Arthur MILLER’s timeless classic the crucible demonstrates the flight between good and evil through an engaging plot, well crafted characters, and well established theme.
INTRODUCTION “Reverend Parris, I have laid seven babies unbaptized in the earth. Believe me, sir, you never saw more hearty babies born. And yet, each would wither in my arms the very night of their birth”
Ann Putnam is the wife of one of the most persistent witch-hunters in Salem village; she is the mother of one of the "afflicted" girls, who is at the forefront of the accusations of witchcraft; she has been driven mad by grief over the loss of seven of her newborn children.
To be fair Mrs. Putnam might not mean any harm- she just wants to find out why her babies have been dying. Mrs. Putnam is sad and angry about the situation.
When analyzed, Ann Putnam can be represented as suspicious, distressed, and manipulative. She is seen as suspicious because she is constantly analyzing other people's actions. In The Crucible, Mrs. Putnam accuses Sarah Good of being a witch when she says, "I knew it! “Goody Osburn were midwife to me three times”.” I begged you, Thomas, did I not”? I begged him not to call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands." This evidence is found in (Act 1.Page 47).
Another explanation of her suspicion is when she thinks her daughter is possessed by the Devil, and she says, "For how else is she struck dumb now except some power of darkness would stop her mouth?" Ann Putnam also seems to be distressed since the play shows her as a trouble-hearted woman. An example of this is when she is first introduced in the book and it says, "She is a twisted soul of forty-five, a death-ridden woman, haunted by dreams." (Act 1.Page 12). Throughout the book, she also shows fear and anxiety for almost every situation she is part of by speaking dramatically and causing panic. Mrs. Putnam is also represented as a manipulative person