Crucible Act 1 Questions

What three grudges could the Putnam's have against the Nurses?

-Nurses have 300 acres of land and Putnam believes that some of the land is his -The Nurses had been some of the people who kept Putnam's relative from getting the minister position -Nurse paid off land which raised social status

Explain Proctor and Abigail's relationship

Abigail had an affair with Proctor while she was working at their house. Proctor feels guilty and wants the whole thing to go away but Abigail says that you can't forget it, it happened and it won't go away.

What does the threat of a "pointy reckoning" reveal about Abigail's true nature?

Abigail physically threatens the other girls, she is very violent and this shows that she is the leader

What does Betty's information about dancing in the forest reveal about Abigail's true motivation?

Betty's information reveals that Abigail drank chickens blood to try to murder Elizabeth Proctor

What motivates Abby and Betty to begin denouncing everyone?

Blame can be on others and not them and Betty is imitating her

What effect does Miller create lowering the curtain for this act during the girls' cries of witchcraft?

Dramatic effect, ends on dramatic scene. List keeps going on and no one is safe becuase they keep calling out different names

Explain the relationship between Abail and Goody (Elizabeth) Proctor

Elizabeth fired Abigail for not doing her job very well

Describe Giles Corey both physically and personally

Giles Corey is 83 years old, he is muscular a crank and a nuisance but also innocent and brave

Describe Mary Warren's personality

Mary Warren's personality is submissive and she wants to tell the truth but backs down when Abby threatens her

Based on his words what seems to be Parris's motivation for inadvertently causing hysteria?

Parris's only concern is to keep his reputation clean. He is afraid of losing his reputation -> "they will now be out of Salem for corruption in my house."

Describe Rebecca Nurse physically and by reputation

Rebecca Nurse is 72 years old and she is highly regarded in society

In terms of indirect characterization, why is it significant that Hale recognizes one of the characters by reputation?

Rebecca Nurse.s soul is good as anyone could be, and Hale realizes how good of a person she can be -Rebecca is accepted as universally good

What is Rebecca's solution to Betty's and Ruth's ailments, and why does this solution anger Anne Putnam?

Rebecca says that she will stop playing when she gets tired because that's what kids do. Ann is angered by this because she has lost 7 children

What is Reverend Hale's motivation?

Reverend Hale's motivation is that he dedicated his whole life to studying and searching for witches and finding one

When Susanna exits, Abigail makes a confession to Parris, which she recasts near the end of the Act. What is the confession and why does she change her mind?

She confesses that there is not witchcraft and that all they did was dance

When Abigail enters, she is described as "strikingly beautiful girl...with an endless capacity for dissembling." What does the phrase an "endless capacity for dissembling" suggest?

She constantly lies and is very convincing at it and she is not trustworthy

What role did Ann Putnam play in the dancing in the forest?

She encourages her daughter Ruth to conjure the spirits of her seven dead children because she wants to know what happened

Explain the significance of the forest to the Puritans

The forest is dangerous, the considered it they Devils realm,the native Americans often killed animals in the forest and they were scared to run into the native Americans

What does the "spareness" of the Puritan setting reveal about the lives of the townspeople of Salem?

The spareness of the Puritan setting reveals that they lived simple lives with nothing fancy, they were very plan people

Explain the irony in the Puritan's pilgrimage to Salem to escape persecution

They left England to gain freedom and escape persecution but in the new world they were persecuting others and taking away their freedom

What are Putnam's motivations for his actions in Salem?

Thomas acts out of greed and argues over land with Proctor, because he wants to gain more land and get his family name back (revenge)