The Crucible Giles Corey Character Analysis

Giles Corey is more of a minor character, but yet still plays a significant role in The Crucible. Not only is he important because his wife was charged of being a witch, but he also plays an essential role in court. He defends not only his wife but tries to defend his friends as well; especially Proctor. Giles is a lot braver than most people think he is. He acts foolish at first but starts to change and reveal his true courage later on in the play. At first Giles Corey seems foolish and cowardly; he doesn’t really think before he speaks. One example of him acting feebleminded is when he says, “Mr. Hale, I have always wanted to ask a learned man---what signifies the readin’ of strange books” (Miller 1151). Then Mr. Hale asks about the books and Giles responds, “I cannot tell; she hides them” (Miller 1151). At this point in time, Giles doesn’t realize that he has just provided evidence that his wife, Martha, could be

Giles first helps Proctor when he admits that he has plowed on Sunday. He tries to ease the tension by saying, “You’ll find other Christians that do plow on Sunday if the truth be known” (Miller 1192). He also helps Proctor when he gives him his deposition (Miller 1195). Besides helping Proctor at this point in time, he also shows, in my opinion, his biggest act of fearlessness in the entire play. When he is trying to prove Putnam guilty because he is killing people for land, he says, “The proof is there! I have it from an honest man who heard Putnam say it! The day his daughter cried out on Jacobs, he said she’d given him a fair gift of land” (Miller 1195). Then Hathorne asks for a name and Giles won’t give it to him because he now knows that this person will receive maltreatment. Even when Danforth threatens to arrest him for not revealing the name of this individual, he defends himself and Proctor lends a hand as