CRUCIBLE: END

DANFORTH: “If retaliation is your [Hale] fear, know this – I should hang ten thousand that dared to rise against the law, and an ocean of salt tears could not melt the resolution of the statues” (129).

This is an essential quote as it proves to exemplify the lengths Danforth is willing to take to preserve the “infallibility” of the court system. While his motives behind killing innocent people were clear, Danforth denied it claiming that the court system cannot make mistakes since it is a representation of the Lord himself. For that reason, Danforth maintained the initial accusations. With the possibility of the court’s deficiencies being revealed, Danforth begins to assertively defend the court. I sense that he is getting nervous. He even threatens to kill anybody who dares to even challenge his authority. It demonstrates Danforth’s obsession with power and the things he is willing to do in order to uphold the court system.

PROCTOR: “Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before” (136).

Proctor is a character to be commended for his insight and fortitude. Throughout the text, Proctor was a character that rose above society’s norm asserting the true vales behind Christianity. Faced with a moral dilemma, Proctor doesn’t know whether to lie and live or stay true and die. With little help from his wife, Proctor must try and figure out what would be the right thing to do. His statement here is an example of why it would not necessarily be a bad thing to lie. This court system is flawed and has been since day one. Therefore, lying to them would not be as bad as lying to God. Proctor is not a witch but he is also not a saint: “I think it is honest, I think so; I am no saint … Let Rebecca go like a saint; for me it is fraud” (138). Proctor reasonably comes to the conclusion that it would be in his best interest to ‘confess’. He knows that God is aware of his sins and in the end that is all that matters.