...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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...Playwright Arthur Miller uses The 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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...The Crucible Act Four Questions Short Response Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the drama. Write a response on a separate sheet of paper. 1. Where does Tituba think that the Devil is going to take her? 2. Give one example of how Abigail shows her dishonesty in this act. 3. What effect do the trials have on Salem? Use three details from the drama to support your answer. 4. When first arrives at the Salem jail, Danforth complains, “There is a prodigious stench in this place.” How might this line be read to mean something besides a comment on the smell? 5. How is Giles Corey’s character reflected in his death? Use one detail from the drama to support your response. 6. What qualities does Proctor find within himself that prevent him from at last saving himself and signing the confession? Use details from the text to support your response. 7. Explain how Proctor is right or wrong for refusing to sign the confession. Use details to support your response. 8. A tragic hero’s fate, according to Aristotle, inspires pity and horror. Name the tragic hero in The Crucible, and describe how his or her fate inspires both pity and horror. 9. People accused of being Communists had a difficult time getting jobs; some even moved out of the United States in order to try to resume normal lives. How is Proctor’s situation like that of the people accused of Communist activities? 10. Based on the conversation involving Tituba, Sarah...
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...Shakespeare expanded the original divisions into a five-act structure comprised of an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. Although it was a four act play, Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, utilized the five-act structure to further develop his plot. The exposition of a five-act structure introduces the setting, main characters, and conflict of a literary work. The audience gains critical information that is crucial for understanding the...
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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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...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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...hold onto their beliefs. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller displays issues with Salem’s overall morals through Proctor’s adamant defiance to the others’ accusations of witchcraft and refusal to accuse innocents even until his death. The judges are willing to torture and use Proctor’s weakness until he admits to his crimes, thus showing their determination to have the people admit even if the accused are innocent. When the judges discuss about Proctor, Herrick mentions, “You’d not know he lived...
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...Arthur Miller’s The Crucible exposes conflicts between the characters and the Christian society of Salem, Massachusetts 1692. The concept of social pressure and rules are used to establish the play. If the common man in Salem is to work proficiently in his surroundings, he must participate in all social activities or he faces the consequences of untrue 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...
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...Parallels of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter share common themes that create interesting parallels between the two texts. Although they were written in different time periods by means of two different authors, they both show striking similarities in many categories, including overlapping themes and settings. Interesting parallels among both texts include, but aren’t limited to, public confession, public humiliation, adultery, and setting. First, public confession is presented in each text. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor is the epitome of this idea. Proctor asks “Why must it (his confession) be written?” to which Danforth “Why, for the good instruction of the village, Mister; this we shall...
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...A tragic hero is a person who has heroic qualities and is fated by the Gods or by some supernatural force for doom or at least to great suffering. In The Crucible 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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...Thematic Questions 1. What is a crucible and how is it used? Justify Miller’s choice of title for his play. A crucible is a ceramic container that can withstand very high temperature and is used for metal, glass and pigment production as well as a number of modern laboratory processes. Miller’s choice of the title “The Crucible” is due to the same reason as the courtroom being referred to as a crucible: using the heat of questioning and scrutiny, they burned away all the impurities, i.e. lies and half-truths, to get the purified product the “truth”. 2. How do Hale’s preconceptions influence his interpretation of events? How does his interpretation change? What are the implications of his conversion? Hale’s preconceptions has influenced his interpretation of events in that he initially thought that he had the authority over the town due to his extensive knowledge of witchcraft. He expected to find witches, however his interpretation changes throughout the play as he realises that innocent townspeople are being falsely accused, such as John Proctor. The implications of his conversion are when he encourages the accused to confess, i.e. the good people to lie, even though he believes that he is doing the “Devil’s work”. 3. Proctor calls Hale “Pontius Pilate.” Explain the allusion. Do you agree or disagree? The allusion is that Pontius Pilate was the ruler in Bethlehem who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the order of the Jewish leadership, despite the...
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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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...The Crucible Act Three Questions Short Response Answer the following questions based on your knowledge of the drama. Write a response on a separate sheet of paper. 1. Describe one piece of evidence that Giles, Francis, or Proctor bring before the court to show that the girls are lying. 2. What does Abigail do to distract Danforth from Hale’s accusations that she is lying? 3. How does Hale show that he believes that the court is not doing the right thing? Use three details from the text in your response. 4. Danforth explains that “. . . a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between.” What conclusion can you draw about Danforth’s character from this line? 5. How does Hale excuse Elizabeth’s lie about Abigail’s affair with Proctor? 6. Danforth explains that witchcraft is an invisible crime and that only the victims are reliable. How does his philosophy flame the hysteria? Use details from the drama to support your response. 7. How do Hale and Parris try to thwart each other, or act as foils, in regards to Danforth and the court? Use details from the drama to support your response. 8. Describe the point at which you think the plot reaches its highest intensity, or climax. 9. After the outbreak in court, Mr. Danforth makes the following short statement to Mr. Hale: I will have nothing from you, Mr. Hale! In your own words, describe what Mr. Hale has said or done to instigate Mr. Danforth’s...
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