The excerpt from Arthur Miller's "The Crucible" demonstrates that Tituba was frightened into telling her story. Instead of expressing enthusiasm or agency in her narrative, she is depicted as terrified and desperate to avoid execution. Her plea and the pressure from Reverend Parris and the other characters highlight the coercive circumstances under which she is speaking. Instead of a voluntary confession, it is clear that her fear of the consequences leads her to make statements that are aimed at saving herself. Thus, the correct understanding is that the scene emphasizes her fear rather than enthusiasm in her storytelling.
TITUBA: I don't compact with no Devil!
PARRIS: You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death, Tituba!
PUTNAM: This woman must be hanged! She must be taken and hanged!
TITUBA, terrified, falls to her knees: No, no, don't hang Tituba! I tell him I don't desire to work for him, sir.
PARRIS: The Devil?
HALE: Then you saw him! Tituba weeps. Now Tituba, I know that when we bind ourselves to Hell it is very hard to break with it. We are going to help you tear yourself free—
TITUBA, frightened by the coming process: Mister Reverend, I do believe somebody else be witchin' these children.
HALE: Who?
TITUBA: I don't know, sir, but the Devil got him numerous witches.
From Arthur Miller, The Crucible. Copyright 1952 by Arthur Miller
The previous text suggested that Tituba told her story with enthusiasm. How does this play build on or challenge that idea?
it illustrates how engaged the audience was by tituba's storytelling.
it shows how the devil helped tituba tell her story covincingly.
it suggest that the children persuaded tituba to tell her story.
it demonstarates that tituba was frightened into telling her story.
1 answer