...The Crucible Essay In The Crucible by Arthur Miller near the end John Proctor is accused of witchcraft and doesn’t confess it and is hanged for not confessing to a crime he didn’t commit. John Proctor’s actions when he tears up his confession which is a lie was believable. A reason Proctor tore his confession is he believes God damns all liars. He told Mary warren when she was in court confessing the girls are faking he tells her “Mary, God damns all liars” (Act III. 1066 – 1067). So when he is pondering if he sould hand it over or not to hand Danforth his confession, he remembers what he told Mary in the Courthouse. Proctor doesn’t want anyone to be killed for him. He risked the way the townspeople looked at him in the street to save his...
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...A confession is a formal statement admitting that one is guilty of a crime. Confessions are also made in order to stray from guilt and to make things right. Just like how John Proctor, A middle aged farmer In The Crucible by playwright Arthur Miller, confesses his sins in order to bring justice and make peace. In the play, John Proctor is connected with Abigail Williams, a teenage girl who is sought out to win Proctor for herself after committing lechery with him. His involvement with her leads him to have to make confessions which will influence him in many ways. Throughout the play John Proctor confesses to Elizabeth, his wife, about committing adultery, to the court for committing lechery and, to Danforth about his involvement in witchcraft...
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...Crucible to exhibit the theme of protectiveness of one’s reputation and self-image through his character John Proctor. In the play, John Proctors battle to be morally right and his affair with Abigail Williams essentially caused him a great deal of confusion. Proctor ultimately confessed, but was too enveloped in his pride so he refused to have his confession hung up on the church doors. His own refusal to let the reputation he built go to waste is what caused his death and destroyed his reputation. Early in the play, Elizabeth knew about Proctor’s affair with Abigail. Elizabeth’s cold and distant attitude towards Proctor after his affair caused him an even greater struggle. As Proctor pleads for forgiveness in Act 4, Elizabeth says, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you'll not forgive yourself.” Proctor was so wrapped up in his wife’s view of him that he was not focusing on how he viewed himself. He could not fathom the looks his wife and he would receive if he confessed of his affair. How was he to expect others to forgive him for his wrong doings if he could not forgive himself?...
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...Unconditional John Proctor, the protagonist of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, risks everything due to loving two different women. As the play starts readers find out that John is having an affair with the town tart, Abigail Williams. He does not believe in the idea of witchcraft. Proctor is very selfish about the affair with Abigail and states to judge Danforth “A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.” Many things motivate John to change throughout The Crucible such as Abigail charging his wife with witchcraft and Elizabeth becoming pregnant. John ends up risking everything to save his family. John Proctor’s change was motivated by the love for his wife and family. At first, John was not going to admit to having an...
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...Honor has governed society for hundreds of years, and has inspired men to do both great and terrible things. Men have gone to war in the name of honor, and killed to defend it, and evolving honor sometimes induces a change in societal structure. John Proctor from Arthur Miller’s Crucible and Will Kane from Fred Zinnemann’s High Noon exemplify honor’s ability to incite change. Both Proctor and Kane are portrayed as both honorable and influential men in their respective towns. Their actions motivated by their individual codes of honor allow Proctor and Kane to spark change their communities. Proctor’s honor leads him to sacrifice himself, inciting change in his community, and ending the Salem witch trials. Proctor’s code of honor is built around...
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...and “She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!” This original accusation started a chain reaction of accusations and confessions that lead the plot to the climax. In Act II, the return of Reverend Hale and the judges raised the stakes for many of the accused as the townspeople realized that there would be consequences for those who did not confess. Prominent and beloved members of the community such as Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor began to be taken into custody. These obvious wrongdoings sparked more opposition, which is demonstrated through John Proctor’s outburst in which he exclaimed “I will fall like an ocean on that court!” The conflict between the courts in Salem and its people would soon bring the play to its...
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...own destruction, but eventually changes for the better. John Proctor is no hero, but a tragic hero. John is considered a tragic hero due to a tragic flaw, his free choice, and the punishment he receives which exceeds his crime. Behind every beauty there is a flaw, leading to the definition of John Proctor. John Proctor is a typical man during the time of the Crucible with a wife and three kids. He is a decent Christian and a hard worker. His flaws are his lust and unwillingness to forgive himself. Proctors lusts of Abigail which leads to an affair between the two, and leaves Abigail broken hearted to be left by Proctor, causes a large amount of trouble in the story. This lust causes many troubles including the other hamartia of Proctor not able to forgive himself. This lust for Abigail causes Proctor to have a large weight on his shoulders...
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...allegations. Miller uses the character John Proctor as a prime example whose individuality ultimately isolates him from his community. Proctor tries to avoid any involvement in the Salem witch trials. His reason for this attempt is motivated by his past fault of committing adultery with Abigail Williams, who is leading the accusations. As the pressure from his peers grow on him, Proctor must decide whether to save himself, or to die and save Salem. The theme individual v. society exists through the character John Proctor. Proctor is cautious to speak openly due to his affair. He attempts to isolate himself from the first proceedings of the trial by stating to Reverend Hale, “I’ve heard you to be a sensible man Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem.” (Miller 1231). Proctor is trying to cleanse himself entirely of his affair, rather than get involved with the community. Elizabeth, his wife, encourages Proctor to speak out about his knowledge against false accusations against her. He is hesitant and responds, “I know I cannot keep [confessing his crime]. I say I will think on it!” (Miller 1237). Before Proctor can come to a resolution, Marshal Herrick arrives at Proctor’s home with a warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest. It becomes clear to Proctor he must tell the truth in order to save his wife, despite the impact it may have on him personally. Proctor’s society forces him to choose condemnation or to save himself. Following his confession of lechery, the infuriated court...
