He tells the court he had an affair with her- and that she wants to still be with him. Danforth and Hathorne are attempting to get Proctor to drop the charge that Mary Warren has lied by telling Proctor his wife is pregnant.
They say if she is truly pregnant, they will keep her alive for at least a year. Sunday is the day of rest. It shows that Proctor is not keeping the Sabbath day holy, and implies that Proctor is not a good Christian.
Why do they want him to do so? Why does Proctor refuse? Proctor admits that he is considering confessing. He asks Elizabeth if she will respect him if he does. Elizabeth states that it is his decision, and she tells him that she has forgiven him for the affair. Elizabeth realizes that she bears part of the blame for the affair because she has been a cold, suspicious wife in response to her own insecurities.
Scene 3 reveals a dramatic change in the relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth. They have learned to forgive one another and to communicate their feelings.
Elizabeth realizes that she cannot blame Proctor entirely for the affair. Her insecurity prevented her from trusting Proctor and her lack of emotion created distance between them. When Elizabeth tells Proctor of her feelings, he sees that Elizabeth no longer condemns him.
He can believe her when she tells him she has forgiven him; as a result, they manage to put the affair in the past and move on to consider the future. Proctor's decision to confess seems surprising at first. Considering his options, however, the choice seems less surprising. The Salem court states that it will find an individual innocent, provided that he or she is of "good conscience," but this is not the case.
As a result, once an individual stands accused of witchcraft, he or she is guilty. The Salem court does not operate on the modern idea that an individual is innocent until proven guilty, but that an individual is guilty once accused. As a result, confession is the only way to plea-bargain for one's life. Proctor is guilty of witchcraft because of his charge against Abigail and Mary Warren's accusation.
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