inevitably complicate the
behaviours of the United States of America. Communism's collectivist pursuit of justice in the court, as humans attempt to understand and impose
philosophy ran antithetical to America's focus on individualism - and the limits upon what is my its definition unable to be understood by man.
totalitarian rule of Communist dictators such as Stalin, Mao and Castro Regardless of their existence, Danforth and his fellow judges are attempting
seemed a threat to the values of democracy upon which America was to apply human morals to physically transcendent entities - an ultimately
founded. Similarly, Communism's atheistic worldview was if course futile effort, one that inevitably leads to misjudgement. His argument also
incompatible with the freedom of religion promoted in the US, in particular a resembles the justifications for the McCarthyist pursuit of Communist
threat to the Christian beliefs that characterise the American value system. ideologues operating within American society. One's political ideologies are
As such, the growing presence of Communist ideology within the country was by their nature 'invisible' - a philosophy contained internally within one's
perceived to be a direct attack upon the values from which the United States own mind. The fruits of this ideology may be witnessed through an
derives their identity. individual's actions, but the ideology itself is invisible - transcendent of the
corporeal form.
DANFORTH: ... Let you consider, now-To Proctor and the others: And I bid you all
do likewise. In an ordinary crime, how does one defend the accused? One calls up • The difficulties confronting political institutions such as the House of Un-
witnesses to prove his innocence. But witchcraft is ipso facto, on its face and by its American Activities lay in their attempt to arrest individuals for intangible

p
ideologies. As a result of this reality, the process of justice was often marred prevalent throughout all of Salem. From Abigail to Proctor, they all purport
by manipulative techniques designed to incriminate individuals in to be upright Christian citizens but nonetheless shape their lives through
accordance to established laws - leading to the unjust conviction of many fraud and pretence. Often, the individual's effort to preserve their integrity
individuals. In lines such as these, Miller concludes that the capacity for any leads them inevitably to sacrifice that integrity in the process - by resorting
political institution to restrict subversive ideology is limited by the inherent to fa~ade and artifice to maintain reputation. Furthermore however, the
intangibility of human perspective. extremity with which Salem seeks to preserve individual honesty is innately
rigid to the point of denying the reality of human fallibility. Indeed, the
consequence for lying in the court is hanging - and while such a harsh
DANFORTH: Then you tell me that you sat in my court, callously lying, when you punishment might be seen as the ultimate deterrent, Miller observes that
knew that people would hang by your evidence? She does not answer. Answer me! human nature sees us sacrifice rationality in pursuit of selfish goals.
MARY WARREN, a/mos~ inaudibly: I did, sir. • As the Act progresses, we also see the difference in the characters of Abigail
and Mary. From the start of the Act, stage directions ('sobbing', 'cannot
DANFORTH: How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God speak') show that Mary is caving under the pressure of the court. She is
damns all liars? She cannot speak. Or is it now that you lie? described as "not hearty". Taking a stand against those more powerful
requires a great deal of strength, while Mary has been shown thus far to be
MARY WARREN: No, sir-I am with God now. naive and subservient. In contrast, Abigail is a master liar and manipulator
and does not falter throughout the Act as we will see, which is what
DANFORTH: You are with God now. ultimately carries her to victory.
• Danforth brutally interrogates and intimidates Mary and tries to wear her PARRIS: Why could there not have been poppets hid where no one ever saw them?
down, mockingly repeating her claim that she is "with God now". Compare
this to his later treatment of Abigail. It is clear that Danforth is anything but PROCTOR: [furious] There might be a dragon with five legs in my house, but no one
fair, despite what he may claim. has ever seen it.
• Parris argues a case of falsifiability in his bid to incriminate Proctor. Indeed,

• The role of truth comes into contention here, as Danforth communicates the
falsifiability maintains that no amount of observations can verify a universal
importance of honesty as communicated by the Bible. For Danforth, and by
generalisation. The most common example of this is the hypothetical assertion
extension the entire Salem community, the importance of integrity is
made by Europeans prior to contact with the Australian continent that swans
elevated due to its religious implications. In recognising the importance of
were only ever white in their colouring. This assertion was based upon the fact
honesty to any Christian society, Miller subsequently exposes the hypocrisy

that no European man had ever seen a swan that was not white, and therefore it 'incredulously' reminds Proctor that Abigail is merely "a child", suggesting
appeared logical to determine that no non-white swans exist. Of course, upon that she does not have the guile or intellect required to for such heinous
encountering black swans inhabiting the waters of Australia, this assertion was motives. It is evident that Abigail has used her beauty, youth and her acting
proved false. skills to win the trust of the authorities and it is now very hard for Proctor to
sway the court against her.
• Parris applies the same logic here - just because no one has seen any poppets in
Proctor's house does not mean that there are no poppets. However, it is an • As in previous scenes, Giles functions as a representation of the simple,
accusation made out of desperation rather than reason and sensibility - down-to-earth village man. At times slightly comical, his colloquial, earthy
and Proctor angrily undermines his logic through reduction ad absurdum, language ("A fart on Thomas Putnam!") provides a sharp contrast to the
applying Parris' logic to an absurd extent in order to expose its invalidity. verbose, long-winded reasonings of the court officials. Here, he again sums
up the events simply thus pointing out the evident callousness of Abigail's
• This interaction proves the extent to which desperation has come to actions which everyone else seems blind to.
inform the court - now operating on baseless assumptions rather than

grounded evidence.
PROCTOR: Mary. Now tell the Governor how you danced in the woods.
DANFORTH, pointing at Abigail, incredulously: This child would murder your wife? PARRIS, instantly: Excellency, since I come to Salem this man is blackening my
name.He-
PROCTOR: It is not a child. Now hear me, sir. In the sight of the congregation she
were twice this year put out of this meetin' house for laughter during prayer. DANFORTH: In a moment, sir. To Mary Warren, sternly, and surprised: What is this
dancing?
DANFORTH, shocked, turning to Abigail: What's this? Laughter during-!

