So I just finished reading The Crucible in ELA class, and I was a little confused by the ending. I get that Proctor died (and loved his line about it being “his name”), but it just felt like nobody got genuine justice. The people Abigail accused were still supposedly hung which just makes me feel confused as to what the point of the story was. It just left a lot to be desired. And the fact that it’s an allegory for the Red Scare and McCarthyism kinda detoriated by the end. I’m looking to discuss in the comments about this, so if you have some insight then please share.
This. It’s understandable that people want a neatly tied-up ending where everyone gets their just desserts, but real life just isn’t like that.
I never expected a very happy ending, but I thought there would be more closure. It would have been nice to see Abigail realize that the witch hunt she caused/started to stay with Proctor got him killed in the end. But I do like that Proctor signed his deposition and ripped it to show that he really was just lying to save his life.