Wednesday, August 1, 2012

In The Crucible, in Act 2, since Mary Warren can't say who accused Elizabeth Proctor, who do you think accused her?

This scene comes after the madness that has started in Act
One, and as Mary Warren returns to the Proctor household where she works, she tells John
and Elizabeth more about how the madness is sweeping through Salem and more are being
caught up in it. We are informed that the number of accused people now reaches 39 and
that Goody Osburn will hang. It is when Mary protests that she is doing "weighty work"
and that she must go every day to the court to do her "work", that John Proctor
threatens to whip her. It is only when John Proctor is about to whip her that Mary
Warren confesses that she saved Elizabeth Proctor's life. Note how she replies to
Elizabeth's wondering question:


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Somewhat mentioned. but I has I never see no sign
you ever sent your spirit out to hurt no one, and seeing I do live so closely with you,
they dismissed it.



Of course,
Mary is "bound" not to tell who accused Elizabeth Proctor, but from what we know of
Abigail and her past relationship with John Proctor, and the fact that we also know that
she drank a potion to kill Elizabeth Proctor, we can only surmise that this accusation
emerges from her in an attempt to gain the man she loves.

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