The Crucible

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English III

15 November 2006

In Act II, Proctor’s conflict with authority increases as the court comes to arrests his wife. He already does not like the court and for them to come to his own home and take his wife to jail is just out of the question! To help the reader understand the condition of Salem at the beginning of Act II, Kinsella explains that “Salem is in the grip of mounting hysteria” (1267). Kinsella is correct the town first starts out with Betty not waking up, then Abigail Williams acusing practically everyone in Salem about being witches and it moves up from there eventually leading to Proctors fait.

When Reverend Hale has come to inquire at the Proctor house, John defends Rebecca Nurse by exclaiming, “It’s hard to think so pious a woman may be secretly the Devil’s bitch after seventy years of such good prayer” (1276). This quote really stands out because how proctor describes his wife as being "Pious", to be piety is a desire and willingness to perform religious duties. When proctor said this to Hale it woke him up and that is when he realized that Abigails acusations were fake, at this point and time of the story Hale is starting to believe that Abigail Williams acusations are not one hundred percent true.

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Arguing with Hale, Proctor uses common logic to point out the flaw in Hale’s argument when he states, “Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers?” (1283). Proctor is still using more logical questions to turn Hale, for the most part Proctor is correct just because Abigail is acusing does not make her the holy or devine one it only makes her the accuser. Some of the people in the town starts to notice that refer to the scene in court from Francise's view " Excellency, we have proof for your eyes; God forbid you shut them to it. The girls, sir, the girls are frauds. Danforth goes on to say "What's that!?" Francis "Excellency, I have never thought to say it to such a weighty judge, but you are decieved". This clearly starts to chop down on Abigails roll as an honest accuser. after Abigail's acusings continue the town is scared that they will soon be accused, refer to the scene after abigail tries to accuse one of the judges wife as she walks out of the door and into the town the crowd seems to walk away from her, even as a mother and her daughter are walking by her mother whispers " Dont talk to her".

Later, when Proctor’s wife has been wrongfully arrested, and he decides that Mary Warren must go to court and testify, Proctor demands that she go through with it when he says, “make your peace with it” (1287). The reason why Proctor makes Marry Warren go to court and testify for his wife is because when Hale came to Proctors home with a mob, and a warant he was searching for a clue as to arrest Proctors wife.When hale is informed of Abigail having some nail impaled into her pelvis, which she clearly did her self after she saw Mary place a needle inside her doll for safe keeping. Anyways Hale spots the doll sitting on a shelf above his head he lifts up the dolls skirt and spots a needle!

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That is what gives Proctors wife a dead give away and she is taken by the court.

Moving into Act III, Proctor is now personally invested in the quest to save his wife even more by proving the girls are frauds; unfortunately for him, by seeking to save his wife he also has to directly go against the will of the court. Just As Proctor, his friends are also willing to stand up for what