To Confess or Not to Confess? In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Miller portrays how the village is pretentious by witchcraft. In a puritan town, in Salem, Massachusetts (1692), a man named John Proctor is accused of witchcraft. When taken to the courtroom, he was given the option to confess to witchcraft and get his confession posted on the church door, or he would be hanged to die with his pride. Although lying helped him to live, protect his family, fight for the others that are/were accused, and he knows he is innocent because even Reverend Hale believes he is; If he tells the truth and lives, he gets to die a honest man, give the others that are accused hope, and gets to set an example of uprightness for his children. …show more content…
Even Reverend Hale believes that he is innocent, Hale thinks that John Proctor should confess because “Life is God’s most precious gift” (1104). But Proctor cannot handle the shame of having his confession nailed to the church door. He believes that nailing his confession to the church door shows a disloyalty to everyone who refuses to confess. “I have confessed myself!” is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church!” (1110). This public confession would insult and disgust those who choose to die and uphold their honor. The church is supposed to defend veracity, so his confession being nailed to the church is disrespectful . This confession would strip him from his pride and dignity. He would lose his name and be nothing but a shattered man. Proctor’s decision to rip apart the confession shows his commitment to truth and his inability to abide a
Arthur Miller, a playwright, wrote The Crucible, a dramatized and fictionalized play. The setting took place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem Witch Trials in 1692. The play is about the witch trials, which started due to the jealousy and lust of Abigail Williams, the leader of the witchcraft trial, wanting to have John Proctor, the main protagonist, again. At the end of the play, Proctor is led to his hanging. Throughout the play, there are many events that had helped him made his decision.
Nasir Jones English 11 The Crucible During the year of 1962 in Massachusetts were the Salem witch trials which was series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts between February 1692 and May 1693. The deception of the witch trials play and extravagant role in “The Crucible” By Arthur Miller. In this small but craze town there is a group of girls that are dancing in the woods supposedly working for the devil & in the town dancing portrays a sign of evil. This accusation caused an untrustworthy energy in the city among one another Abigail Williams who was one of the girls dancing in the forest.
Due to paranoia, the once quiet town of Salem, Massachusetts has erupted with accusations, rumors, revenge, and in the end, death. The one thing that makes or breaks these characters is reputation. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, goes back to the year 1692 when witchcraft took over Salem. Neighbors are now seen as enemies and no one can be trusted. Over 15 people died in this true, American event because of false, witchcraft accusations.
Arthur Miller was the author of the Crucible who wrote this in 1953 in response to the second red scare of communism in the United States. He used the Salem Witch Trials to compare the situation happening at home where many people were accusing others of being communists. In the play people are accused of witchcraft and given unfair trials much like what was happening in the 50’s. Because lying had more benefits than honesty, many people in the play decided to lie and confess to witchcraft in order to stay alive.
Let him give his lie. Quail not before God’s judgement in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride. Will you plead with him? I cannot think he will listen to another.” Reverend Hale pleads with Goody Proctor “ Let him give his lie.”
Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before” (Miller 1352). He is ultimately giving up his confession even though he knows it is not the right thing to do. A previous break to Proctor’s Christianity beliefs is when he commits adultery; however, instead of standing up for himself he gives into the court’s desire. When John Proctor confesses, his actions prove a huge weakness John Proctor has. However, his actions of confessing result in a strength.
Adultery, secrets, and witchcraft combine to equal a recipe for disaster. The Crucible is a classic play written by Arthur Miller. The play began in a Puritan settlement in Salem, Massachusetts. A group of girls are found dancing in the woods by the town minister, Reverend Parris. They realized that there will be a hefty punishment because of their actions so they claim that they were being possessed by witchcraft.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor was accused of witchcraft. John Proctor was a man of great integrity and knew he did nothing wrong. He was given the choice to confess and lie or be hung. Being the honest and stubborn man that he was, he decided his name was more important than his life. John struggled both internally and with others while trying to fight for what he thought was right.
The confession of Proctor would convince others in the town to confess to their incriminations and not have to
Proctor doesn’t want his name to be nailed to the church he has already confessed. “ I have confessed
Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife told John to do what he thinks is best, disagreeing with the ideas proposed by Reverend Hale, to confess to the court. Reverend Hale’s
The end of the Crucible is very suspenseful when the protagonist, John Proctor, is faced with choosing between confessing to a lie or dying for the truth. At first, Proctor is hesitant and signs the papers, confessing himself to evil, but before the signed paper is collected by the court, he tears it apart and is sentenced to death. This was his best option, for it stopped him from living a remorseful life. His decision to tear apart the signed confession was the most correct not only for himself but for his family and the community as well.
The play The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on true events of the Salem Witchcraft Trials but is changed in some parts to make it a better story. One exaggerated part of the play is a character named John Proctor, who has an affair with a girl named Abigale and is trying to stop the Salem Witchcraft Trials because he knows that the afflicted girls are false. While he is trying to stop the trials he ends up being accused and is hanged because he would not “confess” to being a witch. Some people think John Proctor is a flawed person because he made a lot of poor decisions, but he is actually an honorable person because he tried to make up for his mistakes. Some people think John Proctor is a flawed person because he had an affair with a younger girl named Abigale
In The Crucible, the protagonist John Proctor was. In the town of Salem, in 1692, a group of young ladies by the names of Betty Williams, Abigail Williams and Tituba were found dancing in the forest naked by Reverend Parris, Abigail’s’ uncle. Reverend Parris assumed that they were participating in witchcraft. This idea of witchcraft spread through the city of Salem and the citizens began accusing each other of being witches. This started a series of court cases known as the Salem Witch Trials.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is accused of performing witchcraft and contracting with the Devil. He is faced with the decision to either confess to or deny the accusations. Ultimately, Proctor chooses to deny the accusations and dies a martyr. Proctor’s decision to sacrifice himself is justified because he protected the reputation of those who died and risked being arrested to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor’s death is justified because he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the reputation of others.