All 9 Uses of
pretense
in
The Crucible
- ABIGAIL, in tears: I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men!
Act 1pretense = false appearance
- Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away—make your peace!
Act 2pretense = appearances or actions to help one pretend
- DANFORTH, ...: And you, Mary Warren, how came you to cry out people for sending their spirits against you?
MARY WARREN: It were pretense, sir.
Act 3pretense = deception (lying or pretending something is true)
- PROCTOR: It were pretense, she says.
Act 3
- ...and confess your pretense, for a quick confession will go easier with you.
Act 3 *
- HATHORNE, with a gleam of victory: And yet, when people accused of witchery confronted you in court, you would faint, saying their spirits came out of their bodies and choked you—
MARY WARREN: That were pretense, sir.
Act 3
- MARY WARREN: Pretense, sir.
Act 3
- PROCTOR: It is a pretense, Elizabeth.
Act 4
- Let them that never lied die now to keep their souls. It is pretense for me, a vanity that will not blind God nor keep my children out of the wind.
Act 4pretense = something that helps one pretend
Definition:
-
(pretense) a false appearance or action to help one pretendeditor's notes: This is sometimes seen in the expression "false pretense" or "false pretenses" which is just emphasizing that behavior or actions do not reflect the true situation.