Crucible Classwork

Rev. Parris-  priest living in Salem, mean, no care for children 

"He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side" (3)

Betty Parris- daughter of Rev. Parris 

"His daughter, Betty Parris, aged ten, is lying on the bed, inert"(3)

John Proctor- rebellious

"John Proctor would rebel against (the two-man patrol)" (5)

Martha Corey- suspected "witch" 

"Martha laid herself down on his chest and 'nearly suffocated him'" (7)

The Crucible talks about the town of Salem, where its people just want everything to be normal. Their standards of normal are for everyone to be pious and communal. If one did not follow these common measures, then one would be shunned. The overture states that there would be a two-man patrol looking out for anything out of the ordinary. This is going to be important when the suspicion of witches occurs.

To wrap that up, one key quote to remember from the overture is that "the people of Salem developed a theocracy, a combine of state and religious power whose function was to keep the community together, and to prevent any kind of disunity that might open it to destruction by material or ideological enemies" (7). They were to be one community that followed the rules of the state and the Church. If they went out of the line, the individual would be hurt, and so would the community.