How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
"Johnathan has come to our way of thinking. You may speak in front of him."
Mama raised her eyes. "What convinced you to have a change of heart, young man?"
"I was in court the day they examined Rebecca Nurse. My father and I have been arguing ever since. I think he is ready to disown me as a son," Johnathan said miserably. (12.66-68)
Johnathan knows exactly when he changed his mind about the witch madness. And it's pretty cool that he's come around to the good side, but there are some serious consequences too… like how his dad is super angry and he might be cast out of his family. How do you think Johnathan got so motivated to take a stand against his dad?
Quote #5
There was nothing I could do now, even if I had a mind to. Anyone who spoke out against them was named or had someone in their family cried out on. The evil the girls had started had taken on a life of its own and was gaining momentum, like a ship under full sail with good trade winds behind it. (12.84)
The tormented girls are being manipulative, and since they accuse anyone who stands up to them, they're basically running the show. And that means Susanna feels like she doesn't have a choice at all. Do you agree with Susanna? Or does she have other options that she's just too scared to see?
Quote #6
So, then, who would believe me? Joseph and Elizabeth, yes. But Father was still in danger. The magistrates had widened their search for him to include Boston. And there was Mary to think about. I did not care for myself, but I could not risk the girls crying out on Mary. Let alone brother William when he returned. So I kept my silence. The time for speaking out would come, I told myself. And when it did come, I would know it. (16.20)
Susanna sure is putting a lot of thought into her decisions, and so far she's deciding not to out the tormented chicks as liars. Whether or not we agree with her, she's certainly taking oodles of things into consideration. Just check out how she goes step by step through her thought process—it's almost like she has a mental checklist that helps her make her choice.