The Crucible Act 2 Summary & Analysis

It’s easy to think that Arthur Miller’s The Crucible (published in 1953 as a criticism of McCarthyism) depicts a societal delusion that couldn’t happen today. However, in a world full of “fake news” and conspiracy theories, The Crucible’s presentation of the paranoia, guilt, and jealousy that beset Salem feels all too relevant. Miller’s text continues to speak to the tensions at the heart of American society. Without further ado, let’s look at a summary and analysis of The Crucible Act 2.

All page numbers reference the 2015 edition of the text from Penguin Classics.

Quick Review Act 1

Before we tackle Act 2 of The Crucible, it’s worth reviewing the events of Act 1 (if you need a complete summary, you can find it here). Two girls in Salem (Ruth and Betty) have fallen ill – their parents suspect witchcraft. When first questioned about her involvement, Abigail claims that she and the girls were merely dancing in the woods (a sin in itself). Under further questioning from her uncle (Reverend Parris) and Reverend Hale (an expert in demonology), Abigail’s story morphs until she begins to accuse various women in the town of witchcraft. Into this mix comes John Proctor, a respected farmer who had a sexual liaison with Abigail. 

The Crucible – Act Two Summary and Analysis

Act Two takes place eight days after the events of Act Two. John has just arrived home from seeding his land and Elizabeth is upstairs putting the children to bed. John tastes the soup that’s on the fire and, perhaps finding it a bit bland, adds some salt. When Elizabeth comes down and serves John rabbit stew, John compliments her cooking (to her great pleasure). While we can tell that John is trying to be kind to his wife, there’s tension in the air. 

As they continue talking, we begin to understand that events are moving fast in Salem. To John’s great anger, Elizabeth tells him that their maid, Mary Warren, thas been in Salem all day. John is furious, having forbidden her from going, and asks why Elizabeth allowed it. We see how the power dynamics in the community have changed when Elizbeth admits that she’s frightened of Mary. John is astonished to hear that Mary has been declaring herself “an official of the court” (53). 

Mary’s newfound sense of importance is just the tip of the iceberg. Elizabeth tells John that fourteen people have been jailed for witchcraft. More disturbing is the town’s deference to  Abigail. Elizabeth says that the way Mary “speak[s] of Abigail…I thought she were a saint, to hear her” (53). We also hear just how powerful Abigail has become. Apparently, when she comes to court with the other girls, “the crowd will part like the sea for Israel” (53). People are brought to the court before Abigail and the girls – “if [Abigail and the girls] scream and howl and fall to the floor – the person’s clapped in jail” (53). 

The Crucible Act 2 Summary & Analysis (Continued)

When Elizabeth tells John that he must go to Salem to denounce Abigail, we begin to see the real tension at the heart of this conversation. John has previously told Elizabeth what Abigail told him in Parris’ house the week before – that Abigail and the other girls were merely dancing in the forest. Elizabeth wants John to go to Salem and share this information, but John has doubts as to whether the town will believe him. He says that “If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she’s a fraud” (54). As if it were insignificant, he adds that he has no proof, as  “She told it to me in a room alone” (54). 

Now, I’m not a marriage counselor, but even I know that admitting to your wife that you were in a room alone with the (17-year-old) girl you had sex with is not going to go well. Unsurprisingly, Elizabeth is pissed – John had told her that others were present. She feels that John has lied to her and, unsurprisingly, their conversation devolves. Elizabeth suggests that John’s reluctance to denounce Abigail is due to some feeling he still has for her. At this John explodes, claiming that he’s walked on eggshells around Elizabeth since Abigail left their house. He says he’s done trying to convince her that he’s honest. Again – not a marriage counselor – but I think his wife gets to be as mad as she wants (for as long as she wants) once he confesses to having sex with your seventeen-year-old maid. 

Summary Continued

Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Mary Warren. John starts to berate Mary for having gone to Salem for the trials, but Mary seems strange – pallid and weak. Both John and Elizabeth are curious about what is happening at the trial. To their horror, Mary tells them that thirty-nine people are now in jail and that Goody Osborn will hang. More importantly, Mary tells them about Sarah Good. Sarah has confessed to making a pact with Lucifer (and will therefore not hang). (Significantly, she also gives Elizabeth a doll she made in court.) 

(If you think this kind of group paranoia is far-fetched, you might be too young to remember the “satanic panic” of the 1980s.)”

The way Mary tells about her experience in court is fascinating. When Elizabeth and John ask about Sarah Good, Mary casually says that Sarah “near to choked us all to death,” in open court (57). John and Elizabeth are incredulous, but Mary is certain, adding that Sarah Good “tried to kill me many times” (57). Miller’s stage directions are crucial to understanding Mary’s experience. When Mary describes how she “knows” that Sarah Good tried to kill her, we read that she speaks, “like one awakened to a marvelous secret insight” (57, italics in original).

