1.12 The Crucible Quotes
My Initial Impression of the Act:
When Mrs. Putnam is introduced for the first time, she is described as “a twisted soul of forty-five, a death-ridden woman, haunted by dreams”, which is not precisely what you would call an emboldening description. Through her aperture lines, we can facilely optically discern that Mrs. Putnam is a very manipulative and assertive woman, who believes in witchcraft, as she instantly believes that Betty’s quandary has been caused by witchcraft. As far as Mr. Putnam is concerned, albeit his introductive description states “a well-to-do, hard-handed landowner, near fifty”, it does not tell us much about him. However, his description in page 22, he is called “vindictive”, instantly revealing more about his character. The line “so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam” reveals that he is more kindred to his wife than we first expected.
Act 1:
“They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world.” This quotation emanates from Miller’s long exordium at the commencement of the play. Though these are words not verbalized in the authentic play, this note from the author is critical, particularly in establishing the parallel between the Salem of 1692 and the Washington of the 1950s. In both cases, prominent bellwethers believed that they were bulwarking a society and way of life that was not just good, but could be a model for the rest of the world. The metaphor of the candle is telling, as it implicatively insinuates a darkness threatening the light. When one cerebrates of one’s mission as bulwarking the light of the world, it is facile to justify extreme quantifications.
“There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!” Ann Putnam’s statement—spoken in reference to what is, in her mind, the unsolved murder of her seven dead newborns—captures in vivid language the paranoid and conspiratorial
When Mrs. Putnam is introduced for the first time, she is described as “a twisted soul of forty-five, a death-ridden woman, haunted by dreams”, which is not precisely what you would call an emboldening description. Through her aperture lines, we can facilely optically discern that Mrs. Putnam is a very manipulative and assertive woman, who believes in witchcraft, as she instantly believes that Betty’s quandary has been caused by witchcraft. As far as Mr. Putnam is concerned, albeit his introductive description states “a well-to-do, hard-handed landowner, near fifty”, it does not tell us much about him. However, his description in page 22, he is called “vindictive”, instantly revealing more about his character. The line “so many accusations against people are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam” reveals that he is more kindred to his wife than we first expected.
Act 1:
“They believed, in short, that they held in their steady hands the candle that would light the world.” This quotation emanates from Miller’s long exordium at the commencement of the play. Though these are words not verbalized in the authentic play, this note from the author is critical, particularly in establishing the parallel between the Salem of 1692 and the Washington of the 1950s. In both cases, prominent bellwethers believed that they were bulwarking a society and way of life that was not just good, but could be a model for the rest of the world. The metaphor of the candle is telling, as it implicatively insinuates a darkness threatening the light. When one cerebrates of one’s mission as bulwarking the light of the world, it is facile to justify extreme quantifications.
“There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!” Ann Putnam’s statement—spoken in reference to what is, in her mind, the unsolved murder of her seven dead newborns—captures in vivid language the paranoid and conspiratorial