There are a number of possible reasons for this scene's inclusion in the play. One of these is that it somewhat lightens the generally somber mood of the drama. There's something almost comical about the way in which Tituba interprets the lowing of a cow as a sign of Satan at work. Outside the jailhouse, such ludicrous babbling would've been taken with the utmost seriousness by the credulous townsfolk. But inside the jail, away from the mass hysteria raging outside, it just sounds ridiculous.
One could argue that Miller is attempting to impress upon the audience the point that environment is a key determining factor in fueling the kind of mass hysteria that we witness in the play. In this reading, society is largely to blame for creating the conditions that allow the delusional ramblings of naive young girls like Tituba and Sarah Good to be taken seriously and that form the basis of a judicial process that results in the destruction of innocent lives.
At the beginning of act 4, there is a short scene in the jail that includes Marshal Herrick, Sarah Good, and Tituba. Herrick is drunk, and he comes to wake the two prisoners up. When he does, the two women start talking about how the Devil is coming and how he's going to help them fly to Barbados so they can be happy. One purpose of this scene is to show the terrible hypocrisy of those in Salem: Tituba and Sarah Good are saying the kinds of things that would have been taken incredibly seriously just a couple of months ago, things that would have scared everyone in the town. Now, however, no one regards them or takes seriously anything they say at all. The marshal is drunk and even shares his drink with them. If these types of statements are no longer taken seriously, then why are individuals still going to be hanged for being accused of similar things?
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