MARY WARREN: I- She glances at Abigail, who is staring down at her remorselessly.
PARRIS: Excellency, she were under Tituba's power at that time, but she is solemn Then, appealing to Proctor: Mr. Proctor-
now.
PROCTOR, taking it right up: Abigail leads the girls to the woods, Your Honor, and
GILES: Aye, now she is solemn and goes to hang people! they have danced there naked-
• As we begin to see Abigail's reputation come to light before the court, the PARRIS: Your Honor, this-
extent of their underestimation of her also becomes apparent. Danforth

f
sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I-I
I I
PROCTOR, at once: Mr. Parris discovered them himself in the dead of night!
There's the "child" she is! promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not.
• The dynamic of the relationship between Abigail and Mary makes it clear who • Mary finally both physically and metaphorically 'stands' as she finds her voice
holds the power. Without Abigail saying a word, she is able to steal Mary's despite the fear and nervousness suggested by her stuttering. Her confession
voice as she has done before with Tituba in Act 1. Parris' immediate leap to appeals to the audience's emotions and shows how easy it is to be swept away
divert the topic from the dancing incident as he tries to save his reputation by the storm of hysteria ('the whole world cried spirits, spirits"). Mary accurately
makes clear his long standing grudge against Proctor. His accusations echo describes the phenomenon of mass hysteria and the way rumours and fears
those from Act 1, where he claimed Proctor was heading a faction against travel from one person to another until it is almost impossible to tell illusion
him. from reality - she "thought" she saw spirits but "did not". We see how peer
pressure and the approval of powerful adults has encouraged the girls' behavior.
• The 'naked' dancing (as discussed in Act 1) is symbolic of Salem's suppressed Mary Warren in her lack of scepticism was rendered susceptible to the
sexual desires. Proctor's use of euphemistic understatement as he misguiding influence and beliefs of her fellow Salemites - and Miller
sarcastically describes Abigail as a "child" expresses his harsh criticism as he communicates that thus is nature of hysteria. In an authoritarian Calvinistic
attempts to expose her as a wanton. society that seeks to marginalise the validity of the individual experience, one
becomes inevitably vulnerable to the effects of groupthink. In the bid to
PARRIS: Your Excellency, this is a trick to blind the court! minimise conflict and assert stability, Mary Warren and her fellow citizens
unwittingly resort to conformity of perspective without critical analysis of
MARY WARREN: It's not a trick! She stands. I-I used to faint because I-I thought alternative viewpoints. What results is the rapid escalation of irrational thought
I saw spirits. throughout the community - each individual conforming to those around them
under the guidance of a perceived authority figure (in this case Danforth).
DANFORTH: Thought you saw them!
• Miller in these lines also asserts the malleability of human perspective and
MARY WARREN: But I did not, Your Honor. the ephemeral nature of memory, as Warren confronts the fact that her
visions were internally fabricated despite their seeming legitimacy. It signifies a
HATHORNE: How could you think you saw them unless you saw them? separation between the conscious human mind and the external realm - with
Mary, vulnerable to fallibility of perspective, led to experience sensations not
MARY WARREN: I-I cannot tell how, but I did. I-I heard the other girls truly there. Her experiences resemble the psychological phenomenon of
screaming, and you, Your Honor, you seemed to believe them, and I-It were only hallucination - in which the individual sees or senses entities that are not truly
there. It is unclear whether Mary's hallucinations are founded in chemical

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disruption, trauma or social influence, but their reality speaks to the fallibility
and subjectivity of the human perspective. Thus, Miller maintains that singular DANFORTH, weakening: Child, I do not mistrust you-
unified meaning between two humans is unachievable due to the limitations of

human language to comprehend and articulate our subjective experiences. 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! There is-
Consolidation: Suddenly, from an accusatory attitude, her face turns, looking into the air above-it is
Explain how Mary Warren's defence informs our understanding of hysteria. truly frightened.
DANFORTH, apprehensively: What is it, child?
ABIGAIL, looking about in the air, clasping her arms about her as though cold: 1-1
know not. A wind, a cold wind, has come. Her eyes fall on Mary Warren.
MARY WARREN, terrified, pleading: Abby!
• Abigail uses hyperbole, claiming she has seen her "blood running out" and
she is "near to murdered everyday." In this way, she portrays herself as a
martyr doing the work of God amidst a hostile society. She uses
accumulation and asyndeton, asserting she has been "mistrusted, denied,
questioned", presenting herself as the victim of unfairness. Danforth is
described as "weakening" after her statement, showing Abigail is able to
manipulate him effortlessly. Stage directions capture the way "her eyes fall
on Mary" as reminiscent of a predator finding its prey, as she proceeds to
target Mary and turn the court against her.
DANFORTH, himself engaged and entered by Abigail: Mary Warren, do you witch her?
I say to you, do you send your spirit out?
ABIGAIL: I have been hurt, Mr. Danforth; I have seen my blood runnin' out! I have
been near to murdered every day because I done my duty pointing out the Devil's
With a hysterical cry Mary Warren starts to run. Proctor catches her.
people-and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a-

