3.Crucible pg. 31-49

Quote 1: "I know it, sir, I sent my child-she [Ruth] should learn from Tituba who murdered her sisters" (38).

Mrs. Putnam is also an instigator, just like her husband, but she is digging a hole for herself towards being the reason for her daughter's craziness or in other words, witchcraft. She knew sending Ruth, her own child, to communicate with the dead was a sinful thing to do. The two times Mrs. Putnam mentions she sent Ruth to the forest, she is given the same surprised response from two different characters: "Goody Ann! You sent a child to conjure up up he dead?" (39). It is a shocking thing to do, especially sending your own child to do something that is considered sinful. If Mrs. Putnam wanted to learn something about her deceased babies, she should have gone to Tituba, not sent her daughter. It seems like the only reason for why she would put her daughter's life at risk is to protect her own reputation from being called a witch. Mrs. Putnam defends herself to justify it was an acceptable thing to do by attempting to win sympathy for the loss of her seven babies. Mrs. Putnam should not be complaining about why Ruth is acting strange. Ruth was sent to the forest by her. It does not matter what the reasons are, entering the forest is crossing the limits, which everybody knows. Having a child do it is worse. Somebody could easily point a finger at Mrs. Putnam and accuse her of being the cause of her daughter's strange behavior. This would be a change because Mr. and Mrs.Putnam are usually the ones to instigate an accusation against somebody else or blame others for the use of witchcraft.

Quote 2: "No man has ever been blamed for so much [...] He [Giles Corey] didn't give a hoot for public opinion" (40).

Giles Corey is the only character in the play so far that does not hold his reputation as a priority. It does not matter to Corey what people think of him. When Parris is introduced, it is clear that his reputation as a minister is more important to him than the fact his daughter is not feeling well. The Putnam couple is quick to blame others for witchcraft, pushing away any accusations that could possibly come their way, leaving them with a clean slate. Abigail Williams claims to be a good soul, but the audience knows very well that she is a conniving minx. Corey has understood that every member in society will accuse another for strange things happening to them. He is so used to accusations, that it does not shock him when somebody thinks he is the reason for their unfortunate event: "It suggests to the mind that the trouble be among us all these years. Think on it. Wherefore is everybody suing everybody else? [...] I have been six time in court this year-" (31). Corey takes a more logical perspective on this. Instead of blaming others for being witches, he states that witchcraft seems to be an ongoing issue for many years and needs to be eliminated. Since witchcraft is conflicting with the characters' daily lives, everybody is quick to point a finger at somebody else they are not on good terms with, assuming it was their fault. Being one of the eldest characters, Corey has had a fair share of hearing about witchcraft.