Crucible Act II

Where does Elizabeth want John to go, and what does she want him to do there?

. Elizabeth wants John to go into Salem to tell the authorities that the girls are not telling the truth.

Give one piece of evidence that casts suspicion on Proctor's feelings for Abigail.

. He does not immediately tell anyone about her lie (lines 127-131 and 145-147). b. He was alone with Abigail but lied to Elizabeth about it (lines 132-136). c. He blushes when he sees her in church (lines 386-388).

What is John's response to her prodding?

. He is reluctant to go. He understands that he probably should go, but he does not want to get personally involved with the activity.

Hale asks Elizabeth if she believes in witches. What is her reply?

. If she is accused of being a witch, she cannot believe in witches. However, if the Bible says that witches exist, she cannot dispute the Bible.

What things are "suspicious" about Proctor and his family?

. Proctor does not go to church regularly. His youngest son has not been baptized. He does not have total faith in Parris, the minister. It takes both Parris and Elizabeth to remember all of the commandments. (He significantly forgot adultery.)

What was the "evidence" against Sarah Good?

. She confessed to witchcraft. The girls said she nearly choked them to death (and they acted so) in court. She mumbled when after begging for cider and bread, she had been turned away. She could not recite the commandments in court.

What will happen to Proctor if he tries to discredit Abby?

. She will tell that they had an affair; she will discredit his name by calling him a lecher.

Mr. Hale visits the Proctors and hears of Rebecca's and Martha Corey's arrests. He makes the following statement:

...

antagonist ·

Abigail Williams

Explain the significance of the needle in the "poppet."

Abigail had accused Elizabeth of sticking a needle in her (Abby's) stomach through the use of a "poppet" (doll). Cheever asked to see the doll that was in Elizabeth's house (the one that Mary had given her). When he looked under the dress, there was a needle stuck in the abdomen of the doll. On the basis of this evidence, Cheever determined that witchcraft was possible and did, in fact, take Elizabeth to prison.

Is Abigail the villain in this drama, or is she innocent? Use details from the drama to support your answer.

Abigail is a villainShe lies about what happens in the words and tells Proctor that she lied (lines 108-109, 130-131, and 606-608). b. She falsely accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft (line 753). c. She very likely put the needle in the poppet, which leads to Elizabeth's arrest (799-808 and 848-849). d. She has threatened to harm Mary if she tells the truth (line 976).

time and place written ·

America, early 1950s

author ·

Arthur Miller

Why does Cheever come to the Proctor house?

Cheever comes to arrest Elizabeth.

Why does Elizabeth think Abigail wants to kill her?

Elizabeth knows of John's affair with Abby. She believes that Abby wants to take her place as John's wife.

motifs ·

Empowerment; accusation, confession, legal proceedings in general

language

English

Why did Hale come to Proctor's house?

Hale came out to question all accused persons for himself, so that he would have some knowledge of the people before they appeared in court or jail. He came to Proctor's house to question them to see if either of them had any suspicious activities which would relate to witchcraft.

Hale says to Proctor about Rebecca Nurse's arrest, "Man, remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven." Explain what Reverend Hale means by these lines.

Hale compares Rebecca Nurse to the Devil and says that the people of Salem could all be under the impression that Rebecca is good, as God thought the Devil was beautiful, until they find out Rebecca's true nature.

Why does Hale argue that Proctor's forgetting a commandment is a serious matter?

Hale compares theology to a fortress (lines 573-574) and says that Proctor's forgetting even one commandment is serious because even one small crack can bring down a fortress.

In Act II of The Crucible, when Hale appears at the Proctors' door, he is described as "different now--drawn a little, and there is a quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now." What inner conflict accounts for this change?

He has seen events in Salem go beyond his expectations into a kind of hysteria, and he is no longer completely comfortable with the direction of the trials.

In Act II of The Crucible, when Hale hears that Rebecca Nurse has been charged, he is troubled. Read his allusion below to the story that the Devil was once an angel. What does he intend to point out by making this allusion

He intends to point out the Devil's powerful skills of deception.

Early in Act II of The Crucible, Elizabeth insists that John should go to Salem to testify to the falseness of the witchcraft charges. What does this show about what kind of woman she is?

Her urging John to go to Salem to argue against the witchcraft charges shows that she is a woman of courage, honesty and good character.

In Act II of The Crucible, John Proctor initially shows some reluctance to go to Salem to expose the falseness of Abigail's charges of witchcraft. His reluctance is due to an inner conflict over what longstanding issue?

His reluctance is based on an inner conflict over his past adulterous affair with Abigail.

In the early part of Act II of The Crucible, Elizabeth tells Proctor that Mary Warren has been to court and speaks of Abigail, the chief accuser, as a saint. Knowing that Mary works for the Proctors, and that Abigail bears a grudge against Proctor, what prediction can you make about the impact of Mary's attitude on her employers?

