Question

long-held hatreds of neighbors could now be openly expressed, and vengeance taken, despite the bible’s charitable injunctions. land-lust which had been expressed before by constant bickering over boundaries and deeds, could now be elevated to the arena of morality; one could cry witch against one’s neighbor and feel perfectly justified in the bargain. old scores could be settled on a plane of heavenly combat between lucifer and the lord; suspicions and the envy of the miserable toward the happy could and did burst out in the general revenge. (reverend parris is praying now, and, though we cannot hear his words, a sense of his confusion hangs about him. he mumbles, then seems about to weep; then he weeps, then prays again; but his daughter does not stir on the bed. the door opens, and his negro slave enters. tituba is in her forties. parris brought her with him from barbados, where he spent some years as a merchant before entering the ministry. she enters as one does who can no longer bear to be barred from the sight of her beloved, but she is also very frightened because her slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back.) tituba (already taking a step backward). my betty be hearty soon? parris. out of here! tituba (backing to the door). my betty not goin’ die... parris (scrambling to his feet in a fury). out of my sight! (she is gone.) out of my—(he is overcome with sobs. he clamps his teeth against them and closes the door and leans against it, exhausted.) oh, my god! god help me! (quaking with fear, mumbling to himself through his sobs, he goes to the bed and gently takes betty’s hand.) betty. child. dear child. will you wake, will you open up your eyes! betty, little one... (he is bending to kneel again when his niece, abigail williams, seventeen, enters—a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling. now she is all worry and apprehension and propriety.) abigail. uncle? (he looks to her.) susanna walcott’s here from doctor griggs. parris. oh? let her come, let her come. abigail (leaning out the door to call to susanna, who is down the hall a few steps). come in, susanna. 9. read as you read lines 141–180, continue to cite textual evidence. • underline text that helps you understand reverend parris. • circle details that describe abigail. • in the margin, explain the initial conflict in this section.

Explanation:

To understand Reverend Parris, we can underline: "Reverend Parris is praying now... his daughter does not stir on the bed", "Out of here!", "Out of my sight!", "Oh, my God! God help me!", "Betty. Child. Dear child...". For Abigail, circle: "seventeen, enters—a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling. Now she is all worry and apprehension and propriety". The initial conflict is Parris's distress over Betty's condition (she's unresponsive) and his agitation with Tituba, while also dealing with the arrival of Susanna from the doctor, showing tension from Betty's illness and household dynamics.

Answer:

• Underlined for Parris: "Reverend Parris is praying now, and, though we cannot hear his words, a sense of his confusion hangs about him. He mumbles, then seems about to weep; then he weeps, then prays again; but his daughter does not stir on the bed.", "Out of here!", "Out of my sight! (She is gone.) Out of my—(He is overcome with sobs. He clamps his teeth against them and closes the door and leans against it, exhausted.) Oh, my God! God help me! (Quaking with fear, mumbling to himself through his sobs, he goes to the bed and gently takes Betty’s hand.) Betty. Child. Dear child. Will you wake, will you open up your eyes! Betty, little one …"
• Circled for Abigail: "seventeen, enters—a strikingly beautiful girl, an orphan, with an endless capacity for dissembling. Now she is all worry and apprehension and propriety"
• Initial conflict: Reverend Parris is deeply distressed about his daughter Betty’s unresponsive state (she “does not stir on the bed”), which causes him to lash out at Tituba in frustration (“Out of here!”, “Out of my sight!”) and be overcome with fear and sobs. Meanwhile, the arrival of Susanna from Doctor Griggs adds to the tension as Parris awaits news about Betty’s condition, highlighting the conflict between Parris’s emotional turmoil over Betty’s illness and the household’s anxious, chaotic dynamics.