How would you evaluate Giles Corey’s fate.How is Giles able to wield power even in the end
The correct answer and explanation is:
Giles Corey’s fate in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is both tragic and empowering. Giles is pressed to death with large stones after refusing to plead guilty or innocent to the charges against him during the Salem witch trials. His silence is not a sign of weakness but an act of defiance, as he chooses to protect his family and preserve his land rather than submit to the corrupt court. In this final act, Giles is able to wield power in a way that others in the play cannot.
By refusing to plead, Giles denies the court the opportunity to accuse him and execute him for a crime he did not commit. This refusal puts him in a position where his silence becomes an act of resistance, making him a symbol of integrity. His power comes from his steadfastness in the face of a corrupt system that seeks to silence anyone who opposes it. When he is pressed to death, his last words—”more weight”—demonstrate his strength and determination to resist, even in his final moments.
Giles’s fate is ultimately a paradox: though he dies, his death has a lasting impact. His resistance challenges the legitimacy of the court and its methods, exposing the injustices of the witch trials. His act of defiance makes him a martyr for truth, and his legacy continues to haunt those responsible for the trials. By choosing death over false confession, Giles gains a form of power that transcends his mortal existence. In the end, his power lies not in survival but in his ability to remain true to himself and to his beliefs, even at the cost of his life.