Summary
I never knew what pretense Salem was,
I never knew the lying lessons. . . .
(See Important Quotations Explained)
John Proctor, a local farmer, enters Parris’s house to
join the girls. Proctor disdains hypocrisy, and many people resent
him for exposing their foolishness. However, Proctor is uneasy with
himself because he had conducted an extramarital affair with Abigail.
His wife, Elizabeth, discovered the affair and promptly dismissed
Abigail from her work at the Proctor home.
Proctor caustically reminds Mary Warren, who now works
for him, that he forbade her to leave his house, and he threatens
to whip her if she does not obey his rules. Mercy Lewis and Mary
depart. Abigail declares that she waits for Proctor at night. Proctor
angers her by replying that he made no promises to her during their
affair. She retorts that he cannot claim that he has no feelings
for her because she has seen him looking up at her window. He admits
that he still harbors kind feelings for her but asserts that their
relationship is over. Abigail mocks Proctor for bending to the will
of his “cold, sniveling” wife. Proctor threatens to give Abigail
a whipping for insulting his wife. Abigail cries that Proctor put
knowledge in her heart, and she declares that he cannot ask her
to forget what she has learned—namely, that all of Salem operates
on pretense and lies.
The crowd in the parlor sings a psalm. At the phrase “going
up to Jesus,” Betty covers her ears and collapses into hysterics.
Parris, Mercy, and the Putnams rush into the room. Mrs. Putnam concludes
that Betty is bewitched and cannot hear the Lord’s name without
pain. Rebecca Nurse, an elderly woman, joins them. Her husband,
Francis Nurse, is highly respected in Salem, and many people ask
him to arbitrate their disputes. Over the years, he gradually bought
up the 300 acres that
he once rented, and some people resent his success. He and Thomas
Putnam bitterly disputed a matter of land boundaries. Moreover,
Francis belonged to the faction that prevented Putnam’s brother-in-law
from winning the Salem ministry. Giles Corey, a muscular, wiry eighty-three-year-old
farmer, joins the crowd in the room as Rebecca stands over Betty.
Betty gradually quiets in Rebecca’s gentle presence. Rebecca assures everyone
that Ruth and Betty are probably only suffering from a childish
fit, derived from overstimulation.
Proctor asks if Parris consulted the legal authorities
or called a town meeting before he asked Reverend Hale to uncover
demons in Salem. Rebecca fears that a witch-hunt will spark even
more disputes. Putnam demands that Parris have Hale search for signs
of witchcraft. Proctor reminds Putnam that he cannot command Parris and
states that Salem does not grant votes on the basis of wealth. Putnam
retorts that Proctor should not worry about Salem’s government because
he does not attend church regularly like a good citizen. Proctor
announces that he does not agree with Parris’s emphasis on “hellfire
and damnation” in his sermons.
Parris and Giles bicker over the question of whether Parris should
be granted six pounds for firewood expenses. Parris claims that
the six pounds are part of his salary and that his contract stipulates
that the community provide him with firewood. Giles claims that
Parris overstepped his boundaries in asking for the deed to his (Parris’s)
house. Parris replies that he does not want the community to be
able to toss him out on a whim; his possession of the deed will make
it more difficult for citizens to disobey the church.
Parris contends that Proctor does not have the right to
defy his religious authority. He reminds Proctor that Salem is not
a community of Quakers, and he advises Proctor to inform his “followers”
of this fact. Parris declares that Proctor belongs to a faction
in the church conspiring against him. Proctor shocks everyone when
he says that he does not like Parris’s kind of authority and would
love to find and join this enemy faction.