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...friends cause the whole town to go into chaos as they accuse many people in the town of being witches, many lie and confess to being witches while some will stand by the truth and plead innocence. The play follows John Proctor and the question I will answer is if Proctor could be considered a tragic hero. One quality a tragic hero must have is a “tragic flaw” or a flaw that will cause the character’s downfall. John Proctor’s flaw is excessive pride, one example of this is his commanding nature toward his wife. He tells his wife she is being cold and she must forgive him as if he didn’t do much to hurt her but he doesn’t realise that he is the one at fault. Proctor also does not go to church even though everyone in the town were supposed...
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...The Crucible - Act 4 Scene 1 Question 2 We see a worried, distraught Reverend Parris. In the previous act he was a firm supporter of the trials and willing to charge anyone who didn't support them as being against the trials, him, and even God. However, as Act 4 begins, Parris has changed (also like the town). He comes to the court shaking and upset and tells Danforth that his niece Abigail Williams and Mercy Lewis have run away. Parris isn't worried about the girl's well being. Things are made worse as they have broken into his safe and taken his money, "thirty one pound is gone. I am penniless." From Act I we have seen Parris' concern over his career, his ministry, and his status in town. He went against his initial beliefs that the girls were afflicted with witchcraft when he saw it could actually benefit him if there was such afflictions. Now, his biggest fear has come true. He has lost everything. Reverend Parris also realises that if Abigail and Mercy Lewis have run away because "they fear to keep in Salem any more" it will only be a short amount of time before others in the town also turn against the courts. Question 3 Reverend Hale enters the court demanding pardons for the condemned prisoners. Danforth says 12 others have already been hung for the same charge; pardons for the rest of the accused would be unjust and would crack the voice of God's law with "whimpering." Hale says a week's postponement would seem like mercy to the public, not weakness...
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...The Crucible Essay In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, John Proctor ragins his sense of goodness by tearing up the confession that Danforth forces him to sign, but is Proctor’s act believable? His action of defying Danforth and the the others who so desperately wanted Proctor to sign the document are believable because of who the man that Proctor is even though some of his actions in the past may contradict the credibility of Proctor tearing up the document. John Proctor is an honest man who takes a big interest in always doing what is right even if it may have consequences for himself; he cares greatly for the people around him especially his family; Proctor stands up for what is right with bravery in every word that he uses when he says...
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...by Arthur Miller, Salem was in a period of time where witch hunts were frequent which created chaos throughout the town. These witch hunts often targeted innocent, hard working people who were accused of witchery with no actual evidence. As a result when this conflict introduced itself to John Proctor, he exhibited tragic hero traits such as pride, catharsis, and nobleness. Pride plays an interesting role in the life of John Proctor in The Crucible. During the trials, Proctor daily wages an internal, war between his conscience and pride. His prideful mindset is what primarily caused his downfall; a person who rises and falls because of their own ignorant flaw, which is the true meaning of a tragic hero. Therefore there are several traits that exemplify a tragic hero in John...
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...In spite of his sins, John Proctor is a proud man who cares about preserving his reputation and self image. After ripping up his confession to being a witch, Proctor exclaims “ How may I live without my name! I have given you my soul; leave me my name.” Proctor cannot bear to live the rest of his life as a lie, as it would ruin his opinion of himself as a good person. Also, the judge threatens to hang John’s confession on the door of the church, which John does not want as it would diminish his reputation as a well respected man in the community. Many of John’s actions are motivated by his pride. John Proctor is also a man with a great internal conflict: his guilty conscience. Although he was a good man, he could not forgive himself for his sins. In an argument with his wife Elizabeth, John retorts “ I see now your spirit twists around the single error of my life [ adultery], and I will never tear it free!” In this quote, John is accusing Elizabeth of not being able to forgive him, but in actuality, he cannot forgive himself. Throughout the story, he struggles to come to terms with what he...
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...John Proctor is faced with obstacles that he must overcome to develop his character in The Crucible. John Proctor’s change in his character is an important part of the theme of The Crucible. John Proctor is a farmer that inherited the family tradition. He is married to Elizabeth Proctor and has three young boys. John Proctor dislikes hypocrites and does not trust the authority in Salem. John Proctor committed an affair with a seventeen-year-old girl named Abigail Williams. Throughout the story he is challenged with the guilt of committing adultery. John Proctor’s personal integrity is challenged in multiple parts of The Crucible. Proctor is challenged by the affair with Abigail, Hale questioning him about his relationship with God, giving up...
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...that a tragic hero has potential for greatness, but is ultimately destined to fail. The character falls from greatness because of their ‘tragic flaw’. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, the protagonist John Proctor is portrayed as the tragic hero. He fits this description for a number of reasons. His tragic flaw or Achilles heel, like many other tragic heroes is his pride. Compounded with conflicts with circumstances, this tragic flaw leads to Proctor’s loss of life and arguably the loss of his eternal life as well. One of the major requirements to being a Shakespearean tragic hero includes having a tragic flaw. Proctor places a great deal of importance on his pride or what he considers dignity and self-respect. He lets pride overshadow his life and actions. He would rather maintain his pride or die. As the play nears its end in Act Four, it shows that he would rather give up his life, rather than post his fake confession on the church doors for the public to see. He states, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life... How may I live without my name? I have given my soul; Leave me my name!” (Miller, 133). John is too prideful and unwilling to stain his reputation. He prefers to die rather than have his name stained because of a fake confession. He wants to leave his name intact for his family. Another example of this is illustrated in Act Two, where Elizabeth urges Proctor to go to Salem and expose Abigail's lies. ...
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