How Is Elizabeth Proctor Portrayed In The Crucible
Arthur Miller has created a version of Salem in which the people are dependent on easily fabricated and unreliable evidence in order to prove or disprove a person guilty of witchcraft. Attempting to show that Elizabeth Proctor is guilty of witchcraft, Mr. Cheever explains that the poppet he found could be evidence that Elizabeth stabbed Abigail Williams. He says of Reverend Parris, “Stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wife's familiar spirit pushed it in,”(71) after he draws a needle out of the poppet’s stomach. Elizabeth and John explain that Mary Warren made the poppet during court and brought it home that night. Mary even confesses
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Ordinarily, they were not permitted to do things that children of other cultures would do regularly. Of course, in reaction to their suppression, the community’s youth will be rebellious. When Parris states, “Why, sir- I discovered her, and my niece and ten or twelve of the other girls, dancing in the forest last night,” John Hale responds with a surprised and almost judgmental, “You permit dancing?” (36). As implied by Hale’s response, dancing was barred for people in this society. This shows the peculiarity that Miller is seeking to demonstrate for this civilization throughout The Crucible. Mary Warren often changes her story when testifying, from having seen the devil to having not ever. Being just a young girl, adults would try to shape her to their advantage, so Mary caused their plan to backfire by continuously changing the story and making her testimony invalid. Miller states that Parris is “smiling, but nervous because Danforth seems to be struck by Mary Warren’s story,” (100), because he feels that Danforth is being influenced by Mary in the way that he does not want in order to save himself. Because they were not permitted to do things that are normal for children to do, Miller’s version of the children of Salem were rebellious and participated in
Ordinarily, they were not permitted to do things that children of other cultures would do regularly. Of course, in reaction to their suppression, the community’s youth will be rebellious. When Parris states, “Why, sir- I discovered her, and my niece and ten or twelve of the other girls, dancing in the forest last night,” John Hale responds with a surprised and almost judgmental, “You permit dancing?” (36). As implied by Hale’s response, dancing was barred for people in this society. This shows the peculiarity that Miller is seeking to demonstrate for this civilization throughout The Crucible. Mary Warren often changes her story when testifying, from having seen the devil to having not ever. Being just a young girl, adults would try to shape her to their advantage, so Mary caused their plan to backfire by continuously changing the story and making her testimony invalid. Miller states that Parris is “smiling, but nervous because Danforth seems to be struck by Mary Warren’s story,” (100), because he feels that Danforth is being influenced by Mary in the way that he does not want in order to save himself. Because they were not permitted to do things that are normal for children to do, Miller’s version of the children of Salem were rebellious and participated in