Capítulo 13 de 29 · 4'53"
Hale arrives at the Proctor house after dark to warn them that Elizabeth's name has been mentioned, then begins questioning Proctor about his church attendance. Proctor turns the questions back on Parris and his golden candlesticks, and the visit ends with a question about his unbaptized child.
Proctor Defends Why He Skips Church
At night, Reverend Hale visits John and Elizabeth Proctor, saying he is a stranger here and that Elizabeth's name has been mentioned in court. He questions Proctor about why he rarely comes to church, and Proctor answers by attacking Parris's love of golden candlesticks. Hale closes by asking why only two of Proctor's three children are baptized.
The visit looks like pastoral care, but it is also an examination. Hale admits his position at once — "I am a stranger here" — and uses that distance to ask what no one else in Salem has asked to his face: why does Proctor so seldom attend church? The answer is a grievance. Proctor says he will not account to Parris for staying home, and describes how the minister's new golden candlesticks turned worship into a reminder of money: gazing at them, he says, hurt his prayer. Hale answers with doctrine — "your house is not a church; your theology must tell you that" — and then changes the subject to something sharper: baptism. His final question about the unbaptized child shows the visit's real method. Friendly questions about faith can be turned into evidence, and Hale is already collecting it, one household at a time.
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
“We are not used to visitors after dark, but you're welcome here.”
It sets a boundary and offers welcome in the same breath, so politeness carries a warning.
Neutral
“No, it rebels my stomach; I have some further traveling yet tonight.”
The odd verb rebel turns a polite refusal into a small rebellion inside his body.
Informal
“I surely did come when I could, and when I could not I prayed in this house.”
Two balanced clauses turn absence from church into a defense of private faith.
Formal
“Mr. Proctor, your house is not a church; your theology must tell you that.”
It states a fact, then makes his own beliefs the judge, so the rebuke feels inescapable.
Formal
“Francis Nurse made them, y'know, and a sweeter hand never touched the metal.”
A single comparative praises the craftsman so warmly that the new candlesticks look cheap.
literary
“I think, sometimes, the man dreams not clapboard meeting houses.”
The quiet negation hints that Parris dreams of grander things than a plain meeting house.
literary
Siguiente · 14bear false witnessLa escena: Hale Tests Proctor on the CommandmentsHe comes on his own, not for the court, to warn them that Elizabeth's name has been mentioned and to question Proctor quietly before the matter grows.
He says he came when he could and prayed at home when he could not. The deeper reason he gives is Parris: the preaching and the golden candlesticks turned worship into a display of money.
He feels Parris cares about show. He says the pewter candlesticks Francis Nurse made were good enough, and that looking at Parris's golden ones hurt his prayer.
The record shows only two of Proctor's three children were baptized. To Hale an unbaptized child is a serious sign about the household's faith, so the friendly questions turn into evidence.
It means 'may it never happen.' Hale says it when Rebecca Nurse's name comes up, meaning he hopes such a good woman will not be charged.
