Dignity In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In the play "The Crucible" written by Arthur Miller, each and every character holds the trait of either being weak, showing courage or being truthful. Overall the play held a powerful message that sometimes things aren't how they seem and won't always work out for the good. The play started off with young girls in the forest dancing and doing witchcraft in the depth of the night, going against the belief of the towns Christly behavior. The girls were weak during this scene because they were all hoping to get something great out of this.

John proctor had the good type of pride , He had the type of pride that led him to sacrifice himself to preserve his name and honor. When John tears up his fake confession of being with the devil , he is allows himself and other to get hanged , but he his also forgiving himself for all of the wrong that he did to himself and his family, John Proctor wanted to live but he didn’t want to be another name added to the list of confession of witchcraft ,for

Proctor cannot bear to lose his life and leave his wife behind; so when asked by the judge if he will confess, he proclaims "I will have my life," (Miller 137) and presents his confession, falling from his morale of strength and

Separation between groups of people, one considered to be superior, creates a motivation of wanting to be on top. Egos’ within the superior group cause them to lie and do what they have to do to maintain status. The isolated group that is put on a pedestal feels that even though their actions are wrong they cannot risk losing their elevated position. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, men are seen as elite, in the puritan society, above women in the social hierarchy. John Proctor as an exemplary puritan man lives his life as a superior, is unwilling to admit his obvious guilt and struggles in leaving his ignorance and pride behind him with far reaching consequences.

There are many tragic heroes portrayed in the world around us. Cinderella, Wall-E, and Simba, whom all overcame obstacles, vindicated themselves and aided their world to eventually be a finer place. Naturally, all their difficulties in the end led to their success, But, one man who presented those exact qualities, was not as fortuitous. This man presented himself to the court and fought for what was moral acceptable, subjected himself to prison for his mistakes and justified himself and the good people of Salem. John Proctor shows the admirable qualities and weaknesses of a tragic hero in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

In those times we don’t always think about the right thing because it takes a lot of courage and honesty that many don’t have. Arthur Miller in The Crucible uses courage, weakness and truth to allow the reader to better understand and relate to the characters in the book and the way of their society, during that time. Some examples to show are when John Proctor was tried for his lifeand his name, when Elizabeth Proctor was tested of her truth in the court, and when Giles Coery was pressed to death.

Proctor’s reluctance to sign his confession shows how highly he views his reputation and friends, and because of this, he is willing to die to keep his honor intact. As the fourth act comes to a close Proctor cannot get himself to give his signature even though the judges have almost brought it out of him. He decides he cannot go through with it and exclaims: “Because it is my name! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 143).

In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, the characters take a lot of pride in their name. Citizens in the Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 believed that a person lived on his name. If someone’s name was sullied by a crime or other immorality, no one would do business with them, so it was important to protect one’s name. Four characters in particular, Judge Danforth, Reverend Parris, Abigail Williams, and John Proctor, went to great lengths to shield their name. Judge Danforth was the judge that oversaw all of the court hearings in the Salem Witch Trials.

Some time passes while Proctor rots in the jail, tortured and bloody; the soul is broken in his body. Danforth asks Proctor to confess his sins, and when he does, Danforth demands he sign them. Proctor feels as if he’s being pushed too far, and firmly denies the paper his signature. “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”

Even though Proctor’s death was inevitable he realized that he could forgive himself and regain his good name. Arthur Miller used Proctor to ascend to an extraordinary human to fight in what he believes was right even if it costed him his life. Proctor’s life was not in vain because he proved that he would not sell out to an unjust court. Proctor went to the gallows as a courageous man and died as an

I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor,” (142-43) proves that Proctor believes he is better than everyone in the courtroom. He does not want to be compared to women who are considered low in the town. Because of his actions, Proctor was condemned to be hanged, which leads to his downfall. John Proctor signs the confession on paper, then rips it and announces “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (143).

In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is afflicted with hysteria, intolerance, and accusations that lead to death. According to philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw, excessive pride, and an inevitable downfall. Protagonist John Proctor illustrates a tragic hero because he is presented as happy, powerful, and privileged, which later leads him to suffer because of his own actions. First of all, John Proctor possesses a fatal flaw, pride, which is a characteristic of a tragic hero. Proctor’s fatal flaws includes honesty and pride.

Proctor is a well respected upperclassman and him sacrificing his life led to his family living a greater life. To the court with great emotion proctor states “ Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143).

Sometimes one’s principles are amazingly powerful enough for one to sacrifice their own life. In the tragedy, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the protagonist, John Proctor is accused of being a witch and has the option to confess to save his life. He decides to stick to his principles and is hanged for refusing to tell a lie. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” King speaks in support of the striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee. He talks about several beliefs and his aim in life.

“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!” Proctor cries out (143). The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play that is full of sabotaged instances which brings out sins people do not hope to commit. It starts out to be a life of everyday people while a group of girls start to emerge causing problems to evolve.