The Crucible #5

Quote

Parris: in a sweat: "Excellency, you surely cannot think to let so vile a lie be spread in open court!" (Miller 89).

Response

Parris, in a way, reminds me of Mr. Collins. Parris is hopelessly confused and continually gets everything backwards even though he thinks he is doing the right thing. What Parris states in the above quote is absurd and it seems to contradict Parris' original objectives. In the beginning Parris did not want the with craft hysteria to leave his house, now he will not even except the fact that the witch hunt is based on false pretenses. This is most likely because certain people's positioins in society have shifted because of a religious scandal. This is proof of why Church and state should always be separate.

Quote

Danforth: "You say your only purpose is to save your wife. Good, then, she is saved at least this year, and a year is long" (92).

Response

Danforth giving Elizabeth another year to live due to her pregnancy reminds me of the period prior the the Civil War in American History. Before the Civil War many politicians were cautious of delving into the issue of slavery, therefor, they issued a series of compromises that served as "band-aids" but never actually resolved the issue. In this instance, Danforth is also avoiding this issue; he is presented clear evidence and does not proclaim Elizabeth innocent but also does not condemn her to death.