Witchcraft (also called witchery or spellcraft) broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities that are able to be exercised by individuals and certain social groups. John Proctor is accused for consorting with the devil and he becomes selfless and upholds his beliefs because of the consequences he might of faced. In the play, “The Crucible”, Arthur Miller shows John Proctor as a upstanding man. He commits adultery, but confesses to the jury about cheating on his wife with Abigail Williams, knowing it will mess up his own reputation in the village. Proctor is regretful and willing to accept any punishment that the court, or God, believes to be just. When Danforth starts acting foolishly, however, he has the courage to stand up for himself and uphold his beliefs. Proctor is a selfless man and shows courage because he defends his wife and kids, dies rather than admitting to a lie, and is willing to give his life for what he believes. …show more content…
John Proctor said to himself, “Because it is my name…. How may i live without my name?” (Miller 115). This shows John’s mental suffering toward himself. He chooses to die to save his family's name. Knowing if he would’ve confessed, it would have ruined his children's lives. They would have been known as the sons of a witch who sold out his friends. John later rescinds his confession, and he feels great for the first time in a long time because he feels like him doing this good deed wiped away all the sins from the past. John Proctor is a selfless man because he is not only thinking about himself but about the future of his loved
John Proctor’s strengths is that, “He is a kind of man—powerful body, even-tempered, and not easily led—who cannot refuse support to partisans without drawing their deepest resentment” (Miller 1245). His major flaw is not forgiving himself after having an affair with Abigail, which caused a riff to happen in his marriage. This flaw led Proctor to not fully cut off ties with Abigail, out of guilt, making her believe that they had a chance of truly being together if Elizabeth wasn’t there anymore. John Proctor transforms from a selfish character that only cares for his image to a man who will die for his beliefs and to prove the corrupt ways of the court to save many lives of innocent people. His inner conflict is how he views himself, “My honesty
His threat that there is no way to live without his pure name is most likely empty, however accomplishes the goal of describing how important it is that his reputation be maintained. Arthur Miller portrays Proctor as overly dramatic in the circumstance. Though Proctor tries to convince Danforth he would choose death over public humiliation, Hamlet’s philosophy regarding humans’ ultimate weakness, death, likely applies to John Proctor. Through Proctor’s perception, he is facing two unpleasant propositions, however, the audience is able to relate to the fact that, in the end, nothing is more frightening than
This confession leads to John being condemned to witchcraft. Since John Proctor is motivated by revealing the truth
Guilt is emotional torture that transforms one's psychological operation. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, before the Salem witch trials emerge, John Proctor cheats on his wife Elizabeth Proctor, with young Abigail. Causing him to live with an eternal shame that generates dispute. Proctor’s endeavour is to elude from his wrongdoing, but he cannot because of the disgrace he feels himself to be when around Elizabeth. Miller shows that John Proctor's emotional and behavioral conflict rises from his guilt.
He trusts himself and goes with his gut even when everyone else is telling him something different. When he is first accused, everyone told him to confess, even though he didn’t do the crime. But he goes with his gut and doesn’t listen to them. Then, when John Proctor is in jail, they try and get him to sign a paper saying he confesses. He signs it, but won’t give it back.
He doesn’t want to give them the only thing that makes him who his name. He doesn’t want to disgrace his family name and hurt them for generations to come. This is an example when it says in the definition “ He is then able to accept his death with honor.” In conclusion John Proctor is the perfect example of a tragic hero. He committed adultery and in a sense, ended up dying because of it.
John Proctor here is reinstating that he wants to continue if he has his name and if Danforth and the court cannot provide that to him he does not know how he could possibly go on. Based on the quote John’s quality of life would eventually prove to be dreary if he did confess as he would feel like he no longer had a soul. Although John knew it would be a risk for him to confess his wife helped convince him that life was worth living, but it’s his own choice. Elizabeth sorrowfully states to John “Do what you will. But let none be your judge.
In The Crucible, John Proctor the protagonist, becomes a victim of the witch trials when his wife Elizabeth, is accused of witchcraft. In order to free his wife, Proctor must convince Judge Danforth of his wife’s innocence. Judge Danforth does not sign condemnations lightly and takes meticulous inspection of his cases to determine the guilty party. He is also a highly religious man who takes matters between God and men seriously. It is because of Danforth’s dedication to the law and God that Proctor utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos to persuade him.
Proctor talks good about the people who decided not to confess. He Doesn't want to say anything that will harm them. Proctor doesn't think he’s doing the right thing by confessing and wants to change his mind to do the right thing. John proctor is successful in helping his friends be
His act of defiance resulted in death, but caused the people of Salem to question the court, which prevents any future deaths for suspected witchery. By refusing to lie, John Proctor preserved his name and held up his personal convictions. However, some may say that this was self-serving, because he left his family destitute, and his wife husbandless and his children fatherless. Nevertheless, “How can I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!...Because It is my name!
Proctor even told them he is not something to be used to help them, “you will not use me” (4, 699). Proctor will not allow the town to use his name to save themselves for killing all the innocent people before him. Proctor even pleads with them, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (4, 730). Proctor is saying how the integrity he has is only left in his name since his soul has been sinned.
Proctor's downfall in the play is initiated by a human flaw, which qualifies him to be the tragic hero. Arthur Miller illustrates John Proctor as a common honest
He realized that he didn’t need the support from his wife to make the most honorable decision. John was hung for not confessing. Yet, his legacy of fighting for what you believe in still prevailed. Proctor’s death displayed great perseverance, which is an attribute, reflected in the American
The first impressive characteristic of John Proctor is his bravery. Speaking out against the “afflicted” girls in the way he did could cause serious question of him as a person. From the court’s standpoint John could be seen as directly opposing the court, which would have him jailed, or could even have him be accused of witchcraft. Also, he would have had to have known that Abigail Williams would have immediately accused him of being a witch once he spoke out against them. However, that did not stop him from delivering the truth to the court.
John has the conscience of an honest man even though he has committed a severe sin, which he hides, adultery. Because of this his name is tainted, making the reader doubt the goodness in him. When Proctor reveals the truth in court, we are surprised because he has confessed knowing it will blacken his name, and he has done this in order to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Because of this we are able to see that Proctor bears responsibility for what has occurred. However when he confesses, Abigail turns against him and accuses Proctor of being a witch.