Discussion Topic
The significance and symbolism of the poppet rag doll in The Crucible
Summary:
The poppet rag doll in The Crucible symbolizes the manipulation and false accusations central to the Salem witch trials. It is used by Abigail Williams to frame Elizabeth Proctor, demonstrating how innocent objects can be twisted into evidence of witchcraft, thereby highlighting the hysteria and the power of deceit within the community.
In The Crucible, what is the significance of the poppet rag doll?
When Mary Warren returns to the Proctors' home after a long day in the court, she presents Elizabeth Proctor with a poppet, or rag doll, that she made to pass the hours sitting. It seems to be meant as a kind of peace offering, for she says that they must all love each other now.
However, when Cheever comes to arrest Elizabeth after Abigail charges her with witchcraft, he asks specifically for her to hand over any poppets that she keeps in the house. She denies having any, and he spots the one Mary had just given to her. She brings it to him, and he lifts its skirts and discovers that a needle is stuck into its stomach. This is seen as very damning evidence because, as he says,
Abigail Williams [...] sat to dinner in Reverend Parris's house tonight, and without word nor warnin' she falls to the...
Unlock This Answer Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
floor [....]. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin' of her how she come to be so stabbed, she --to Proctor now -- testify if were your wife's familiar spirit pushed it in.
They believed in something called spectral evidence; this refers to the idea that a witch could send out her spirit (or specter) and attack people without being physically in the same place as them. Much of the evidence that was used to convict people during the Salem Witch Trials was actually spectral evidence. Because only the victim could see the witch's spirit, it was the accuser's word against the word of the one she accused, and in the Salem Witch Trials, the accuser's word was almost always believed.
Despite the fact that Mary admits that she made the doll and gave it to Elizabeth that night, and despite the fact that she says Abby sat next to her in the courtroom and saw her push the needle into the doll for safekeeping, it is likely on the force of this evidence that The Crucible's Elizabeth Proctor is later convicted.