Broadening Horizons

The ending of "The Crucible" is a bit sad and confusing. Parris and Hale both want John Proctor to confess so he won't be hung, but he can't. I was confused as to why it is such a big deal for him to confess. He would be able to live just by writing down that he was "with the Devil." I assume that it was just the time period and how strict their religion was that caused it to be so hard for him to confess. Even though Parris was the one calling Proctor out for being a liar, he wants him to confess now. I think the reason for this is because he doesn't want to be responsible for a life lost, and because Abigail left out of the blue and took Parris' money. Abigail seems to be running away from her problems. She puts all her effort into making up lies to make herself look better in the town, and then she just runs away, leaving all that behind. I assume it is because nothing is going to be left for her. She probably realizes that John Proctor hates he...

"The Crucible" is a play that satirizes Puritan society. Everyone is willing to accept and follow what one person claims. When Abigail claims that different women are witches, people believe her without question, and each of these women are taken into court. It is very ironic how the society thinks Abigail is honest and perfect when in reality she is constantly lying about everything, just saying what she thinks will make her look best. Everyone wants to look their best even if that means lying. For example, John Proctor lies to his wife at first, telling her that he wasn't with Abigail alone in a room even though he was. He seems to care a lot about his wife and he wanted to look good in front of her, but she ultimately found out the truth. If he cares so much about her, why does he keep doing things that make him seem like he doesn't? Hyperbole, metaphors, and similes are all used in the play to describe Puritan society. Their whole society was in a mass hysteria, ...

While reading and learning about the history in "The Crucible," I had many questions. The play is about the Puritans and the Salem witch trials. We learned about the Puritan's beliefs and how extensive they were. I was constantly wondering where they got these ideas from. For example, where did they get the idea that its wrong to sing or dance. I wanted to know the origin of their strict ideas and beliefs, because they seemed very unbelievable. Just from reading half of Act 1, the irony is obvious. For example, the town is very strict, yet one of the main characters is having an affair with a married man. Isn't this against a commandment in the Bible? Why wouldn't there by consequences conducted by the town for having an affair? Also, even though they know about previous witch accusations and how strict the town rules are, many women went into the forest and conducted mysterious activities that they know would name them witches. Why would all these women conduct ...