|
|
Post by alkapad38 on Oct 10, 2011 19:59:23 GMT -5
It is very interesting how the social standings of characters change throughout the play. Who gains power and who loses it? What unlikely alliances are made and broken?
|
|
|
|
Post by alkapad38 on Oct 10, 2011 20:06:42 GMT -5
On page 98, Proctor says, "Peace, Giles, we'll prove it all now." Even though Corey was very low in Salem society and Proctor was very respected, the crisis turns everything upside down. Proctor and Corey are now united through their common cause. There is a saying that goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." That is exactly what happens when both men are trying to save their wives from being hanged. Proctor's status in the town has dropped to the point where he and Corey are on the same level.
|
|
|
|
Post by mabohal35 on Oct 10, 2011 23:35:11 GMT -5
Abigail and Mercy start off the play with no power whatsoever but quickly gain power when it is discovered that they " know" who the witches are. when others catch on to their lies however, they run away and lose all their power. In the beginning of the play, Parris clearly does not care for Abigail, but since her accusations of witchcraft make him the center of the Puritan community, a relationship is formed in which her lies allow him to obtain elevated power.
|
|
|
|
Post by aihughe38 on Oct 11, 2011 11:09:13 GMT -5
Another alliance that is surprisingly made, and subsequently broken, is the one between Mary and Proctor when they try to prove that the girls were never cursed. In Proctor's house, it is clear that he is the one who holds the power over Mary, and is thus able to order her to admit that she lied about being bewitched. However, once they are in the presence of Danforth and Hathorne, Mary becomes aware that Proctor's power and influence at that moment lay in the alliance he made with her. Because of this, when she broke that alliance, Proctor lost the power he held over both Mary and the rest of the court, and Mary gained power as his accuser.
|
|
