In Act IV of The Crucible, everyone has seemingly reached a breaking point. Abigail has fled Salem, the court is done waiting for confessions, and hundreds of accused townspeople have confessed to crimes they did not commit. This is where people’s true colors come out. Hale has strayed from the ideas of the other members of the court and is working night and day to save the lives of those accused. Court members such as Danforth are obviously worried that they killed twelve innocent people, and now they are in too deep to stop the murders. So Danforth refuses to delay the hangings so that no doubt can be placed on his decisions by the townspeople. He is valuing the integrity of the court over innocent people’s lives, as well as condemning himself by killing people even though he probably knows he is wrong.
At this point, Proctor has been in a dungeon for three months, and he is trying to decide whether to confess. It is clear that these people accused of conspiring with the devil are devoted Christians, though, because of how they refuse to lie. They see lying as a sin and reject the option to save themselves by doing so. They would rather die pure than live as a sinner. This seems like the most obvious sign that someone has not compacted with the devil.
Near the very end, when Proctor has chosen to hang, Rebecca Nurse says, “Let you fear nothing! Another judgment waits us all!” (Miller 133). This basically sums up the whole play. Those who confessed will be saved, and those who murdered innocent people will be condemned.
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