The Author Charles Frazier wrote in his book Cold Mountain “[No] matter what a waste a man has made of ones life, it is ever possible to find some path to redemption, however partial” John Proctor is a prime example of this quote. Towards the beginning of the play Miller gives the reader an impression that he is a selfish and immoral man that does not care about his family or the feelings of his wife, Elizabeth. As the play goes on however Miller’s representation of proctor can sway the opinions they have of John when he decides to let himself be hanged for good reason. Within the short timeline of the story John Proctor was able to look past his mistakes and restored his morals. John Proctor was denounced in the story when he was seduced …show more content…
He doesn’t give in when asked to sign on his admitting to being a witch, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! … leave me my name” (Miller 143)! During the witch trials being accused of witchcraft and which route you chose to go down was a double edged sword. Either you confess to being a witch and soil your name and disgrace your family, or you plead not guilty and hang for your alleged crimes. So knowing which ever position he held they would both hold life altering affects from there on out, he chose what he thought was right and showed everyone to stay true to yourself in life. Proctor says he could not sign his name away because it would show a bad example for his children “I have three children--how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends” (Miller 143)? Proctor was caught in a catch 22 scenario where either he lives with his kids knowing he was convicted of witchcraft and sold out his friends, or he dies and leaves his children without a father completely. But John Proctor does not take his whole family down with him and decides that just he should suffer the consequences of his own mess. Proctor transforms from a tempted, sinful man who cheats on his wife into a man who dies for the truth and …show more content…
During the beginning of the play he fails to realize how much he hurt Elizabeth when he committed adultery. John was criticized and treated with a very much deserved cold reception from his wife. But John lacks empathy as he asks her to look sometimes for the goodness in [him], and judge [him] not” (Miller 55). He’s asking her to look past his affair as if this would be an easy task for his committed wife. But however John is able to redeem himself, and change himself for the better. As once he was a immature selfish man he’s able to transform into a decent and more morally sound one. In the beginning of the play, John seems to only look out for number one, himself; he gives into times of temptation with Abigail and does not pity his wife and mother of his children when the affair is brought to light. In contrast, when he hangs, he does so for the sake of Elizabeth and his children. When speaking of his family, Proctor says, “I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence” (143). John’s sins and temptations have been forgiven by this point of the play. He proves he can be selfless and put other people in front of him when it means the most. Also, by not signing his name on his confession he showed that he did not want his legacy to be tainted or known for doing something that he did not
In The crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is in the time of the Salem witch trials. The main character, John Proctor, is a father of 2 or 3 kids and is married to Elizabeth proctor. They had been married for a long while with a happy marriage, but all of that changed when he had an affair with a fairly young girl who happened to be the daughter of the man in power. Not only did he cheat, but it was because of his cheating that Abigail, his fling, accused Elizabeth and the reason John proctor would later die. John Proctor sacrificed his life for instant gratification and illuminated his values in that moment.
Arthur Miller attempts to convey his message through the characters of his story, especially through one of the play's main characters, John Proctor. The main issues raised by the play are the role of the individual within society, the value of one's name and perceptions of justice and truth. During, a certain scene which was when John Proctor was brought to the courthouse to discuss if he was about to be freed from jail, the only problem was that they wanted him to admit that he was working with the devil, and tell who else was taking part in witchcraft. The dilemma during this scene was that John Proctor didn’t want to write a written confession because he kept thinking of his reputation that was on the line. He believed that if he told them that he was apart of the witchcraft and didn’t sign the paper as a written confession then he would be fine, however, that wasn’t the case and they required him to give a written confession.
In the beginning, the audience discovers he had an affair with Abigail Williams, though he is not proud of his wrongdoing, John does many things to show that he is truly sorry and wants to regain the pride he once felt as a good
Although John Proctor still feels guilty because of his unfaithfulness to their marriage, he cannot take Elizabeth’s doubtfulness anymore and defends himself. However Elizabeth is yet to put his betrayal behind her and move on as we can see when John tells Elizabeth “You forget nothing and you forgive nothing”. Also from the repetitious usage of the word “confess” we can see that John is an honest man as he told the truth to Elizabeth himself rather than her finding out about the affair and accusing him of treachery. Furthermore we can understand that John feels as he is getting questioned in a courtroom rather than feeling he is in a safe family environment from the terms and motifs Miller uses throughout the passage such as “confess, judge, justice, charge, fraud… Furthermore John actually admits his feelings and tells Elizabeth that he is fed up with feeling of being in a
This confession allows their loved ones to realize the sincerity in the individual as they wish to truly penitent themselves for their improper actions. In act four of The Crucible, John Proctor falsely confesses to witchcraft as he believes it is more preferable to die rather than continue to engage in dirty lies. When Judge Danforth commands John to sign the confession as proof that he has truly engaged in witchcraft, John initially profusely refuses to succumb to Danforth’s demands. However, he later decides to sign his name but immediately tears up the confession after signing it. This demonstrates his wish to retain his good name and dignity after confessing a false statement.
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.
Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour. First, John Proctor shows his goodness, by refusing the physical advances of Abigail, who wishes to continue their love affair.
People in the Crucible thought he was an honorable man and that no honorable man will ever sin. So when John and Abigail meet each other, Abigail flirts with John, and John say, “No, no, Abby. That’s done with.” So we know he has committed adultery against his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, with Abigail Williams and that gives us a bad image of John sinning and commiting adultery with Abigail and doesn’t really respect his wife.
John Proctor was a man of honor and had a well respected name in the town of Salem. Sadly he died tragically but as a hero. He was hanged because he was accused of doing the devil’s work. He was given the chance to save his life if he admitted on a piece of paper that he was working with the devil but he refused to tell that lie. He wanted his sons to be able to walk the streets without being shunned from the world because they deserved better.
Life or Death: Did John Proctor Make the Right Decision? Countless people have learned about the lies and horrors of witches in 1692 during the Salem Witch trials. In The Crucible, a tragedy written by Arthur Miller, it displays the tragedy and wrongful convictions of the townsfolk of Salem. One notable character being John Proctor a well respected upperclassman in Salem who was willing to confess his sins, sacrificing his life for the greater good of his family and friends. There are many reasons people choose to do things in life whether or not they will turn out well in the end.
However, by signing the confession John Proctor would be causing harm to a greater amount of people. In The Crucible, John says “I have three children--how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends? (pg 132).” Proctor feels that he won’t be setting a good example for his kids by selling out his friends. John Proctor knows that by signing the confession, he’s not only saying that he took part in witchcraft, but his friends did as well.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in Salem in a Puritan community, John Proctor is the tragic hero because he is loving, loyal, authoritative, but his tragic flaw is his temper. The most well known definition of a tragic hero comes from Aristotle who was a great philosopher . When describing a tragic hero, he states "The change in the hero's fortunes be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in any depravity but in some great error on his part. "He also explains the four essential qualities that a tragic hero should have, which are appropriateness, goodness,consistency, and lifelike. These necessities help, classify the character of John Proctor in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible as the tragic hero.
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.
A lot of what John Proctor does in The Crucible is to save his wife Elizabeth. When John Proctor says, "I will bring you home. I will bring you soon."(Miller 77) he promises to save his wife from being hanged for witchcraft. This also shows John’s love for his wife, Elizabeth, and his choosing of this love over his lust for Abigail.
In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist, symbolized truth and justice by displaying honor and pride in his name. The change in balance between those two attributes acted as a catalyst in defining moments of the play. In the beginning, Proctor equally reflected both pride and honor in separate events. However, when forced to make a decision, he chose honor over pride. Ultimately, both his honor and pride pushed him to commit the ultimate sacrifice.