The Crucible Act 1

It stood, dark and threatening, over r their shoulders night and day, for out of it Indian tribes marauded from time to time and Reverend Parris had parishioners who had lost relatives to these heathen.

It was also, in my opinion, one of the tings that a John Proctor would rebel against, for
the time of the armed camp had almost passed, and since the country was reasonably
– although not wholly – safe, the old disciplines were beginning to rankle.

This predilection for minding
other people’s business was time-honored among the people of Salem, and it
undoubtedly created many of the suspicions which were to feed the coming madness.

He believed he was
being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to
his side.

Which is not to say that h nothing broke into this strict and somber way of life.

Salem had been established hardly forty years before> To the
European world the whole province wasa a barbaric frontier inhabited by a sect of
fanatics who, nevertheless were shipping out products of slowly increasing quantity
and value.

Salem had been established hardly forty years before> To the
European world the whole province wasa a barbaric frontier inhabited by a sect of
fanatics who, nevertheless were shipping out products of slowly increasing quantity
and value.

Their creed forbade
anything resembling a theater or “vain enjoyment.”

That there were some jokers, however, is indicated by the practice of appointing a
two-man patrol whose duty was to “walk forth in the time of God’s worship to take
notice of such as either lye about the meeting hous, without attending to the word and
ordinances, or that lye at home or in the fields without giving good account thereof,
and to take the names of such persons and to present them to the magistrates,
whereby they may be accordingly proceeded against.”

They did not celebrate Christmas,
and a holiday from work meant only that they must concentrate even more on prayer.

When a
new farmhouse was built, friends assembled to “raise the roof,” and there wawould be
special foods cooked and probably some potent cider passed around.

That there were some jokers, however, is indicated by the practice of appointing a
two-man patrol whose duty was to “walk forth in the time of God’s worship to take
notice of such as either lye about the meeting hous, without attending to the word and
ordinances, or that lye at home or in the fields without giving good account thereof,
and to take the names of such persons and to present them to the magistrates,
whereby they may be accordingly proceeded against.”

Salem had been established hardly forty years before> To the
European world the whole province wasa a barbaric frontier inhabited by a sect of
fanatics who, nevertheless were shipping out products of slowly increasing quantity
and value.

When a
new farmhouse was built, friends assembled to “raise the roof,” and there wawould be
special foods cooked and probably some potent cider passed around.

Their creed forbade
anything resembling a theater or “vain enjoyment.”

It was also, in my opinion, one of the tings that a John Proctor would rebel against, for
the time of the armed camp had almost passed, and since the country was reasonably
– although not wholly – safe, the old disciplines were beginning to rankle.

He regarded them as young adults, and until this strange crisis, he, like the rest
of Salem, never conceived that the children were anything but thankful for being
permitted to walk straight, eyes slightly lowered, arms at the sides, and mouths shut
until bidden to speak.

That there were some jokers, however, is indicated by the practice of appointing a
two-man patrol whose duty was to “walk forth in the time of God’s worship to take
notice of such as either lye about the meeting hous, without attending to the word and
ordinances, or that lye at home or in the fields without giving good account thereof,
and to take the names of such persons and to present them to the magistrates,
whereby they may be accordingly proceeded against.”

That there were some jokers, however, is indicated by the practice of appointing a
two-man patrol whose duty was to “walk forth in the time of God’s worship to take
notice of such as either lye about the meeting hous, without attending to the word and
ordinances, or that lye at home or in the fields without giving good account thereof,
and to take the names of such persons and to present them to the magistrates,
whereby they may be accordingly proceeded against.”

Their creed forbade
anything resembling a theater or “vain enjoyment.”

Probably more thn the creed, hard work kept the morals of the place
from spoiling for the people were forced to fight the land like heroes for every grain of
corn, and no man had very much time for fooling around.