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MARY WARREN, almost collapsing: Let me go, Mr. Proctor, I cannot, I cannot- shows that he feels he has alienated himself after his confession. It is the
ultimate sacrifice of reputation and his livelihood, representing a desperate
ABIGAIL, crying to Heaven: Oh, Heavenly Father, take away this shadow! attempt to restore order through self-destruction. Despite its calamitous
implications, Proctor finally restores his integrity by confessing his
Without warning or hesitation, Proctor leaps at Abigail and, grabbing her by the hair, misbehaviour. The severity of the claim, as evinced by the 'shocked and
pulls her to her feet. She screams in pain. Danforth, astonished, cries, "What are you horrified' reactions of the listeners, give his accusation a weight hopefully
about?" and Hathorne and Parris call, "Take your hands off her!" and out of it all strong enough to convince Danforth of his honesty. Thus, concern for justice
comes Proctor's roaring voice. finally outweighs his concern for his reputation, again the embodiment of the
selfless hero. This prioritisation of values enables him to do what is
PROCTOR: How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore! necessary, albeit too late.
• The dramatic rise in action and pace mark the climax of the play. We see PROCTOR, his voice about to break, and his shame great: In the proper place-
dialogue interrupted by action, as Proctor "leaps at Abigail" and the court is where my beasts are bedded. On the last night of my joy, some eight months
thrown into chaos, foreshadowing the devastating revelation that comes past. She used to serve me in my house, sir. He has to clamp his jaw to keep from
next. His crude accusation that Abigail a "Whore!" marks his desperation. weeping. A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg
Now that Proctor's reasoning and Mary's attempt at testifying has failed, he you, sir, I beg you-see her what she is. My wife, my dear good wife, took this girl
must now reveal his affair being left with no other choice. soon after, sir, and put her out on the highroad. And being what she is, a lump of
vanity, sir-He is being overcome. Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. Angrily
PROCTOR, trembling, his life collapsing about him: I have known her, sir. I have against himself, he turns away from the Governor for a moment. Then, as though to cry
known her. out is his only means of speech left: She thinks to dance with me on my wife's
grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and
DANFORTH: You-you are a lecher? there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance, and you must see
it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now.
FRANCIS, horrified: John, you cannot say such a-

DANFORTH, blanched, in horror, turning to Abigail: You deny every scrap and
PROCTOR: Oh, Francis, I wish you had some evil in you that you might know tittle of this?
me! To Danforth: A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.
ABIGAIL: If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again!
• In the emotional climax of Proctor's character arc, he confesses his infidelity Danforth seems unsteady.
in a bid to incriminate Abigail once and for all .. Proctor's plea to Francis

f
PROCTOR: I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good
name-you will believe me, Mr. Danforth! My wife is innocent, except she knew a DANFORTH: Your husband-did he indeed turn from you?
whore when she saw one!

ELIZABETH, in agony: My husband-is a goodly man, sir.
• Proctor believes it is "proper" that he and Abigail had sex in a barn. He

DANFORTH: Then he did not turn from you.
regards their actions as base and animalistic, metaphorically likening
himself and Abigail to "beasts". These lexical choices have clear denotations
ELIZABETH, starting to glance at Proctor: He-
of wild animals as well as connotations of evil and the Devil. The
overwhelming shame and agony he feels is also evident through the stage
DANFORTH, reaches out and holds her face, then: Look at me! To your own
directions throughout his confession. He describes the night of the affair as
knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery? In a crisis of
"the last night of my joy", a hyperbolic statement suggesting that Proctor has
indecision she cannot speak. Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher?
been struggling with the guilt and shame since his mistake.
• Proctor has known from the beginning that the witch trials are driven by ELIZABETH, faintly: No, sir.
nothing more than a "whore's vengeance". He subverts the common idiom of
'dancing on someone's grave', asserting that Abigail "thinks to dance with me DANFORTH: Remove her, Marshal.
on my wife's grave!" and that her motive for wanting Elizabeth's demise is so
she can claim Proctor. For the first time, Danforth 'appears unsteady' in the PROCTOR: Elizabeth, tell the truth!
wake of Proctor's confession. Despite this, he hesitates to condemn Abigail,
asking a leading question that contains a presumption of her innocence DANFORTH: She has spoken. Remove her!
("You deny every scrap... ?'').
• Proctor has complete faith in his wife's honesty however he underestimates
• Proctor condemns Abigail as a 'whore' - his language reflecting the
her loyalty and love for him. Elizabeth, who has always lived by the truth, lies
importance of fidelity and sexual purity within his strict Calvinistic society.
to keep her husband's secret and protect his good name. Unbeknownst to her,
Abigail's actions are not only immoral, they are criminal within a Christian
she condemns them both by doing so. Perhaps sensing that Elizabeth may
context and represent a corruption of innate Christian values.
have lied, Danforth acts quickly to preserve the integrity of his court and has
• Proctor's use of the imagery of bells and ringing suggest that his confession
Elizabeth removed before she can speak again.
is an announcement for the world to hear; he will no longer hide his sin or
consider himself a hypocrite. "Rung the doom" also foreshadows the ominous
consequences of his revelation as his confession is turned against him.

