PROCTOR, his eyes full of tears: I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. Elizabeth, in a burst of terror, rushes to him and weeps against his hand. Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it! He has lifted her, and kisses her now with great passion.
REBECCA: Let you fear nothing! Another judgment waits us all!
DANFORTH: Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption! He sweeps out past them. Herrick starts to lead Rebecca, who almost collapses, but Proctor catches her, and she glances up at him apologetically.
REBECCA: I’ve had no breakfast.
HERRICK: Come, man.
Herrick escorts them out, Hathorne and Cheever behind them. Elizabeth stands staring at the empty doorway.
Here John is final in his decision, he cannot confess to being with the Devil knowing that it is a lie. Elizabeth reconciles with his decision because she too knows that he is doing the right thing. Rebecca, for a while now, had been firm in her decision to not confess, and now encourages John and reminds him that the judgement of God is the only one that matters. Danforth by this time is completely convinced that he was is and has been in the right, and pushes ahead with the hangings, and shows no sympathy or remorse whatsoever. At one time it seemed as though he was wavering, but now he has given himself over to the idea of witchcraft.
This quote has so much to unpack. First, there is Proctor's internal struggle that he is finally putting into words, struggling with his past but also struggling with whether he will live. Second, there is Rebecca's words, which she hopes will comfort her husband in his time of trial but are simply discarded by the judges. Last, there is the sheer unguided determination of the judges to restore the town to a peace. All of these elements combine together in the end to create a powerful, and even chaotic, ending to the story, with characters trying to fulfill their desires and face their own struggles while caught up in the aftermath of the trials.
ReplyDeleteYes, all you have said is true. It is interesting to see how each characters decisions have led them to this conclusion. I believe Arthur is showing the many different ways one can go in this life, and the only two outcomes. Here we have four people with two fates. Either keep your pride on this earth, or take pride in your life in Heaven. As James said, there is so much to unpack, but I think that is the general gist of it. I could be wrong.
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