Why does danforth refuse to postpone the hangings

Parris reveals that Abigail and Mercy Lewis have stolen all of his money and run off in the night. What is the condition of Salem at this point? The condition of Salem at this point is that so many are in the jails, the town has gone deserted, farms are empty and broken up, cows are wandering the road because nobody is around to tend, or mend fences. How does Andover differ from Salem? The people of Andover rose up against the court and threw them out. How do the proposed hangings of Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor differ from the past executions?

Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor are respectable people, not outcasts. What does Reverend Parris want Danforth to do? Parris wants Danforth to postpone, not cancel, the hangings. He is still just looking out for himself because there was a knife in his door one morning.

He is worried that the town will rise up and blame him. What does Reverend Hale want Danforth to do? Parris has to argue with the farmers because they are fighting over the wandering cows.

With cows wandering the streets and the town in chaos, the threat of rebellion becomes more real. Danforth is also comfortable in his position of authority and boasts about how many witches he has sentenced to death. However, Danforth's attitude begins to change as John Proctor, Mary Warren, Giles Corey, and Francis Nurse begin to challenge the court's proceedings and defend the accused citizens. We learn of his tragic fate in Act Four , when Elizabeth Proctor informs her husband, John, of his death.

Giles refused to respond to the charges against him and was pressed to death. His accusers placed huge stones on his chest until he died. His last words supposedly were, "More weight! Asked by: Graciana Steinfurth pop culture celebrity scandal Why does Danforth refuse to postpone the hangings? Danforth refuses to postpone the hangings because it would admit some wrongdoing or doubt, a "floundering" on their part and it would also cast doubt on the executions and condemnations of the who have already been hanged.

Valquiria Tronci Professional. Why is Parris afraid a riot will break out over the recent executions? Why is Parris afraid of this news? Parris suggests they postpone the executions because he fears for his own life and retaliation against him. Sebastien Camio Professional. Why does Hale think there is blood on my head?

What does Reverend Hale mean when he says," there is blood on my head! Hale says this on page , and he means that he feels guilty for the people he sentenced to hang when he was a part of the court. He feels guilty because he now realizes Abigail is a liar and there are no witches in Salem Miller Pinkie Springstube Professional. What happened to Giles? Corey and his wife were accused of practicing witchcraft. Giles refused to relent, and he is later thrown in jail. He ends up being pressed to death.

Why does Danforth refuse to postpone the hangings? What reason does Danforth give for having to hang the remainder of the prisoners?

According to Hale, what has happened to Salem? What makes Danforth anxious to obtain confessions? He remains convinced that everyone is guilty. Danforth also becomes frustrated with Proctor when he won't name names in his confession: "Mr.

Proctor, a score of people have already testified they saw [Rebecca Nurse] with the Devil" pg. Danforth is convinced that John knows more about the Devil's dealings than he has revealed. Though Rebecca Nurse's involvement has already been corroborated by other confessors, Danforth demands to hear it from John.

This testimony will confirm that John is fully committed to renouncing his supposed ties to Satan. As the hysteria over the witch trials dies down, it becomes apparent that the reputations of the accused continue to influence how they are treated as prisoners.

Parris begs Danforth to postpone the executions of John and Rebecca because they're so well-respected that he's received death threats for going along with their hangings. He says, "I would to God it were not so, Excellency, but these people have great weight yet in the town" pg. However, Danforth's own reputation as a strong judge hangs in the balance, and he dares not damage it by getting all wishy-washy. While I speak God's law, I will not crack its voice with whimpering" pg. John Proctor's concern for his reputation also plays a role in the events of Act 4.

He goes to the gallows instead of providing a false confession because he realizes his life won't be worth living if he publicly disgraces himself in this way: "How may I live without my name? In Act 4, many of the power structures that were in place earlier in the play have broken down or become meaningless. Though the judges and reverends technically still hold official positions of authority, Reverend Parris has been subjected to death threats, and Salem as a whole seems to be in complete disarray.

The judges now have little respect for Parris "Mr. Parris, you are a brainless man! The prisoners have lost what little faith they had in the earthly authority figures who have failed them, and they look towards the judgment of God. John ultimately realizes the only power he has left is in refusing to confess and preserving his integrity. As Elizabeth says to him, "There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is! In steadfastly refusing to confess, Rebecca Nurse ends up holding onto a significant amount of power.

The judges cannot force her to commit herself to a lie, and her sacrifice will deal a serious blow to their legitimacy. Several characters are still dealing with intense guilt at the end of The Crucible.

After quitting the court in Act 3, Hale did some self-reflection and decided to return to Salem to advise the accused witches to confess. His rationalization is that encouraging people to lie to save their lives is a forgivable sin, but being responsible for the deaths of innocents is not. He's wracked with guilt over the part he played in kicking off the witchcraft hysteria "There is blood on my head! However, because Hale is so tormented, he's only able to consider his personal feelings about the situation.

The false confessions might absolve him of his guilt, but the confessors would be forced to live the rest of their lives in shame. This might seem strange to us today obviously you should just lie to avoid being executed! This is not just a matter of upholding one's good name in society—it's a matter of the state of one's soul.

To the most devout people like Rebecca Nurse in such a highly religious culture, lying about involvement with the Devil might be considered worse than death.

If a person dies without sin, she will go to Heaven, but if she corroborates the lie perpetuated by the courts, her soul will carry a permanent stain and could spend eternity in Purgatory or Hell. Hale's argument is less than convincing to people who have spent their whole lives in service to God and don't intend to compromise such an excellent record.

Meanwhile, John Proctor continues to feel guilty for his affair and the role it has played in putting both he and his wife in mortal peril. A deep fear of hypocrisy almost persuades Proctor to confess because he would feel guilty martyring himself next to other people like Rebecca Nurse who are genuinely without sin. He says, "My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man" pg. However, he ultimately doesn't allow his guilt to define him and refuses to give up the remainder of his integrity.

Elizabeth also displays some guilt in Act 4 when she partially blames herself for pushing John into Abigail's arms "I have sins of my own to count. It takes a cold wife to prompt lechery" pg. The sexism of the play shows through in Elizabeth's guilt.

She has been conditioned to believe that it's her job to prevent her husband from straying by being a happy homemaker. If we weren't entirely sure that this play was written in the s before, it's pretty clear now.

She was bedridden, but that's no excuse for not attending to John's every need. What was she expecting? That he wouldn't sleep with a teenager? Let's do a quick recap of the events of Act 4 , the frustrating conclusion of The Crucible :. In Miller's short afterward, entitled "Echoes Down the Corridor," he states that Parris was soon voted out of office, and the families of the victims of the witch trials were later provided with compensation by the government. He claims that in the aftermath of the trials, "the power of theocracy in Massachusetts was broken.

Now that you've read summaries for each act of The Crucible, check out our complete thematic analysis of the play so you can kick butt on all your English quizzes and essays.

Need some quotes to flesh out your essay? Read this list of the most important quotes in The Crucible , cataloged by theme. You should also take a look at our analyses of two of the most important women in The Crucible , Abigail Williams and Rebecca Nurse.

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