Proctor hesitates to tell the court the truth, because this would hurt Abigail, expose her as a liar, and at this stage he still has feelings for her. He is also at war with himself when challenged by his wife Elizabeth to tell the court what Abigail told him earlier
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The correct answer is that American literature often portrays aspects of the American identity.
When you take a look at any piece of American literature, you will see the American identity is ingrained in such works. Culture, history, people, all this is inseparable from literature and thus, there is no literature without the identity of a particular nation.
