What does putnam and proctor argue about

His willingness to speak about witchcraft are personal in another way. Abigail is manipulative and dominant whereas Mary is easily persuaded, scared and lonely. Marry is naive and innocent. Mary wanted to to tell the truth from the beginning, but Abigail convinced her not to. Abigail is the leader of the girls whereas Mary is a follower with less power and influence.

Who lost 7 babies in crucible? In The Crucible according to Putnam what do the villagers want Parris to do? In the crucible did elizebeth proctor commit lechery? Who is the main character in The Crucible? How The Crucible end? Does john proctor die in the crucible? In The Crucible who does elizabeth proctor fire? What character in The Crucible is alienated? Who accused Sarah Biship of witchcraft in the crucible?

What are the character traits of thomas putnam from the crucible? Who sues many villagers of Salem in The Crucible? People also asked. Why do Giles and Francis want to talk to Danforth in the Crucible? View results. In The Crucible where does Elizabeth want John to go and what does she want him to do there? Study Guides. Trending Questions. Asking for the deed to his home not only decreases the possibility of a faction removing him from the pulpit, but it provides a place for him and his family if such an event actually occurs.

Parris' argument with Proctor also symbolizes Parris' continual battle to obtain authority within Salem. Parris views Proctor as his primary opponent, demonstrated when he accuses Proctor of leading a faction against him. Parris' anger stems from the fact that he feels that the inhabitants of Salem fail to recognize his authority when they refuse to acknowledge their "obligations toward the ministry. Putnam targets Rebecca because she is in the room and she is one of the mothers who has not lost a child, so Parris targets Proctor because he is there in front of him and, therefore, representative of the other undutiful inhabitants of Salem.

The end of Scene 4 reveals other animosities when Proctor and Putnam begin arguing over land rights. Proctor goes to leave and states that he must haul lumber back to his home. Putnam accuses Proctor of stealing wood from his land, even though Proctor states that he had purchased the land from Francis Nurse five months prior. Just as Scene 3 results in a new reason for Abigail to accuse others of witchcraft, so Scene 4 provides the Putnams with a lucrative motivation to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft.

After Scene 3, Abigail's purpose is to accuse Elizabeth and obtain Proctor for herself. After Scene 4, the Putnams' purpose is to accuse anyone who "took" land that they believe should be theirs. Previous Scene 3. Next Scene 5. Removing book from your Reading List will also remove any bookmarked pages associated with this title.

There are several exchanges in Act 1 that are rife with irony. Abigail claims that John Proctor opened her eyes to the pretenses of Salem pg. By putting on a false front to advance her status and get what she wants, she becomes just like the hypocrites she claims to despise. The most prominent example of dramatic irony in this act is the quote from Hale pg.

We, the modern audience, know that searching for "the Devil's marks" as the potential cause of an ailment is an inherently superstitious practice. Hale, however, is convinced that a scientific inquiry based only on facts and reality can be conducted to detect a supernatural presence.

In Act 1 it becomes clear how mass hysteria can evolve out of desires for self-preservation. When Abigail admits that Ruth and Tituba were conjuring spirits, Thomas Putnam urges Parris to go on the offensive immediately with this information. If he makes his own accusations of witchcraft, he will prevent others from accusing him first and putting his credibility at stake.

As rumors of witchcraft spread, this fear-driven philosophy will be universally adopted, leading to more and more accusations and an environment of paranoia. The speed at which rumors morph into accepted truths is too rapid for a few rational voices to contain them.

Even as Parris tries to avoid supernatural explanations to protect his reputation, he is quickly caught up in the misplaced interpretations of others and forced to adopt them as his own so that he isn't gobbled up by the hysteria monster.

It becomes abundantly clear that people see only what they want to see i. Ann Putnam, for example, will seize at any opportunity to blame supernatural forces for the deaths of her children. Extreme conclusions like Ann's "a witch murdered my babies with black magic" are accepted because rational people are too afraid to challenge this consensus and risk bringing accusations upon themselves.

Reverend Parris' concerns about his reputation take center stage, so to speak, in Act 1. Once he gets confirmation from Abigail that some witchy business happened in the woods, he is quick to position himself on the side of the accusers and threaten violence on Tituba if she doesn't confess pg. He has no central belief system beyond a desire to do what makes him look best in the eyes of the majority. Abigail is also concerned about her reputation. She insists that she has done nothing wrong and tries to discredit Elizabeth Proctor to divert attention away from her own actions.

These actions and reactions in Act 1 establish the importance that characters place on maintaining respect for their names. The church has a great deal of power in Salem, and therefore much of the authority we see exercised in the play is associated with religion. Reverend Parris is currently in a position of power as the town's spiritual leader. However, he is convinced there is a faction in town that is determined to unseat him, and he will say and do whatever it takes to retain control.

From his point of view, "There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning! Abigail, on the other hand, struggles to claim greater agency outside of traditional means. Her dominant personality doesn't fit with her low status in society as a young woman with no family. When he rejects her, she takes another route to power through accusations that exploit the fears of others to a point where even the most respected people in town are afraid to challenge her.

The power structure in Salem is also responsible for the blame heaped on Tituba and the misinterpretations that follow. If Tituba was permitted to explain what really happened, the tragic events of the rest of the play might have been prevented. However, she is only given a voice when she agrees to corroborate the version of events that the people in traditional positions of authority believe to be accurate.

She becomes, according to Hale, "God's instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil's agents among us" pg. As has been the case throughout history in both fiction and reality, the desire for power ends up costing way too many innocent people their lives. In Act 1 of The Crucible , the roots of the witch hysteria are established, and we learn critical background information about many of the characters. Let's do a super short bullet point recap of the important plot points:.

Betty's dad is Reverend Parris, the new-ish church leader in Salem , who is paranoid about his reputation amongst the townspeople. Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris' teenage niece and Betty's cousin, is questioned by Parris about the cause of Betty's illness. He knows that Abigail, Betty, and Parris' slave, Tituba, were dancing in the woods the night before and perhaps conducting some kind of ritual. Abigail had an affair with a farmer named John Proctor while serving in his house, and she's still into him, but he wants to forget it ever happened.

Betty says that Abigail tried to put a curse on John's wife, Elizabeth Proctor, in order to kill her and take her place , but no one else knows about this, and Abigail warns her to keep quiet. Reverend Hale, the church leader from the town of Beverley, is summoned to examine Betty because he's an expert on witchcraft.

Tituba is accused of calling the Devil in the woods based on Abigail's testimony, and she confesses under pressure from Hale. Tituba names Goody Good and Goody Osburn as fellow witches after their names are suggested. In Act 2 , you can look forward to learning more about the state of the Proctors' marriage and just how crazy things have gotten in Salem in the weeks after the initial accusations.

If you want a complete summary of the whole play rather than just one act, we've got you covered. Check out our holistic summary article to review what happens from start to finish. Looking for some in-depth analysis of characters in The Crucible? If you want some advice on understanding the ideas behind the play so you can write a killer essay or ace your next test, read our guide to the most important themes in The Crucible.

We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:. Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.