Crucible- HW 4 (p.49-67)

“Because it speaks deceit, and I am honest! But I’ll plead no more! I see now your spirit twists around the single error of my life, and I will never tear it free!” (62)- John Proctor

• This quotation encapsulates John Proctor’s seven months of bottled anger, resentment, and shame for his sin. Throughout the argument between John and his wife, Elizabeth, he becomes extremely defensive as if she is the one to blame. He accuses her of judging him and suspecting his deceitful ways as if she had no reason to. John wants to remain faithful to his wife, but at the same time, he is fighting the feelings he has for Abigail. It is clear that John desperately strives to gain the trust and respect he once had but is quickly getting fed up with constantly having to defend himself. He yearns for Elizabeth’s forgiveness, but feels as though she will never see past his one mistake.
  
  Why does John constantly deny Elizabeth’s claim of Abigail wanting to take her place when he knows it is true and has the power to do something about it?

“Adultery, John” (67)- Elizabeth

• After being prompted to recite the Ten Commandments, John nervously attempts to list them. Ironically, he forgets the one commandment that he and Elizabeth had been arguing about. Adultery—the one broken commandment that has caused such great disorder. It has led to Abigail practicing witchcraft in attempts to get rid of Elizabeth which Parris had witnessed. As a result of this, the accusation of innocent women has arisen to take the blame off of those actually practicing witchcraft, causing chaos in the town. Elizabeth “delicately” reminds him of the commandment he is forgetting. This adds to the graveness of John Proctor’s sin considering the fact that the one commandment he went against was the one he failed to remember.
  
  If Hale is so focused on the scientific reasoning behind witchcraft, why is he so set on the ability to recite the Ten Commandments as a determining factor of one being with the Devil or not?