Giles Corey, a subordinate character in Miller's play "The
Crucible", asks for 'more weight' when he is being pressed to death at the end of the
play.
Giles knew that the charges he was facing were
ridiculous. He had already put his wife in danger of being declared a witch when he told
the townspeople about her reading strange books.
Giles
asked for more weight for two reasons. First, he knew that the adding of more weight
would end his suffering quicker. Second, and perhaps the more honorable, he was showing
the officials that his spirit would not be broken.
Giles,
like Proctor, both refuse at the end to concede completely to the wishes of the
officials. Proctor begged for the officials not to make him sign his name as a result of
his pleading guilty. Proctor states that his name is the only thing he can
keep.
Giles, knowing that control must be kept over his
life somehow, asks for more weight so that his life is actually in his own hands and not
those of the officials.
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