F
HALE: Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is Proctor was "true" and Abigail was "false", accurately capturing the stark
condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more- private vengeance is contrast between their characterisation and their representation of Good
working through this testimony! From the beginning this man has struck me true. and Evil. However his awakening has come too late; the famed 'witchcraft
By my oath to Heaven, I believe him now, and I pray you call back his wife before expert' has no power to stem the perverted course of justice now.
we-
• The Crucible represents a transitioning moral landscape, one who through
DANFORTH: She spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied! characters such Proctor and Hale strive toward an individualistic, moral
relativist perception of the world in reaction to the hysteria and absolutism
HALE: I believe him! Pointing at Abigail: This girl has always struck me false! She that sees the innocent condemned to death.
has-
• Sensing that he may succeed in discrediting her, Abigail is quick to put on
Abigail, with a weird, wild, chilling cry, screams up to the ceiling. another performance to divert the court's attention. The description of "her
frightened eyes, her awed face" evokes a picture of youth and innocence. Once
ABIGAIL: You will not! Begone! Begone, I say! again, she is able to capture and dictate everyone's attention as Miller lists,
"Hathorne, Hale, Putnam, Cheever, Herrick, and Danforth.,, Ironically, she tells
DANFORTH: What is it, child? But Abigail, pointing with fear, is now raising up her Mary's 'spirit' that "envy is a deadly sin", yet it is her all-consuming and
frightened eyes, her awed face, toward the ceiling-the girls are doing the same-and destructive jealousy of Elizabeth that drives her actions.
now Hathorne, Hale, Putnam, Cheever, Herrick, and Danforth do the same. What's
there? He lowers his eyes from the ceiling, and now he is frightened; there is real tension Consolidation:
in his voice. Child! She is transfixed-with all the girls, she is whimpering open-mouthed, How has Proctor's characterisation developed throughout the play so far.
agape at the ceiling. Girls! Why do you-?
ABIGAIL, to the ceiling, in a genuine conversation with the "bird,,, as though trying to
talk it out of attacking her: But God made my face; you cannot want to tear my face.
Envy is a deadly sin, Mary.
• Hale tries in vain to turn the tide, believing he still has some authority. His
cathartic exclamation "/ believe him!" sounds much like a confession.
Plagued by his conscience and not persuaded by the evidence before him,
Hale reveals he has been uncertain from the "beginning'' and that he knew

,
GIRLS: I' have no power.
PROCTOR: They're gulling you, Mistei!
DANFORTH: Why did you turn about this past two weeks? You have seen the Devil,
have you not?
HALE, indicating Abigail and the girls: You cannot believe them!
MARY WARREN, pleading: Abby, you mustn't! MARY WARREN: I-
ABIGAIL AND ALL THE GIRLS, all transfixed: Abby, you mustn't! PROCTOR, sensing her weakening: Mary, God damns all liars!
MARY WARREN, to all the girls: I'm here, I'm here! DANFORTH, pounding it into her: You have seen the Devil, you have made
compact with Lucifer, have you not?
GIRLS: I'm here, I'm here!

PROCTOR: God damns liars, Mary!
• Miller's use of repetition and parallelism in syntax builds tension and

• Mary's telling admission that she has "no power", follows a pause after she
heightens the dramatic power of the scene. It is a powerful structural
looks to Abigail and signals her acceptance of defeat. Against a background of
pattern, as we feel the act building to a crescendo as it approaches the end.
the girls' eerie chants, Proctor and Danforth rain down with opposing
Having "the girls" chant as one creates a sense of the collective conscious; an
questions and threats. Proctor speaks of "God" while Danforth speaks of
overwhelming power of the crowd against the individual.
"Lucifer". Miller creates a sense of claustrophobia and a rapidly narrowing
space, emphasising that Mary is very much trapped with nowhere to go.
DANFORTH: A little while ago you were afflicted. Now it seems you afflict others;
ABIGAIL, looking up: Look out! She's coming down!
where did you find this power?
She and all the girls run to one wall, shielding their eyes. And now, as though cornered,
MARY WARREN, staring at Abigail: I-have no power.
they let out a gigantic scream, and Mary, as though infected, opens her mouth and
screams with them. Gradually Abigail and the girls leave off, until only Mary is left there,

p
staring up at the "bird", screaming madly. All watch her, horrified by this evident fit. you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud-God damns our kind
Proctor strides to her. especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!
PROCTOR: Mary, tell the Governor what they-He has hardly got a word out, when, DANFORTH: Marshal! Take him and Corey with him to the jail!
seeing him coming for her, she rushes out of his reach, screaming in horror.
HALE, starting across to the door: I denounce these proceedings!
MARY WARREN: Don't touch me-don't touch me! At which the girls halt at the
door. PROCTOR: You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!
PROCTOR, astonished: Mary! HALE: I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! He slams the door to the
outside behind him.

MARY WARREN, pointing at Proctor: You're the Devil's man!
• Proctor, having been accused himself of witchcraft, now endures a change of
character so profound it can only be understood as a mental and emotional
• Again, we see the recurring motif of infection. "As though infected" Mary
breakdown. He asserts the death of morality in a landscape so predicated
succumbs to the spreading hysteria and follows suit with the girls, displaying
upon emotional manipulation and vengeance - the severity of such an
the same 'symptoms' by screaming and pointing. She then turns on Proctor,
accusation heightened by his use of blasphemy, a dangerously subversive
perpetuating the vicious cycle by accusing him of working with the Devil.
notion from within his strictly Calvinistic landscape. However, Proctor's
outburst also has implications for his post-war, postmodern landscape.
Indeed, the destructive capacity of WWII as well as the omnipotent threat of
DANFORTH: I will have nothing from you, Mr. Hale! To Proctor: Will you confess death present in the form of the nuclear bomb, saw a delegitimisation of the
yourself befouled with Hell, or do you keep that black allegiance yet? What say you? spiritual institutions previously seen to govern society and human
experience. A rejection of Christianity and religious institutions in general
PROCTOR, his mind wild, breathless: I say-I say-God is dead! became more prevalent in wake of WWII - God seen to have abandoned the
population, unwilling or unable to protect them from the devastation impacts
PARRIS: Hear it, hear it! of events such as the Holocaust and the dropping of the atom bomb on
Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
PROCTOR, laughs insanely, then: A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of • His outburst resembles the assertion made by German philosopher Friedrich
Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that Nietzsche in 1882 - Gott ist tot. It spoke, not literally of the death of an actual
quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when God who at one point did exist and no longer does - but a recognition of the

