The Crucible Group at eNotes

Puritanism starts to lose its force as a stable form of religion in the...

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 16:06:24 PST

Puritanism starts to lose its force as a stable form of religion in the colonies, not just because of the witch trials, but because the individuals in the colonies begin to establish independent secular lives that they do not want governed by the church or the theology of Puritanism.That is why the Great Awakening occurs in the early 18th century, to remind people to return to the depth of faith that they once held. It is to remind people...

The blind man who can now see. He is healed and given his sight back...

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:43:22 PST

The blind man who can now see. He is healed and given his sight back through an act of faith, so like Saul, who is stricken with scabs on his eyes and then given new sight and becomes St. Paul, Reverend Hale has a spiritual experience that restores his sight. He was blind, but now he sees, he sees the right way, the path of goodness, now opposed to the evil of the court.

I think I would use the image of blind justice for Rev. Hale. The notion...

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:00:00 PST

I think I would use the image of blind justice for Rev. Hale. The notion that justice is blind does not mean that it is always fair or even right but that it takes the evidence and makes a judgment. Hale truly believed that he had come to Salem to save the people from evil. Only when he began to see through some of the accusers and got to know the accused did he realize that evil has many faces and that he may actually have been working for...

Reverend Parris was the primary antagonist for the Salem Witch Trials. ...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:03:37 PST

Reverend Parris was the primary antagonist for the Salem Witch Trials. His slave, Tituba, was accused of (and admitted to) teaching the girls about witchcraft, and possessing them. In the play, Parris finds Abigail and the girls dancing naked in the woods, and accuses them of being witches.

I think that the image of a politican could be used to represent the...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:08:15 PST

I think that the image of a politican could be used to represent the Rev. Hale due to the hypocrisy that both represent.

Reverend Hale, who is quite proud of his knowledge in all "demonic...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:08:15 PST

Reverend Hale, who is quite proud of his knowledge in all "demonic arts", and feels a prideful glow as he comes to Salem to dispense his all-knowing wisdom, could be compared to a male peacock, in full splendor, feathers on display for all.However, as time passes, and doubts of his condemnations enter, consider those glorious feathers plucked out, one by one. Finally, after John Proctor's arrest in Act Three, Hale realizes the...

In "The Crucible", what image could be used to metaphorically represent...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:14:42 PST

In "The Crucible", what image could be used to metaphorically represent Rev. Hale and why?

Did Puritanism end? I don't think so. We just call it something else...

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:55:15 PST

Did Puritanism end? I don't think so. We just call it something else nowadays. There is still a Congregationalist Church, which is what the Puritans called their church. There are still legalistic groups, such as Seventh-Day Adventists or Assemblies of God or Churches of God, that have strict rules for their members. I grew up in such a church that didn't allow women to cut their hair or wear pants or makeup or jewelry, and no one could go to...

The witch craft trials caused many people to lose their faith in the...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:54:37 PST

The witch craft trials caused many people to lose their faith in the church, which was the means by which the people were governed. The people saw the church make a huge mistake by accusing people of witch craft and getting caught up in this hysteria. It made the people doubt the leaders of the church and what they were preaching--the trials were obviously not an act of God, since they were so wrong, so how could the people trust the church...

how did the Salem witch trials contribute to the end of purtianism?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:54:27 PST

i dont know really need help

How do the trials contribute to the end of Purtianism?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 19:47:19 PST

How do the trials contribute to the end of Purtianism?

The only thing that Elizabeth Proctor actually did occurs before the...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:57:58 PST

The only thing that Elizabeth Proctor actually did occurs before the play begins. She fired Abigail from her job as the Proctor's servant because she found out that Abigail had been having an affair with her husband, John. Because of her jealousy toward Elizabeth and the way that she felt toward John Proctor, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. At the end of the play, in Act IV, Elizabeth tries to convince John that he should confess...

What did Elizabeth Proctor do and why did she do it in the story...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 18:47:59 PST

What did Elizabeth Proctor do and why did she do it in the story "The Crucible"?

I think that you are asking how John Proctor's problem changes...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 16:33:06 PST

I think that you are asking how John Proctor's problem changes throughout the course of the play. If this is what you are asking... In Act I it is clear that one of Proctor's main problems is that he mistakenly had an affair with Abigail, which he now seriously regrets. Because of the affair he feel horrible for what he has done to his wife, and out of jaelousy, Abigail has now accused Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft to get...

How does John Proctor's great dilemma change during the course of the play?

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 15:58:27 PST

How does John Proctor's great dilemma change during the course of the play?

In Act III, Reverend Hale makes an important decision, he decides to...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:52:22 PST

In Act III, Reverend Hale makes an important decision, he decides to quit the court in Salem, because he becomes convinced that the testimony of Abigail Williams has been false. After John Proctor confesses, in court, to lechery with Abigail Williams, and she will not respond to the charge, Reverend Hale feels certain that she is a liar. Additionally, Elizabeth Proctor is brought into the court, and not allowed to look at her husband,...

Giles Corey goes to court, along with Francis Nurse and John Proctor who...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:42:51 PST

Giles Corey goes to court, along with Francis Nurse and John Proctor who has brought Mary Warren to testify to the truth that the girls have been pretending to see spirits and that there was no witchcraft.Corey, Nurse and Proctor have brought a petition signed by 91 people vouching for the good Christian character of their wives who were arrested in Act II. The Putnams have charged Rebecca Nurse with the mysterious deaths of their seven...

Wait: "ti - too - buh" yeah.

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:32:31 PST

Wait: "ti - too - buh" yeah.

Tit - too - ba :)

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:31:38 PST

Tit - too - ba :)

Your question references Act IV of The Crucible when Danforth wants to...

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 14:28:48 PST

Your question references Act IV of The Crucible when Danforth wants to use John Proctor to prove to the town of Salem that their actions against those who were accused and executed were valid. Danforth wants to use Proctor, who is a respectable citizen in Salem, to give his court and their rulings validity and authenticity. Danforth needs John Proctor's confession nailed to the church door so that there will be no rebellious uprising in...