Summary:
The first act opens with an ill Betty Parris and her distraught father Reverend Parris. In Salem, Massachusetts, a group of girls go dancing in the woods along with the Parris’ slave, Tituba, immediately after some of the girls fall into a coma-like state; reverends Hale and Parris get the girls to confess to communicating with the devil, they proceed to accuse several other towns members of doing the same. Many are accused and arrested. Main character John Proctor declares that a young girl Abigail accused his wife because she still has feeling for him after their affair, which ended the previous year. Proctor claims Abigails accusations aren’t bred of truth but of vengeance. The judge dismissed these claims after his tale failed to be proven true. Proctor is accused of bewitching all of the victimized girls. He is arrested, while his wife is released after it was found she was pregnant. The trials cause unrest and talk of rebellion within the town. With reservations John agrees to falsely confess, to avoid the gallows. After realizing his testimony will be made public he rips it up, and denies his admission of guilt. All whom had been accused, and failed to confess their sins are hanged that day.
Character Analysis:
Playwright Arthur Miller uses the character John Proctor as the ‘tragedy”’s hero. He is portrayed overall as a good man as is claimed by most all the townspeople, despite his only flaw, committing adultery. It is this act that leads his former lover Abigail to initially “cry witch”. Proctor realizes that he can stop the actions of Abigail, but to do so will likely result in the public exposure of his affair, tarnishing his good name. Instead, he decides to use Mary Warren in an attempt to depict Abigail as the liar she is. When this attempts fails, in a fit of rage, he calls Abigail ‘ a whore” , then sharing his whole tale of treachery. However, when Danforth uses Elizabeth to prove Proctors tale true, Elizabeth lies to save his reputation. His entire attempt to salvage the situation results instead with his own imprisonment.
After spending several months in prison he is offered the opportunity to declare a false confession. He nearly takes the deal signing a written confession. After further reflection, realizing the lie would tarnish his good soul, he decides to die for the truth. These implications are seen when Hale begs Elizabeth to make him reconsider and she claims “He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him”. He redeems himself by staying true to his set of morals and religious beliefs, as a false confession would dishonor the other accused that are brave enough to die for the truth. Growth is seen in his character specifically in this act, when he no longer fears public condemnation but values only the opinions of himself and God. By refusing to relinquish his integrity he is led to believe he will have the integrity and purity needed to enter heaven.
Theme Analysis:
The crucible possesses an overbearing theme of good and evil. The townsfolk place a large amount of emphasis on the importance of being a good christian as opposed to those that conspire with the devil, and are responsible for witchcraft. This is seen in the first act when Abigail reveals Tituba’s role as the Devil’s witch, to which she denies with celerity and claims instead that she is “…a good Christian woman” (Miller 45). She is then made to renounce evil and give herself to the Lord in order to cleanse herself of her sins. Similarly, after Mary Warren can no longer bear her friends’ accusation of bewitching them she accuses Proctor. “You’re the Devil’s man!” she asserts, she proceeds to tell Danforth, Hale, and Parris that she was forced to sign the devil’s book and declares “I’ll not hang with you [Proctor]! I love God ,I love God!” (Miller 118). The townspeople believe the roles of good and evil to be rather black and white; Christians are good and evil doers work for the devil.
As we read the book we determine good and evil is exactly the opposite, as the good are committing acts of evil toward the innocent. Those intending to act for the better of the town are being led by liars and those driven by vengeance. For example, Abigail accuses Elizabeth Proctor because she blames her for her inability to fulfill her lust for John Proctor. This is made most obvious in the final act when Parris discloses that his niece had “vanished” and that “Thirty-one pound is gone”, (Miller 126), her decision to flee serves as an implication of the guilt Proctor acquitted her in the previous scene. Evil appears to win in the end as a multitude of innocent people are hanged at the gallows after refusal to provide a false confession, but we are shown the power in their sacrifice in the manner in which it affects the other members of the community; notably Reverend Hale, who spent his time claiming innocence of the accused and trying to convince them not to let themselves go to the gallows.