p
fact that God as a conception no longer holds any moral authority in such a
Conceptual and Thematic Summary of Act Ill
fragmented and chaotic modem landscape. While Proctor is of course not
referencing Nietzsche, Miller nonetheless implicates such a philosophy in
In the conclusion of Act Three, Miller presents a political landscape defined by
Proctor's statement. Proctor asserts that God has lost all authority in Salem,
manipulation and absolutist morality. The figure of Danforth serves as an individual
following the utter disregard for human life exhibited amongst the Calvinist
manifestation of the 17th century Massachusetts political system. He embodies the
Christians. This is not to say that Proctor is suddenly atheistic, but rather
manipulative methods of interrogation Miller sees to undermine and corrupt the
that he acknowledges that humankind has abandoned the authority of God in
integrity of the judicial system - exploiting the fear and emotional vulnerability of
their embrace of immorality and selfishness.
his subjects in order to deprive forced confessions. In doing so, he serves to
demonstrate the manner in which our authoritative institutions can inform and
• Proctor's tone is dark and condemning as he talks of "fire", "black hearts" and
perpetuate a state of hysteria within the social landscape - his characterisation
damnation. He alludes that there is now no turning back, as the motif of fire
resonating with Miller's perception of McCarthyism in post-war America.
suggests that things have gotten out of control, like a raging inferno, or a
Furthermore, Danforth embodies an absolutist approach to morality - he asserts
forest fire. Like the others who have 'confessed', Proctor says he has seen the
that human experience can be understood through an objective lens of 'right' and
Devil's "filthy face", but it is "my face and yours." He once again asserts that
'wrong' rejecting the possibility for subjectivity. In Act Three of The Crucible, Miller
the only Devil in Salem is the people with their agendas.
demonstrates how individual liberty is inevitably marginalised in such an absolutist
political environment, and how emotional and psychological stability is rendered
• Proctor's assertion that "we will burn together!" alludes to Hell, suggesting
untenable in a landscape so decisively moralistic.
that those involved in the trials will pay the ultimate price for their hypocrisy,
including himself for failing to stop them.
Alternatively, the efforts of characters Proctor and Hale come to reflect a push
toward more subjective perception of humanity. In light of the absolutist moral
• Concluding the Act, Proctor declares that Danforth and the people of Salem
perspective enforced by the authoritative political body represented by Danforth,
have rejected due reason in the pursuit of self-interest. If heaven here might
Hale and Proctor instead embrace a more subjective interpretation of human
be understood as moral authority and the 'whore' Abigail a symbol of
experience - recognising the inability to determine a singular and unified
selfishness - then the validity of Salem's political system has crumbled in
conception of 'truth' in light of humanity's inherent fallibility. This is reflected in
light of individual self-interest.
their recognition of Mary Warren's hallucinations - a phenomenon induced by her
emotional susceptibility to anti-intellectualist groupthink and theocratically
endorsed conformity. And through the fate of Elizabeth Proctor, the pair
acknowledges the severity of issues of morality such as lies and deception that are
dependent upon circumstance and individual interpretation. Furthermore, as

p
Abigail's manipulative pretences drive Mary Warren to insanity, Proctor embodies a also interpret the text as a parallelism. By paralleling these two
humanist perspective of morality that prioritises individualism above divine distinct contexts, Miller asserts the enduring nature of such conflicts,
authority. Indeed, Proctor argues that the moral deprecation characterising the as a political authority is always motivated to maintain its control
hysterical Salem is born not of diabolical intervention but of the innate fallibility of through scapegoating.
human nature. He therefore rejects any attempt to absolve the individual of o Similarly, the text calls into question the very nature of agency,
culpability in light of such immorality, suggesting individuals to be indelibly extending on the ideas related to guilt raised last week. The text asks
responsible for their own attitudes and behaviour. us to consider what makes someone complicit in the sins of their
society?
The textual representation of human experience in Act Three of The Crucible is ■ This is an enduring question, most prominently raised at the
present most notably through the use of characterisation - as Miller's characters conclusion of WW2, where the Nuremberg Trials (undertaken
come to embody certain political doctrine and philosophical interpretations of in the decade preceding The Crucible) turned on a question of
human existence. This is most notably exhibited in the judicial contest between responsibility. Of course, the heads of the Nazi Party were
Judge Danforth - who represents an absolutist and authoritative perception of responsible, but what about their assistants? Or their
politics - and John Proctor - who embodies the values of moral relativism based in assistants? Or the civilians drafted into the war effort?
individual experience. Ultimately, through the conflict of Proctor and Danforth as ■ In analysing The Crucible, its treatment of mass hysteria shows
represented in Act Three of The Crucible, Miller concludes that from within an how easily individuals will sacrifice their reason and
authoritative and morally absolute political landscape the individual's capacity for independence in a period of fear. This leads us to realise the
self-fulfilment through an embrace of subjective human experience is rendered capacity of fear to be used as a tool by the political authority to
inevitably unsustainable. manufacture consent.
o As we did last week then, we question the utility of observing this
Core Human Experiences: Authority and Human Perception representation in terms of Texts & Human Experiences. What is
the value in studying it for an individual? Fundamentally, Miller's
By Act III, students should have a clear understanding of the relationship between
representation forces an epiphany for the responder, who realise this
individuals (their perspectives, their values) and the political authority/social fabric
manipulative capacity and would subsequently become more capable
of their community. When discussing authority, students should consider:
of resisting it.
• Recognising the enduring opposition between a political authority or an
• More broadly, the text reflects on the nature of human perception and the
orthodox way of thinking and the outsiders: social dissidents, individuals,
malleability of one's values within their community. Essentially, it asserts
and the oppressed.
that individuals will not prioritise their values over their social standing and
o While Miller's text is an allegory, using the Salem Witch Trials as a
so, in times of upheaval, readily adopt the orthodoxy of their community.
stand-in for the McCarthyist witch hunts of his own context, we can

