The Crucible #3

Quote

"No sir. There be thirty-nine now" (Miller 56).

Response

The witch hunt has officially begun and the number of accused is on the rise. People are being accused left and right for even the fainest hint of witch craft. Later in the reading we learn that even Elizabeth Proctor's name was mentioned in the court. This is rediculous because she is sick and there is no evidence against her. The only evidence against her is the fact that she rarely went to church, the easy counter argument is that she was physically unable to attend. I also noticed a trend in the accused, they are all women. This is most likely attributed to the fact that women were considered inferior to men.

Quote

"Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now-I am sure she does-and thinks to kill me, then to take my place" (61).

Response

Elizabeth exactly restates the plan of Abigail to kill her and take her place, the only thing she leaves out is the charm. Proctor is trying so hard to eliminate any memory of Abigail and Elizabeth continually brings up the issue. Proctor is also trying to keep Elizabeth in the dark when it comes to the issue and she ends up guessing exactly what is going on. The trust issues between Proctor and Elizabeth is permitting the memory of Abigail to be completely erased.