In Act 4 of Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Giles Corey refuses to plead guilty resulting in a heroic death, which reveals the excessive confidence and pride Giles shares in his own beliefs and values. This is shown through the literary devices irony and symbolism. Before John Proctor makes up his mind about confessing, he briefly talks with Elizabeth. Proctor asks Elizabeth if Giles Corey, a long time member of the Salem community, had confessed yet. She then explains, “He were not hanged. He would not answer yay or nay to his indictment; for if he denied charge they’d hang him surely, and auction out his property. So he stand mute, and died Christian under the law.” (Miller, pg. 125). Irony can be found in an event or statement that’s meaning is directly opposite to what someone might expect. …show more content…
Either path Giles chooses leads to the same, fateful demise. This situation is ironic because typically if someone is not guilty (innocent), they are supported by the court and able to continue living a desirable life. By choosing to not take either path, Giles does not allow the law to determine his own life’s outcome. Through this, he is characterized as a man possessing significant amounts of pride, courage, and self-confidence. As Giles demonstrates, these are all traits needed to stand against the bias court system, under the law’s misguided judgement. After Elizabeth explains what Giles died for, she dives deeper into the details of his death by stating, “Great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. They say he give them but two words. ‘More weight,’ he says. And died.” (Miller pg. 125). At the time of the execution, the town of Salem was frantic about finding the source of witchcraft. Weighed down, Giles Corey was violently tortured in an attempt to force a