Crucible summary

John Proctor analysis

In addition to struggling with the weight of his sin, the fact that he must reveal his transgression torments Proctor. His best possession is his good name and the respect and integrity associated with it. Once he acknowledges his affair with Abigail, Proctor effectively brands himself an adulterer and loses his good name. He dreads revealing his sin because guilt and regret already overwhelm him. Proctor believes a public display of his wrongdoing only intensifies the extent of his sin, thereby multiplying his guilt. Proctor's decision to tell the court about his affair ironically demonstrates his goodness. He willingly sacrifices his good name in order to protect his wife. Only through his public acknowledgment of the affair does Proctor regain his wife's trust. At the end of the play, Proctor refuses to slander himself by allowing the court to nail his false confession to the church door. This action further exemplifies Proctor's integrity. Proctor knows that he will damn himself, yet again, if he agrees to confess. Although he wants to live, escaping death is not worth basing the remainder of his life on a lie. This realization, along with Elizabeth's forgiveness, enables Proctor to forgive himself and finally regain his good name and self-respect. As the court officials lead him to the gallows, he finds peace for the first time in the play.

John Proctor quotes

Abigail analysis

Abigail lies to conceal her affair, and to prevent charges of witchcraft. In order to avoid severe punishment for casting spells and adultery — not to mention attempted murder when she plots Elizabeth's death — Abigail shifts the focus away from herself by accusing others of witchcraft. This desperate act of self-preservation soon becomes Abigail's avenue of power. Abigail's willingness to discard Puritan social restrictions sets her apart from the other characters, and also leads to her downfall. Abigail is independent, believing that nothing is impossible or beyond her grasp. These admirable qualities often lead to creativity and a thirst for life; however, Abigail lacks a conscience to keep herself in check. As a result, she sees no folly in her affair with Proctor. In fact, Abigail resents Elizabeth because she prevents Abigail from being with Proctor.  Abigail continues to review and edit her memories until they accurately portray her as the center of Proctor's existence. Rather than seeing herself as an awkward seventeen year-old who took advantage of a man's loneliness and insecurity during his wife's illness, Abigail sees herself as Proctor's true love and his ideal choice for a wife. Abigail's fantasy reflects her age. She is a young girl daydreaming about the ideal male.  Declaring witchcraft provides her with instant status and recognition within Salem, which translates into power. Abigail uses her authority to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. She threatens the other girls with violence if they refuse to go along with her plans, and she does not hesitate to accuse them of witchcraft if their loyalty proves untrue. Such is the case with Mary Warren. Each arrest strengthens her position, and demonstrating fits and trances increases her authority even more. Her decision to wait until the court sees her as irrefutable before she accuses Elizabeth reveals her determination and obsession with Proctor. 

Abigail quotes

"There be no blush about my name… [Elizabeth Proctor] hates me, Uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!" “A wild thing may say wild things.” "Evil is a deadly sin Mary" "I want to open myself!... I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!"  "And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." “I don’t my duty pointing out the Devil’s people—and this is my reward? To be mistrusted, denied, questioned like a –"  "I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!"

Mary analysis

Mary Warren, who is a servant, is the oldest of the girls, but she is also the weakest. While she has strong reservations about lying, she eventually goes along with the lies out of fear. Mary Warren is a servant at the Proctor household. At the beginning of the play, she is introduced as a 17-year-old ''subservient, naive, lonely'' girl. She is friends with Abigail and Betty. When the girls are caught dancing in the woods in the middle of the night by Betty's father, Reverend Parris, they blame the family's slave Tituba. She is an easy scapegoat due to her low status in the village and the fact that nobody will come to her defense. She is afraid of Abigail and too weak to fight for what is right, especially after Abigail threatens her with a ''pointy reckoning'' if she decides to not go along with her lies. Mary Warren is a young girl who lacks the moral fortitude to stand up for what is right. Her heart is in the right place, which becomes obvious when she initially objects to Abigail's plan to lie to not be punished for dancing in the woods. However, her fear and need for self-preservation make her go along with the accusations that lead to the wrongful conviction and execution of several townspeople. The fact that she is also lonely makes her even more vulnerable to clinging to false friends. Mary is so focused on being friends with the strong, popular Abigail, that she is willing to see past all of her negative traits. When she becomes part of the court, she gets her first glimpse of power. She tells Proctor that he cannot tell her what to do any longer because of her importance to the court. She truly believes in the court's purpose and that she and her friends are doing God's work in wrongfully accusing townspeople of witchcraft. Even after Abigail threatens to kill her and turns on her in court, she still chooses Abigail over the truth Mary symbolises how easily society can be shaped by hysteria 

Mary quotes

'I must tell you, sir, I will be gone every day now.'' She later adds, ''Four judges and the King's deputy sat to dinner with us but an hour ago. I--I would have you speak civilly to me, from this out.'' 'You'll only be whipped for dancin' and the other things!'