Monday, June 23, 2014

Quotes on topics including: commitment and loyalty, mass hysteria, and power of suggestion of the novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller.I'm looking...

The courtroom scene is a hard one to pinpoint individual quotes in, as the power of it lies in the interaction between the girls, Judge Danforth and the Proctors. But if you are looking for support of the mass hysteria, you could use Mary's confession before she gets frightened and goes back to Abby's "side" --


"MARY: I… I cannot tell you how, but I did. I… I heard the other girls screaming, and you, your Honor, you seemed to believe them and I… It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I… I promise you, Mister Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not".


I would simply state that Mary shows honesty here only once, despite her fears of the repercussions of Abigail and the crazed townspeople, but she finds the pressure of the mass hysteria to be too much.


In fact, it's a little bit ironic, as she tells the truth in the above quote...when she'd gone along with Abigail before, she truly believed that there were spirits. She tricked herself into believing.


BUT, after she tells the truth, she lies...she consciously chooses to "see" spirits, to see lies.

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