ACT III, SCENE 7If Danforth were to be allowed a little time to think, he might be able to see how flawed his logic is in this situation. But Abigail knows better than to give him this chance. Hale has openly thrown himself on Proctor's side: "I believe him! This girl has always struck me false!" She moves fast, turning on a "torment." This time it's not a vague cold wind coming out of nowhere; it's a yellow bird with sharp claws, and its name is Mary Warren.This is too much for poor Mary. Her protector has been destroyed, and her strength is gone. At last the truth itself deserts her, because no one will believe it. With her defenses down all around her, Mary "catches" the affliction herself. When Proctor tries to help her, "she rushes out of his reach, screaming in horror":Don't touch me--don't touch me!... You're the Devil's man!Proctor is finished, and with him goes the last hope for his wife and friends. Realizing this, Proctor bursts out with one of the most despairing speeches in modern drama:I say--I say--God is dead!... A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud--God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together.This speech comes at the end of a crescendo of excitement, like a volcano erupting. It's hard to imagine a more perfect opportunity for the playwright to put his "message" across. To some, that is exactly what this speech is: the author's thematic statement. The key phrase here is, "For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance...." Proctor is blaming himself as well as the others for this catastrophe. He should have stopped this madness when he had the chance. Arthur Miller is telling his audience: Don't be like John Proctor. Come out against superstition (in this case, McC...
