Discussion Topic
Cheever and Herrick's Visit to the Proctor Home in The Crucible
Summary:
In The Crucible, Ezekiel Cheever and Marshal Herrick visit the Proctor home to arrest Elizabeth Proctor, following Abigail Williams' accusation of witchcraft against her. They are tasked with searching for a poppet with a needle, which is used as evidence of Elizabeth's alleged witchcraft. Despite Mary Warren's admission that she made the poppet and placed the needle for safekeeping, Elizabeth is arrested and taken away by Herrick, who chains her as a prisoner awaiting trial.
Why do Ezekial Cheever and Marshal Herrick visit the Proctor home in The Crucible?
By the time Act Two rolls around, the witch trials are in full swing, and numerous people have been accused of being witches. Cheever and Herrick have been commissioned to work for the courts; one of their main jobs is to arrest accused townspeople and bring them to jail or the courthouse. At the end of act two, they show up on John Proctor's doorstep. Cheever himself states his purpose: "I have a warrant for your wife." So, he is come to arrest Elizabeth Proctor and bring her to jail. In addition to this, he has been ordered to "search [John's] house" for a poppet, or a doll, and to look to see if that doll has a needle in it. Lastly, he has been forbidden to "leave [Elizabeth] from [his] sight." Herrick is the one who chains her up and takes her away in a wagon.
Those are the...
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tasks that Cheever is given. To give this context, earlier in the day, Abigail accused Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch. At the actual courthouse during the day, Mary Warren had stepped in and defended Elizabeth, saying that she was an upright woman, and there was no way she could be a witch. Well, Mary had been sewing a doll, and stuck the needle in the belly "for safekeeping." Abby saw her do this, and later that night, fell to the ground with a needle stabbed in her belly, and claimed that Elizabeth's "familiar spirit" was the one to do it. So, Elizabeth is arrested, and the doll with the needle is used as proof.
I hope that those thoughts helped; good luck!
What orders do Cheever and Herrick have at the Proctors' house in The Crucible?
Ezekiel Cheever comes to John and Elizabeth Proctor's house as a clerk of the court, though he used to be a tailor (as we learn from Giles Corey). He has a warrant from the court for the arrest of Elizabeth Proctor because she's been accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams. His orders are to search their home for any "poppets" -- small, handmaid dolls like the one Mary Warren made in court that day and gifted to Elizabeth that evening. When Elizabeth hands over this doll , Cheever finds that a needle has been stuck into its belly, just as Abigail Williams had a needle stuck into her belly, and she accused Elizabeth of sending out her spirit to push it in. Even when Mary Warren admits that she made the poppet that day and stuck the needle there for safekeeping, Cheever must still arrest Elizabeth.
Herrick, the marshal, waits outside for Elizabeth and Cheever, and his orders are to chain her as she is now a prisoner, awaiting her trial.
What orders do Cheever and Herrick have at the Proctor house in The Crucible?
The events that your question ask about occur toward the end of the Act 2. The setting of Act 2 is the Proctor household, and a lot happens during this act. John and Elizabeth discuss whether or not John should go to the court and tell what he know about Abigail and how he knows it. Hale shows up to sort of vet John and Elizabeth. He announces that Rebecca Nurse has been mentioned in the court proceedings as having some business with the Devil. John and Elizabeth can't believe it.
Then Cheever and Herrick enter the Proctor household. They are there to arrest Elizabeth. She has been accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams. The two men are there to arrest Elizabeth and find a poppet (doll) that has a needle stuck in its belly. The poppet supposedly serves as evidence that Elizabeth sent her spirit upon Abigail to stab Abigail in the stomach.
Cheever: 'Tis hard proof! To Hale: I find here a poppet Goody Proctor keeps. I have found it, sir. And in the belly of the poppet a needle's stuck. I tell you true, Proctor, I never warranted to see such proof of Hell, and I bid you obstruct me not, for I -