The Crucible Responses

Act 1
Parris seems to care more about money and a house (material things) than his position as a messenger of christ. Parris' neice Abigail is caught/ accused of witchcraft; along with some other girls (his 10 year old daughter etc.). People claim they saw Parris' daughter, Betty flying before she was struck dumb. Abigail's lie was that they were simply dancing and Betty fainted from fright. A neighbor, Mrs. Putnam has had 7 babies and all have died, which is why she sent Tituba to speak too their spirits. Betty wakes and talks about telling the truth and Abigail strikes her. John Proctor( a man wtih whom Abigail's purity has been questioned) appears, and Abigail taunts him. The crowd that has gathered downstairs begins singing, and their praise wakes Betty; screaming.


Act 2
Mary Warren is constantly defying the Proctors, and they are upset at dinner. Mary, Abigail, and the other girls are at the courts sending innocent people to jail when Elizabeth and John start talking about Abigail. When Elizabeth finds out John and Abigail were alone, she loses all faith in John and he gets defensive. Then Mary returns from the courts, and gives Elizabeth a doll. She then talks about all the people they sent to jail, and John is ready to whip her. Then she says that she saved Elizabeth's life in court, because she was about to be accused and john becomes suspicious.(Ooooooooh) He believes Abigail accused Elizabeth because of her fixation on John. Then Hale shows up to question the Proctors. John and Elizabeth haven't been attending church recently, and John claims that its just because they don't like Parris(neither do I). Hale tests them on the 10 commandments, and John (conveniently) forgets adultery. (LOL) Then Elizabeth gets John to tell Hale about the affair with Abigail... Rebecca Nurse gets accused because of a random guy's pigs dying then Cheever and Herrick rush to the Proctors' house. They have a warrant for Elizabeth's arrest and find a doll with a pin stuck in the same place Abigail (was "supposedly") stabbed that evening. Elizabeth gets arrested, and Proctor blows a fuse(rightfully so) and rips the warrant up. The act ends with Mary refusing to tell the courts that she sewed the doll, not Elizabeth. (whoa)


Act 3
Giles points out that Parris is only in it for the land, and I completely agree. Giles says that he has hard evidence to prove that Parris is land-grubbing, and Danforth demands that he show the court his proof. Giles justifiably refuses and they force the list from him. Then the court arrests all 91 of the people who testified for no apparent reason other than the fact that they had an opinion. This act definitely had a strong connection to McCarthyism. Then Giles is arrested ironically enough for not sinning. Because lying is a sin, and he told those people he wouldn't mention them then he's arrested for contempt of the court. Then Abigail shows up with insignificant supporting actresses, and plays Mary Warren perfectly, getting her to falter in telling the truth.