Crucible Theme: Power and manipulation
Universal Theme Statement: When trying to gain power, people will often manipulate the people around them in order to attain more power for themselves.
Quote #1: “She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance, and you must see it now.” (110)
Analysis of Quote: John Proctor desperately tried to expose Abigail Williams as a fraud without leaking the news of their affair. When Abigail and the girls deny Mary Warren’s testimony in order to have Elizabeth hang, John Proctor leapt up at Abigail and told the court, “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave!” (110). He continued to ridicule Abigail by accusing her actions of being a whore’s vengeance. Abigail accused Elizabeth and tried to have her hang so that she could become Proctor’s wife. But while trying to achieve her one true wish, her manipulative tactics backfired with John’s confession of the affair. Abigail ultimately failed in her
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He accused Putnam of prompting his daughter to accuse their fellow townsmen of witchery, like George Jacobs, in order to seize more land. He explains to Danforth that, “If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property- that’s law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a price” (96). The tension between Corey and Putnam shows the tension between people in the town, but it also exemplifies the way they manipulated people in order to receive power for themselves. Corey’s claims show that Putnam tried to manipulate George Jacobs by having his daughter accuse him and have him hang, and he would buy Jacobs's land, which is his symbol of power and