Crucible 11/20

Cheever: "I know Mr. Parris be arguin' with the farmers all yesterday-there is a great contention, sir, about the cows. Contention make him weep, sir; it were always man that weep for contention." (125)

Here, Cheever is saying that Mr. Parris is upset and crying because of an argument over who's cow is who's. But, I don't think a man, especially in this particular situation, would cry over something as small as that. He has bigger problems to deal with. Maybe the real reason he cries is because something worse has happened with Betty, or maybe even Abigail. Later we come find out that something actually has happened. Abigail has "vanished" and has been gone for three days. So, Parris must have been crying because his niece is missing, not over a impractical cow argument. There was much more to his crying, Cheever was being oblivious to the witchcraft event going on at the time to even think that it was something more than a small argument.

Proctor: "You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!"(120)

Here, Proctor is making a very bold statement. He is saying that Danforth is bringing Heaven and God down and putting a whore (Abigail) above God and Heaven. He says this because he has done nothing but tell the truth through this whole event and Danforth is insisting on believing Abigail, who is lying out of her teeth. Proctor is being a good man, he is doing what is right and doing what God would want him to do. He is putting God and Heaven first, but Danforth is listening to Abigail and saying that Proctor is lying. He won't even think twice to see if Abigail really is lying, he is believing her because she is a "child" and since he thinks Proctor is a lecher, he thinks everything else that Proctor does must be a lie or ungodly like.

With Abby's disappearance, are the people going to think it witchcraft?

Or, are the people going to think Proctor or Elizabeth have something to do with her disappearance?