n is John Proctor?" Before Danforth can decide on the charges, he must know the man who brings them. If you interpret it this way, then the action of this act consists of an examination of John Proctor's character. Each event or argument is then "evidence" that supports one of two opposing positions: 1) John Proctor is a good man, and is therefore telling the truth; or 2) John Proctor is an agent of the Father of Lies, so naturally he's lying.During the examinations, Danforth takes Proctor seriously at every point. He has to, Proctor's charges go right to the heart of what is most important here: justice. Danforth wavers only when Abigail and the girls go into their "torments." He is clearly frightened by these girls, but he manages to keep his head until Mary Warren defects to Abigail's side. Then Danforth turns to Proctor and demands, "What are you? You are combined with anti-Christ."This last point about Mary Warren hints at another way of looking at Act III. In 1692, a farmer like John Proctor would most likely have a cart for carrying things around. Each wheel on the cart would be held in place by a linchpin, which was stuck through a hole in the axle on the outside of the wheel. Under normal circumstances a linchpin doesn't have much work to do. It just has to keep the wheel, as it turns, from "walking" off the end of the axle. But if the wheel goes over too many bumps, the linchpin can loosen and fall out. It can also be sheared off, if too much pressure is put on it.According to this interpretation, Mary Warren is the linchpin of Act III. She cannot withstand the pressure that is put on her--from Proctor on one side, Abigail on the other, and hard questioning by the judges in the middle. It's difficult to imagine anyone not breaking under the strain.NOTE: The setting of this act is curious. If this is a courtroom drama, why are we not in the courtroom? But remember that the court itself is on trial. When the court is in full ses...
