1. Lies and Deceit

2.  What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this take on lying?

3.  What are the different reasons people might lie?  Are there any reasons for lying that are good?  Are some lies harmless? How do we determine if a lie is truly harmless or not?  Can the truth ever be more harmful than a lie, or is the truth always best even if it's difficult to hear?  Do lies serve a purpose in society? How?  Are some lies necessary? Give examples.  If a lie is convenient for us and harmless to others, is it still wrong in a moral sense?

5.  Most of the characters in The Crucible are lying – if not to other people, then to themselves.  Abigail lies about her ability to see spirits, as do the other girls.  Proctor is deceitful first for cheating on his wife and then for hiding it.  The judge, lieutenant governor and ministers lie to themselves and everybody else in saying that they serve the cause of God’s justice.  The twist in the story is that by telling the truth (“I am not a witch”), you die, but you also gain your freedom – that is, you retain your standing with God, and you become a martyr.

6.  Which characters lie the most?  What different motivations for lying do you notice throughout the play?  Are the lies all malicious? Does anyone lie from a desire to do good?  Which characters are lying to themselves?  What are the consequences of lying in the play?  What are the consequences of telling the truth?  In what ways do lies beget lies in the play? Once the lies begin, why can't the characters just start telling the truth?  What do you think is Miller's central message about lies and the truth?

7.  As you read, you should record the article's thesis and supporting points. How do the authors prove their claims? What supporting examples or evidence do they use?

8.  With your partner, compare the two articles thusly:  State the thesis of each article.  List the main supporting points in each article.  List similarities between the articles.  List differences between the articles.

9.  What explanation do you now have for all the lying in the play?  What motivations for lying were more prevalent than others?  Are any of the lies more understandable after reading this research?  What forces were at work in the play to shape dishonesty?  Can you better explain the cycle of dishonesty and how it got so wildly out of control? Where are the missed opportunities to stop the cycle of lies?  Nearly all the characters lie to some degree at some point or another, so how do we determine who is virtuous and who isn't? Can we assign a moral scale to the amount of lying or the motivations for lying? Is any character purely honest?

10.  Suppose you could talk to Reverend John Hale about all the lying in Salem. How would you explain it? How would you encourage him to alleviate it? What could he or the other characters have done to stop the cycle of dishonesty?  Spell correctly, use complete sentence, write a substantial paragraph