Skip to main content

In The Crucible who does Mrs. Putnam blame for the death of three of her children?

I am glad that you put in the part about "three of her children."  The specificity is good, because the answer changes with that added information.  


Ann Putnam has lost seven total children.  She has one surviving child.  That child is Ruth.  Rebecca Nurse was Ann Putnam's midwife for all of those births, so Ann Putnam is a bit suspicious of Rebecca Nurse.  Putnam is also slightly resentful of Nurse, because Rebecca Nurse has...

I am glad that you put in the part about "three of her children."  The specificity is good, because the answer changes with that added information.  


Ann Putnam has lost seven total children.  She has one surviving child.  That child is Ruth.  Rebecca Nurse was Ann Putnam's midwife for all of those births, so Ann Putnam is a bit suspicious of Rebecca Nurse.  Putnam is also slightly resentful of Nurse, because Rebecca Nurse has successfully given birth to many children and has many grandchildren.  


However, Ann Putnam does openly lay the blame for three of her children's deaths on Goody Osburn.  Tituba is being interviewed (interrogated) about her involvement with the girls, and I believe that Tituba simply names some names to get the attention and blame off of herself.  She names Goody Osburn a witch, and Ann Putnam jumps on it as Gospel truth.  Putnam deeply desires to put blame on somebody for the deaths of her children, and Goody Osburn is as good as the next.  Goody Osburn even helped with three of Putnam's failed births.   



Mrs. Putnam: I knew it! Goody Osburn were midwife to me three times. I begged you, Thomas, did I not? I begged him not to call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands!


Popular posts from this blog

In chapter one of The Great Gatsby, what advice does Nick's father give him? How does this make him a good person to tell this story?

Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches... Nick says that his father advised him that, before "criticizing anyone," he "remember that all the people in this world haven't had the same advantages" as Nick.  As a result, Nick claims that he is "inclined to reserve all judgments," presenting himself to the reader as a fair and dispassionate arbiter of character, and thus, a reliable narrator.   The problem is that Nick immediately reveals himself as anything but reliable, as he then launches into a discussion of how pe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How and why does James Gatz become Jay Gatsby? Describe the young Gatsby/Gatz.

James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune,... James Gatz, a poor Midwestern boy of probable Jewish lineage, becomes Jay Gatsby, a presumed WASP and wealthy socialite, when he moves to New York City and acquires his fortune. It is wealth that has allowed Gatz to transform himself into Gatsby. However, those who know his background (e.g., Daisy and Tom Buchanan) never allow him to forget that he is nouveau riche -- that is, an upstart who has just recently made his fortune, whereas they arose from well-to-do families. Gatz became Gatsby through determination and discipline. At the end of the novel, the narr...
Post a Comment
Read more

Explain and discuss how the definitions of freedom change for the nation, for the freedmen and for southern whites after the Civil War.

After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to... After the Civil War, the definition of freedom changed in the nation, as slavery was ended with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865. The practice of slavery was disallowed, but definition of the freedom that would take its place was a subject of controversy, ongoing debate, and even violence in the decades to come.  For freedmen, freedom often meant reconciling with their families, who were broken up by slavery; choosing which church to belong to without being ordered to attend religious services (or not to attend) by their mast...
Post a Comment
Read more