F
The above is a brief summation of materials covered in depth in the preceding

textual analysis. It is designed as a prompt, and not an exhaustive account of the
ideas open to be studied in an essay. From here, we will use these ideals as a starting
point to deeper analysis.
In writing about texts and human experiences, we need to identify a few things, in
sequence:
• What is the enduring human experience represented in the text?

• How is that human experience mediated by the text's context and form?
• What are the implications of that representation for a responder studying it?
As a result, (1) we begin by defining what this core human experience is, (2) we then
look deeply in the text, showing how that human experience is mediated by the
formal decisions (and contextual background) of the composer, and then--
importantly--(3) we tie it back to us as readers, defining how our understanding of
core human experiences are developed by studying this representation.
1. How is Proctor's character unique within the text? What does Miller's Now that we have the direction we wish our argument to take, our job is to collate
representation of Proctor suggest about society? effective evidence. Remember, in writing for Year 12, sentences have to be compact
2. Identify one human experience represented in Act III, outline how it and to the point. Each sentence you write must have a piece of textual evidence
manifests, and how its representation influences an audience. which you explain.
In the following table, identify four quotes, their techniques, and include an
explanation revealing their relevance to a study of an enduring human experience
you have identified. In this explanation, you can consider:
a) The implications of this human experience within the text (how it affects
individuals, their ways of seeing).
b) The implications for the responder and how such portrayal develops their
understanding of the world.

F
human experience human experience}, prompting
Technique Quote Explanation represented in text. responders to [implication for responder}.
PEEL sentence Explicitly foregrounds a Reflecting the [context], Shakespeare uses

(Contextual key contextual element [technique} in [quote} to reveal [statement
Overview) of the text and how it examining how enduring human
mediates the enduring experiences are mediated by precise
human experience from contextual ones].
the topic sentence.
PEEL sentence Builds on previous Subsequently, [technique] in [quote]

analysis, incorporates reflects [idea}.
linking word (similarly,
in contrast).
PEEL sentence Builds on previous Miller also centralizes [idea} through the
analysis, incorporates use of [technique} in [quote].
linking word (similarly,
in contrast).
Ultimately Summarises what the Hence/Ultimately/Thus, through Miller's

sentence responder has portrayal of [idea} the audience develops
understood about greater understanding of [human
enduring nature of experience} precipitating [change in their
human experience. awareness of self/others].
When we're assembling our paragraphs, we need to abide by a strong body
paragraph structure:
NB: You aren't limited to this length. Three PEEL sentences should be
considered the absolute baseline and, in Year 12 especially, we would be
Part Role Example Structure
aiming for at least four pieces of evidence in each of our four paragraphs.
Topic Answer In The Crucible, Miller's depiction of

sentence question/Introduce core [tension in text} reflects a [statement on For the next few exercises we will use the following question:
J
F
How does the representation of core human experience in Act I empower the
individual to develop their own outlook?
Write a topic sentence answering that question and introducing your core human
experience. Your teacher will give feedback.
Using the same question, write three PEEL sentences corresponding to the
structure given above.
Your evidence should draw from the notes above and your own answers to
previous questions, ideas may be repeated so long as an explicit link to the key
words of the question is drawn.
Select your strongest sentence and submit for feedback.

Finally, write a summative sentence that links back to the question, outlining Questions for Homework
specifically an implication for the responder in recognising the play's
treatment of an enduring human experience. • How can each Act be described as a 'mini crucible' in which temperatures and
tensions rise to boiling point each time?
• Many characters attempt to tell the truth in this scene yet it is only Abigail,
who has continued to lie since Act 1, who emerges victorious. What comment
may Miller be making about the relative power of lies and truth in Salem?

