The Crucible Summary

Parris’s Synopsis: When the curtain rises on The Crucible, we are transported to Reverend Samuel house in Salem, Massachusetts in the spring of 1692. Shortly into the story, we learn that the Reverend’s daughter, Betty, and Goody Putnam’s daughter, Ruth, lie motionless on their beds after their outing in the forest the night before. Abigail, Reverend Parris’s niece, is questioned about the possibility of witchcraft in the forest, but she denies the claims made against her. Soon after, John Proctor comes to check on Betty and Abigail tells him that she is still very much in love with him, although he tried to end their affair. Rebecca Nurse then enters, and assures the Reverend that the girls are only playing a game, and they will shortly wake up. However, despite the assurance, Mrs. Putnam calls in Reverend Hale, a witch-hunter, to look at the case more carefully. When Hale accuses Abigail, she quickly points her finger at Tituba the slave, the best bet for a person who could be involved in witchcraft, seeing that she is from Barbados and could practice these things. Tituba then accuses the Reverend and Betty mysteriously awakes, revealing the names of the girls who were in the forest the …show more content…
Rebecca Nurse serves as the voice of reason in The Crucible. At age seventy-two, she lives a content life with a well-off husband. Serving as a mid-wife to all of the mothers in Salem, Rebecca has earned the respect of the community and is seen as a wise and “mother-like” figure. The town’s members come to her in times of need and trust her with private matters. Her rank in the community is shown when John Proctor, one of the most noble men in the community, says, “Rebecca, Rebecca, go to her, we’re lost” (Act 1 25), as she enters the Reverend’s house. This goes to show that even the most notable members of the community look up to Rebecca and trust her