who is ruth in the crucible

That Darkness in the Putnam Baby room: That Was Ruth in The Crucible?

(who is ruth in the crucible)

You recognize the big names in * The Crucible *. John Proctor, Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Proctor– they order the spotlight. Their stories drive the play. But Arthur Miller loaded Salem with smaller sized numbers. These personalities mattered as well. They demonstrate how concern spread like sickness. One of these peaceful numbers is Ruth Putnam. She’s very easy to miss. Yet her condition begins an essential chain of events. She’s the spark.

Ruth is the only surviving kid of Thomas and Ann Putnam. The Putnams shed 7 infants. Envision that grief. Ruth herself is very unwell when the play begins. She exists still, like she remains in a hypnotic trance. She can not wake up. She won’t eat. She simply looks. Her parents are terrified. They think something supernatural is wrong. They believe a person cursed their child.

Why Ruth? Her illness isn’t random. It fits completely with her mom’s deep bitterness. Ann Putnam is taken in by jealousy. She lost all those babies. Other women, like Rebecca Nurse, had several healthy and balanced children. Ann needs someone at fault. Ruth’s odd illness provides Ann that target. It resembles witchcraft. Ann takes on this.

Ann Putnam points the finger directly at Rebecca Nurse. Why Rebecca? Rebecca is great. She is valued. She is every little thing Ann Putnam is not. Rebecca had eleven kids. All lived. Ann had only one sickly lady left. Ann sees Rebecca’s success as a disrespect. Ruth’s sickness validates Ann’s uncertainty. Ann yells Rebecca has to have sent her spirit out. She declares Rebecca harm the Putnam infants. She declares Rebecca injures Ruth now.

Ruth’s problem makes the witch hunt actual for the Putnams. It isn’t nearly dancing in the woods any longer. It’s about a youngster struck down. This gives the Putnams’ allegations terrible weight. Individuals pay attention. Reverend Parris sees Ruth’s frozen state. He panics. Thomas Putnam sees an opportunity. He can utilize this chaos. He can settle old ratings. He can order land. Ruth is their evidence. Their living, enduring evidence of wickedness.

Miller based Ruth on a real Putnam daughter. Background documents Ann Putnam Jr. was one of the major accusers. Miller changes this. He makes Ruth a victim, not an accuser. This selection is clever. It makes the Putnams’ objectives clearer. They aren’t just followers. They are customers. They utilize their daughter’s suffering for revenge and power. Ruth ends up being a tool. Her quiet sickness speaks volumes concerning the actual toxin in Salem– human malevolence camouflaged as godly concern.

(who is ruth in the crucible)

We never listen to Ruth talk. We just see her serenity. That silence is powerful. It represents all the innocent individuals squashed by the hysteria. She is a sign of the damage done. The Putnams manipulate her suffering. Their activities demonstrate how individual animosities fueled the fire. Ruth Putnam, the lady who couldn’t wake up, aided wake a community to chaos.