Quote 1: "Them that will not confess will hang. Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now. While I speak God's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering. If retaliation is your fear, know this- I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statutes. Now draw yourselves up like men and help me, as you are bound by Heaven to do. Have you spoken with them all, Mr Hale?" -Danforth (page 128)
Explanation: In this quote we see Danforth admitting to having knowledge of his wrong doing. And yet instead of owning up to his mistake, he gives a long winded a speech about how he represents God, and if he admits to his wrong doing he is admitting to God's wrong doing. He even goes on to saying that he would be willing to kill 10,000 people to protect his own reputation. This reflects upon the theme of people doing whatever they can to protect their reputation no matter what even if they "should hang ten thousand" (Miller 128).
Quote 2: supporting herself against collapse, grips the bar of the window, and with a cry: "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him." -Elizabeth (page 145)
Explanation: These are the final words of the play, as Elizabeth's husband is lead off to his death after willfully defying Danforth, Hathorne, and Parris. And in this final statement, Elizabeth sums up the entire story. She says her husband has finally found his goodness. And looking back at the story we see that he has changed. Before he wanted to protect himself and he did not tell anyone about his affair in order to protect himself. And right before his death he is given a chance to live by giving the names of those he thought were witches but instead of giving in he did not give any names and embraced his death. And thus we see a transformation of one person in a community of bad who lived out the true ideas of the protestants, accepting your faults and being honest about it.
Questions:
1. What are similarities Proctor and Danforth share throughout the book?
2. What are their differences between the two?
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