^^^^^THE CRUCIBLE: ACT I, SCENE 1From the moment the curtain rises, we know something is wrong. A little girl, Betty Parris, lies inert on the bed. What's the matter with her? Is she sick? Hurt? Her father, Reverend Samuel Parris, is weeping and praying frantically over her. The next three things that happen tell us things are really bad: 1) the black slave Tituba, obviously very frightened, comes in begging Parris to tell her that her Betty's "not goin' to die," and Parris furiously drives her out; 2) Betty's cousin Abigail Williams comes in to announce a message from Dr. Griggs, which means that Betty's been like this for some time; and 3) Susanna Walcott delivers the doctor's message: he cannot help Betty, so her affliction must be from "unnatural things," meaning witchcraft.Parris' first reaction is to deny that Betty's "witched," which seems natural: it's a horrifying thought. Horrifying, but not out of the question, because Reverend Hale, a witchcraft expert from Beverly, has already been sent for and is on his way. Both Parris and Abigail warn Susanna to "speak nothin' of it in the village" on her way back to the doctor. This seems natural, too: Parris is trying to avoid panic among his congregation.But we soon discover that Parris is more worried about his position in the village than he is about his daughter's health. Throughout the following interrogation, during which Abigail admits that she, Betty, and Tituba were dancing in the woods, Parris mentions his enemies four times, saying clearly at one point, "There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand that?" In other words, the worst part of this scandal is that it began in his own house, a fact his enemies will surely take advantage of. For the rest of the play, Parris is consistent in his self-centeredness. No matter what happens to anybody else, he will always be concerned only about himself.For her part, Abigail at first appears to be humbl...