so unbearable a memory, that they would themselves spontaneously rise up and

strike off the manacles. But, no, they appear to glory in their chains; now, more than
ever, they appear to measure their safety in chains and corpses. And so, Newsweek,
civilized defender of the indefensible, attempts to drown you in a sea of crocodile
tears ("it remained to be seen what sort of personal liberation she had achieved")
and puts you on its cover, chained.
You look exceedingly alone-as alone, say, as the Jewish housewife in the boxcar
• Salem is a town of dichotomies of good and bad. Analyse Miller's use of
headed for Dachau, or as any one of our ancestors, chained together in the name of
Manichean imagery of heat and cold, light and dark and day and night so far
Jesus, headed for a Christian land.
to show this.
Well. Since we live in an age in which silence is not only criminal but suicidal, I have
been making as much noise as I can, here in Europe, on radio and television-in fact,
have just returned from a land, Germany, which was made notorious by a silent
majority not so very long ago. I was asked to speak on the case of Miss Angela Davis,
and did so. Very probably an exercise in futility, but one must let no opportunity
slide.
I am something like twenty years older than you, of that generation, therefore, of
which George Jackson ventures that "there are no healthy brothers-none at all." I
am in no way equipped to dispute this speculation (not, anyway, without descending
into what, at the moment, would be irrelevant subtleties) for I know too well what he
means. My own state of health is certainly precarious enough. In considering you,
and Huey, and George and (especially) Jonathan Jackson, I began to apprehend what
you may have had in mind when you spoke of the uses to which we could put the
experience of the slave. What has happened, it seems to me, and to put it far too
• Read the following letter and write a body paragraph comparing simply, is that a whole new generation of people have assessed and absorbed their
its treatment of a core human experience to that of Miller. NB: history, and, in that tremendous action, have freed themselves of it and will never be
This can be used as a related text.
victims again. This may seem an odd, indefensibly impertinent and insensitive thing
to say to a sister in prison, battling for her life-for all our lives. Yet, I dare to say, for
James Baldwin, An Open Letter To My Sister, Miss Angela Davis
I think that you will perhaps not misunderstand me, and I do not say it, after all,
from the position of a spectator.
November 19, 1970
I am trying to suggest that you-for example-do not appear to be your father's
Dear Sister:
daughter in the same way that I am my father's son. At bottom, my father's
One might have hoped that, by this hour, the very sight of chains on black flesh, or
expectations and mine were the same, the expectations of his generation and mine
the very sight of chains, would be so intolerable a sight for the American people, and
were the same; and neither the immense difference in our ages nor the move from
Delta Specialist Education 58 Delta Specialist Education

59
f

they may declare their belief in "progress and democracy." These words, now, on
the South to the North could alter these expectations or make our lives more viable.
American lips, have become a kind of universal obscenity: for this most unhappy
For, in fact, to use the brutal parlance of that hour, the interior language of that
people, strong believers in arithmetic, never expected to be confronted with the
despair, he was just a nigger-a nigger laborer preacher, and so was I. I jumped the
algebra of their history.
track but that's of no more importance here, in itself, than the fact that some poor
One way of gauging a nation's health, or of discerning what it really considers to be
Spaniards become rich bull fighters, or that some poor black boys become rich-
its interests-or to what extent it can be considered as a nation as distinguished
boxers, for example. That's rarely, if ever, afforded the people more than a great
from a coalition of special interests-is to examine those people it elects to
emotional catharsis, though I don't mean to be condescending about that, either.
represent or protect it. One glance at the American leaders (or figure-heads) conveys
But when Cassius Clay became Muhammed Ali and refused to put on that uniform
that America is on the edge of absolute chaos, and also suggests the future to which
(and sacrificed all that money!) a very different impact was made on the people and a
American interests, if not the bulk of the American people, appear willing to consign
very different kind of instruction had begun.
the blacks. (Indeed, one look at our past conveys that.) It is clear that for the bulk of
The American triumph-in which the American tragedy has always been implicit-
our (nominal) countrymen, we are all expendable. And Messrs. Nixon, Agnew,
was to make black people despise themselves. When I was little I despised myself, I ~ Mitchell, and Hoover, to say nothing, of course, of the Kings' Row basket case, the
did not know any better. And this meant, albeit unconsciously, or against my will, or
winning Ronnie Reagan, will not hesitate for an instant to carry out what they insist
in great pain, that I also despised my father. And my mother. And my brothers. And
is the will of the people.
my sisters. Black people were killing each other every Saturday night out on Lenox
But what, in America, is the will of the people? And who, for the above-named, are
Avenue, when I was growing up; and no one explained to them, or to me, that it was
the people? The people, whoever they may be, know as much about the forces which
intended that they should; that they were penned where they were, like animals, in
have placed the above-named gentlemen in power as they do about the forces
order that they should consider themselves no better than animals. Everything
responsible for the slaughter in Vietnam. The will of the people, in America, has
supported this sense of reality, nothing denied it: and so one was ready, when it
always been at the mercy of an ignorance not merely phenomenal, but sacred, and
came time to go to work, to be treated as a slave. So one was ready, when human
sacredly cultivated: the better to be used by a carnivorous economy which
terrors came, to bow before a white God and beg Jesus for salvation-this same white
democratically slaughters and victimizes whites and blacks alike. But most white
God who was unable to raise a finger to do so little as to help you pay your rent,
Americans do not dare admit this (though they suspect it) and this fact contains
unable to be awakened in time to help you save your child!
mortal danger for the blacks and tragedy for the nation.
There is always, of course, more to any picture than can speedily be perceived and in
Or, to put it another way, as long as white Americans take refuge in their
all of this-groaning and moaning, watching, calculating, clowning, surviving, and
whiteness-for so long as they are unable to walk out of this most monstrous of
outwitting, some tremendous strength was nevertheless being forged, which is part
traps-they will allow millions of people to be slaughtered in their name, and will be
of our legacy today. But that particular aspect of our journey now begins to be
manipulated into and surrender themselves to what they will think of-and justify-
behind us. The secret is out: we are men!
as a racial war. They will never, so long as their whiteness puts so sinister a distance
But the blunt, open articulation of this secret has frightened the nation to death. I
between themselves and their own experience and the experience of others, feel
wish I could say, "to life," but that is much to demand of a disparate collection of
themselves sufficiently human, sufficiently worthwhile, to become responsible for
displaced people still cowering in their wagon trains and singing "Onward Christian
themselves, their leaders, their country, their children, or their fate. They will perish
Soldiers." The nation, if America is a nation, is not in the least prepared for this day.
It is a day which the Americans never expected or desired to see, however piously

