Proctor: "A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything" (110).
It may not mean anything to Danforth and the other judges, but it should strike Abigail and her followers. If God sees everything, then He sees their deceitful acts and the evil game they play with society. The girls think they are safe by acting innocent, but if God is watching over them, seeing righteous people being hung and jailed by their hands, then they will be the ones doomed. By calling themselves "God's instrument[s]" (46), they are using God's name as a means of getting out of trouble, showing no actual value for Him. Almost everybody is taking advantage of religion and using it to seek vengeance upon their neighbors. These people know what they are doing is wrong, making themselves the real sinners.
Proctor: "[Elizabeth] only thought to save my name!" (113).
Elizabeth demonstrates her admirable character when she denies Proctor had an affair with Abigail. In the previous act, Proctor insisted that he should be forgiven or at least given some credit for confessing his lechery to her: "Spare me! You forget nothin' and forgive nothin'. Learn charity, woman" (54). Elizabeth showed the compassion Proctor was looking for at the wrong time. Although Elizabeth was crushed by Proctor's misbehavior, she did not give him up to the court. This could have possibly saved her life, but she put her husband ahead of her own desires. Unfortunately, so did Proctor: "I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name- you will believe me" (111). Proctor ruined his name to save Elizabeth, and she was too kind to let his name be ruined. Everything looks even worse on Proctor because he insisted Elizabeth "[was] an honest woman [and] cannot lie" (111); thus, Elizabeth's confession was viewed without uncertainty. In the attempt to save each other, Proctor and Elizabeth got both of themselves in trouble.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
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