The Crucible Act 2 Summary & Analysis (Continued)

We can understand how “witchcraft” is working for Mary. This “secret insight” gives her explanatory power – she can suddenly make sense of what seemed to be unexplainable. So when recounts how her “guts would burst for two days after” every time Sarah Good spoke to her, she doesn’t merely have frequent explosive diarrhea, it’s clearly witchcraft (57). 

We can see an additional motivation for Mary’s behavior in her subsequent interactions with John. When John forbids her to go to court and threatens to whip her, Mary blurts out “I saved her [Elizabeth’s] life today” (59). In the stunned silence that follows, Mary asks that John “not be so sarcastical no more,” adding that she had dinner with “four judges and the King’s deputy…but an hour ago.” Intended or not, Mary’s accusations have raised her stature in town considerably. Ten days ago she was a lowly servant, tonight she’s dining with the King’s deputy. 

After Mary goes to bed, John and Elizabeth talk about what they know must be coming – Abigail is going to accuse Elizabeth. John thinks he can go to Ezekiel Cheever, the clerk of the court, but Elizabeth thinks that it has gone too far already. Elizabeth believes that Abigail aims to kill her and take her place as John’s wife. The only way to end this is for John to talk to Abigail directly. Whatever illusions Abigail may have about John’s intentions, Elizabeth understands that he must be direct – “go tell her she’s a whore” (61). 

The Crucible Act 2 Summary & Analysis (Continued)

As John readies himself to go to Salem, Reverend Hale enters. (Any reader should know that this is not good news for John and Elizabeth.) After some brief pleasantries, Hale tells them his business – Elizabeth’s name has been mentioned in court. Hale wants to ask some questions of John and Elizabeth regarding “the Christian characters of this house” (62). When Hale notes that John attends church rarely, John’s disdain for Parris comes out. It turns out that Parris had been unhappy at the simple pewter candlesticks of the church and preached about golden candlesticks until the parish finally bought some. This gross materialism offends John, who says that Parris “dreams cathedrals, not clapboard meeting houses” (65). 

When asked why only two of his three sons are baptized, John’s distaste for Parris becomes clearer. He says that he doesn’t want Parris to touch his sons, as he sees “no light of God in that man” (63). Hale replies that it’s not for John to decide who has the light of God. John can no longer restrain his frustration with Hale’s questioning and asks him directly what he suspects. Hale claims to suspect nothing, but suddenly pivots, asking John to recite the commandments. John manages to recall nine, but (symptomatically) forgets “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Elizabeth reminds him (awkward!).  

Summary Continued 

With his wife’s safety at stake, John finally reveals to Hale what Abigail told him the night he [Hale] arrived – that “it had naught to do with witchcraft” (65). Hale is taken aback, pointing out that many have confessed. John doubts this evidence, pointing out that confessing is the only way they won’t be hanged. Hale is determined to get to the bottom of the Proctors’ faith, asking John if he believes in witches. John reluctantly says that if they are in the bible then he will not deny it. Elizabeth is not so accommodating. She declares that if Hale “thinks that I am one, then I say there are none” (67). Hale seems beat, telling them to go to church, get their son baptized, and keep their heads down. 

The Crucible Act 2 Summary & Analysis (Continued)

As if on cue, Giles Corey and Francis Nurse appear in the doorway. Their wives have been arrested. They appeal to Hale, who seems to know nothing about these most recent arrests. However, he nonetheless asserts the validity of his investigation. Suddenly, to everyone’s shock, Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick appear at the door – Elizabeth has been charged with witchcraft. Cheever says he has been sent to search for a “poppet” – a doll – and spies the one given to Elizabeth by Mary. Cheever pulls a needle from the doll and gasps. It turns out that Abigail had had an “attack” during dinner and “pulled out” a needle from her belly. She claimed that Elizabeth’s “familiar” had stabbed her. 

Mary comes downstairs with Elizabeth and, when asked, confirms the doll is hers. John, enraged that this evidence seems to hold no weight with Cheever or Herrick, tears up the warrant and demands they leave his house. John says that it is not witchcraft in Salem, rather, “vengeance is walking Salem.” Herrick insists that he must take Elizabeth. John calls Hale Pontius Pilate for his cowardice. Suddenly, Elizabeth interrupts and agrees to go with Herrick and Cheever. They put Elizabeth in chains and take her. 

The Crucible Act 2 Summary & Analysis (Continued)

Even with all the evidence he’s just heard from Mary, Hale still believes that there must be some grave evil in Salem that has provoked such ire from God. He leaves, rattled. John has no such illusions. He grabs Mary and attempts to bring her with him to court. Mary reveals that she knows what Abigail and John did together – she says Abigail will ruin him with it. At this point, John has ceased to care. He says, “We will slide together into our pit; you will tell the court what you know” (74). 

Yikes!

Wrapping Up

While Act One of The Crucible introduced the themes and motivating concerns of the play, Act Two begins to show the consequences. Jealousy, sexual guilt, and shame combine with the power of the law to wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary people. If you’ve enjoyed this post, I’ve also written on 1984, The Great Gatsby, Hamlet, and Brave New World.