(as we once put it in our black church) in their sins-that is, in their delusions. And The enormous revolution in black consciousness which has occurred in your
this is happening, needless to say, already, all around us. generation, my dear sister, means the beginning or the end of America. Some of us,
Only a handful of the millions of people in this vast place are aware that the fate white and black, know how great a price has already been paid to bring into
intended for you, Sister Angela, and for George Jackson, and for the numberless existence a new consciousness, a new people, an unprecedented nation. If we know,
prisoners in our concentration camps-for that is what they are-is a fate which is and do nothing, we are worse than the murderers hired in our name.
about to engulf them, too. White lives, for the forces which rule in this country, are If we know, then we must fight for your life as though it were our own-which it is-
no more sacred than black ones, as many and many a student is discovering, as the and render impassable with our bodies the corridor to the gas chamber. For, if they
white American corpses in Vietnam prove. If the American people are unable to take you in the morning, they will be coming for us that night.
contend with their elected leaders for the redemption of their own honor and the Therefore: peace.
lives of their own children, we, the blacks, the most rejected of the Western children, Brother James
can expect very little help at their hands: which, after all, is nothing new. What the
Americans do not realize is that a war between brothers, in the same cities, on the
same soil, is not a racial war but a civil war. But the American delusion is not only
that their brothers all are white but that the whites are all their brothers.
So be it. We cannot awaken this sleeper, and God knows we have tried. We must do
what we can do, and fortify and save each other-we are not drowning in an
apathetic self-contempt, we do feel ourselves sufficiently worthwhile to contend
even with inexorable forces in order to change our fate and the fate of our children
and the condition of the world! We know that a man is not a thing and is not to be
placed at the mercy of things. We know that air and water belong to all mankind and
not merely to industrialists. We know that a baby does not come into the world
merely to be the instrument of someone else's profit. We know that democracy does
not mean the coercion of all into a deadly-and, finally, wicked-mediocrity but the
liberty for all to aspire to the best that is in him, or that has ever been.
We know that we, the blacks, and not only we, the blacks, have been, and are, the
victims of a system whose only fuel is greed, whose only god is profit. We know that
the fruits of this system have been ignorance, despair, and death, and we know that
the system is doomed because the world can no longer afford it-if, indeed, it ever
could have. And we know that, for the perpetuation of this system, we have all been
mercilessly brutalized, and have been told nothing but lies, lies about ourselves and
our kinsmen and our past, and about love, life, and death, so that both soul and body
have been bound in hell.

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r

HSC Common Module: The Crucible

HSC: Common Module (Texts

Delta Specialist Education 1

2 Delta Specialist Education 3

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In court, Judge Hathorne interrogates Martha Corey about her involvement in

Delta Specialist Education 6 Delta Specialist Education 7

• How does the balance of power change throughout this Act?'

What specific details make the room "forbidding"?

unrealistically dire consequences. voice, Martha Corey's, replying.

o Either/Or Choices - reducing a complicated issue to only two possible

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MARTHA COREY'S VOICE: If I were, I would know it.

HATHORNE'S VOICE: Why do you hurt these children?

MARTHA COREY'S VOICE: I do not hurt them. I scorn it!

• Miller introduces Judge Hathorne as a slightly ridiculous character with a

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DANFORTH: Who is this? DANFORTH: I cannot hear you.

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spread in open court! the freedom of speech and association.

o "We burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment."

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• Danforth is tyrannical and domineering, his repeated use of personal

interpretation of the evidence, a literal embodiment of taking the law 'into

• Parris' misplaced biblical analogy once again captures Salem's hypocrisy

serves their interests. Proctor's use of hypophora (NB: hypophora is a figure

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political/judicial framework. Proctor's disenfranchisement within Salem's

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• Attitudes such as these were used in an attempt to unite the capitalist

DANFORTH: What proof do you submit for your charge, sir?

DANFORTH: But proof, sir, proof.

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fair, despite what he may claim. has ever seen it.

• Parris argues a case of falsifiability in his bid to incriminate Proctor. Indeed,

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inform the court - now operating on baseless assumptions rather than

DANFORTH, shocked, turning to Abigail: What's this? Laughter during-!

extent of their underestimation of her also becomes apparent. Danforth

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unified meaning between two humans is unachievable due to the limitations of

DANFORTH, apprehensively: What is it, child?

MARY WARREN, terrified, pleading: Abby!

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FRANCIS, horrified: John, you cannot say such a-

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whore when she saw one!

• Proctor believes it is "proper" that he and Abigail had sex in a barn. He

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agape at the ceiling. Girls! Why do you-?

40 Delta Specialist Education 41

GIRLS: I' have no power.

PROCTOR: They're gulling you, Mistei!

MARY WARREN, pleading: Abby, you mustn't! MARY WARREN: I-

GIRLS: I'm here, I'm here!

• Miller's use of repetition and parallelism in syntax builds tension and

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outside behind him.

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