The Crucible
Act IV
Irony
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Who does Sarah Good equate with
the Devil?
The court and its false accusations
and injustice.
Why is this ironic?
She looks at the Devil as a blessed
escape.
Theme
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What theme do you think Herrick’s
drunkenness on execution day
implies?
Herrick finds the proceedings too
distasteful to face without the
numbness of alcohol.
This suggests that he, like others,
knows injustice is taking place but
feels powerless to stop it.
Theme
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Danforth: There is a prodigious
stench in this place.
What theme is implied here?
The stench is the crimes of the court
rather than of the prisoners.
The broad theme suggested here is
that evil cannot take place without
consequences.
Theme
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What theme does Miller convey through
Hathorne’s description of Parris?
Parris has lied from the beginning and
bears a great deal of responsibility for the
hysteria.
Parris is now suffering from the guilt and
shame of having condemned innocent
people to death.
Evil will come back to haunt the person
who commits it.
Speculation
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Why have Abigail and Mercy run away?
Abigail is afraid that the tide of opinion in
Salem will turn against the accusers.
Abigail doesn’t want to stay in Salem
when she knows her affair with John is
over.
They both want to start over somewhere
else.
Speculation
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Why does Parris wait so long to tell
Hathorne of the girls’ disappearance?
He didn’t want to admit that he was
a poor guardian or that Abigail has
made a fool of him.
Speculation
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Why does Danforth refuse to
postpone the hangings?
He does not want to risk the court’s
reputation.
He thinks that people will interpret a
postponement as weakness or doubt,
and he won’t let that happen.
Theme
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Hale: Excellency, there are orphans
wandering from house to house;
abandoned cattle bellow on the
highroads, the stink of rotting crops
hangs everywhere, and no man
knows when the harlot’s cry will end
his life --- and you wonder yet if
rebellion’s spoke?
Theme
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What themes of abandonment are
conveyed in the quote by Hale?
Persecution of the innocent destroys
the society it claims to be protecting.
Theme
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What theme does Danforth’s refusal
to postpone the hangings suggest?
It suggests that unjust people, out of
fear, shame, or pride, will perpetuate
or defend their mistakes.
Universal Theme
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Is any principle worth the giving of a
person’s life?
Theme
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Miller’s theme is that honesty and
integrity are stronger than any
attempt to break them down.
How does Elizabeth’s behavior and
attitude support this theme?
Elizabeth shows that she can still
triumph over her feelings because
she knows herself to be honest.
Theme
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Proctor: I’d have you [Elizabeth] see
some honesty in it. Let them that
never lied die now to keep their
souls. It is pretense for me, a vanity
that will not blind God nor keep my
children out of the wind.
Theme
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What theme does Miller convey
through John Proctor’s statements
about honesty?
Miller shows that a man can be a
hero in spite of having some flaws.
Proctor’s integrity is still strong.
Theme
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Judgment
How has Elizabeth changed since her
conversation with John in Act II?
In Act II, she judged him because of
his adultery; now she refuses to
judge him.
She has learned humility.
Theme
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Which details of Rebecca Nurse’s
character reinforce the theme of
courage and personal integrity?
• Her refusal to confess
• Her pleasure in seeing that Proctor is
still alive
• Her compassion for him when she hears
him giving a false confession
Situational Irony
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Miller suggests throughout the play
that the Devil is not a supernatural
being.
The Devil exists in human beings and
is manifested in their pride, avarice,
envy, malice, and lies.
John has indeed seen the Devil – in
Abigail, the Putnams, in Danforth,
and even in himself.
Theme
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What theme is suggested by
Proctor’s desire to keep his name
clean?
Proctor equates his name with
himself – with his identity.
His name symbolizes who he is.
The honor of his name is a deeply
personal thing and he is unwilling to
betray it.
Theme
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In what way does Proctor’s change of
heart at the end of the act reflect the
themes of integrity and courage?
Proctor agrees to die as an honest
man rather than to live as a liar and
a traitor to his friends and his
conscience.