If Mary has been cooperating with Abigail, then it is likely that she will play some kind of role in getting one of the Proctors in trouble with the court on Abigail's behalf.

Why doesn't Proctor want Mary to go back to court?

If she goes back, that makes him further involved. Also, he believes that the accusations are false and the girls are frauds. It isn't a just court in Proctor's eyes.

themes ·

Intolerance; hysteria; reputation

protagonist ·

John Proctor

climax ·

John Proctor tells the Salem court that he committed adultery with Abigail Williams.

What gift did Mary give Elizabeth?

Mary gave Elizabeth a "poppet" (doll) she had made while sitting in court.

type of work ·

Play

tense ·

Present

When Hale quizzes Proctor on the Ten Commandments in Act II of The Crucible, Proctor has trouble remembering one of them. Which one does he forget, and why?

Proctor has trouble remembering the commandment about adultery, probably because of his guilty conscience over his affair with Abigail.

Describe one reason why Proctor holds back at the beginning of Act Two from telling what he knows about Abigail.

Responses will vary. Students may describe one of the following reasons for Proctor to hold back what he knows about Abigail: a. He does not know how to prove that Abigail is lying because there was no one else in the room when she told him that she had lied (lines 127-131). b. He may still have feelings for her (lines 145-155). c. He feels guilt about the affair with her (lines 386-387) and wants to protect his reputation

Explain how Mary Warren changes once she is appointed to the court. Use three details from the text to support your response.

Responses will vary. Students should say that Proctor believes that Mary is a "mouse" but that she has changed. Being appointed to the court has given Mary power and importance. This has given her self-confidence, and she refuses to be told what to do. Students may use three of the following details to support their responses: a. Though she is still a servant and Proctor has forbidden her to go to Salem, she goes to town anyway (lines 68-69). b. Mary is no longer a "mouse" (line 75) and talks back to her mistress (lines 77-80). c. She "remembers" things she did not know before (lines 242-247). d. She is impatient with Proctor (line 286). e. She defies Proctor when he orders her to stay away from court (lines 289-293). f. She is self-important (lines 291-293 and 306-309). g. She will not follow orders (lines 339-341).

setting (place) ·

Salem, a small town in colonial Massachusetts

tone ·

Serious and tragic—the language is almost biblical.

Why doesn't Mary want to testify about the doll?

She doesn't want to testify because she is afraid of Abigail. She knows Abigail will "get her" if she goes against her.

When Mary returns to the Proctors' residence in Act II of The Crucible, why does she present a doll (poppet) to Elizabeth?

She wants to plant evidence of witchcraft in Elizabeth's house.

On what charge(s) was Rebecca Nurse arrested?

She was arrested for the "marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam's babies."

Is Abigail the villain in this drama, or is she innocent? Use details from the drama to support your answer.

Students who say that Abigail is an innocent child caught up in events beyond her control may describe the following details: a. She is a young girl who has been treated badly by a grown man, Proctor, who knows better (lines 171-172, 368-372 and 390-391). b. She is caught up in mob mentality with the other girls, who also act out in court (lines 237-238). c. No real proof exists so far that she does not feel the things that she and the other girls claim to feel in court (lines 237-238 and 249-256). d. It is unclear whether she placed a needle in the poppet or Mary forgot the needle (lines 835-840).

full title ·

The Crucible

point of view ·

The Crucible is a play, so the audience and reader are entirely outside the action.

falling action ·

The events from John Proctor's attempt to expose Abigail in Act IV to his decision to die rather than confess at the end of Act IV.

narrator ·

The play is occasionally interrupted by an omniscient, third-person narrator who fills in the background for the characters.

foreshadowing ·

The time frame of the play is extremely compressed, and the action proceeds so quickly that there is little time for foreshadowing.

As the Proctors converse in the opening scene of Act II of The Crucible, how would you characterize their relationship? Cite evidence from the play to support you answer.

Their relationship is warm yet uneasy. When he kisses her, he comes away disappointed. At one point, a stage direction says, "It is as though she would speak but cannot . . . A sense of their separation arises."

symbols ·

Though the play itself has very few examples of symbolism beyond typical witchcraft symbols (rats, toads, and bats), the entire play is meant to be symbolic, with its witch trials standing in for the anti-Communist "witch-hunts" of the 1950s.

genre ·

Tragedy, allegory

If you noticed that your dinner companion was eating his meal avidly, would you assume that he was enjoying the dish? Explain your answer, basing it on the meaning of avidly as it is used in Act II of The Crucible.

Yes, you would assume that he was enjoying his dish, because avidly means "eagerly."