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. He states to her, “Abby I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for …show more content…
This shows that John is a merciful being and desires forgiveness from his wife and God, therefore demonstrating traits of a good man. Furthermore, John has a heated argument with his wife, due to his encounter with Abigail, alone. Although, he thinks his wife will doubt him, she states on the contrary, “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man, John - only somewhat bewildered” (55). This quote reveals, Elizabeth’s genuine understanding and faithfulness in her husband. She believes that John carries the burden of his own guilt, which is a lucid indication that he has a sense of morality. John feels this guilt, as he recognizes and takes responsibility for the sin he commits, against his wife. Additionally, due to John’s guilty conscience, he also realizes the value and tenderness that his wife brings him. He accepts his misdoings, and never utters a blame against his wife, for his actions. This shows that John is a very humble and prudent man, which are significant qualities of a good man. Next, John demonstrates courage as he comes …show more content…
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John showcases his goodness, by having a strong conscience, and firm principled beliefs. Although, John demonstrates great moral character, there are very few people in present-day society that showcase his great valour and bravery. In modern society, people are constantly made conscious of their wealth and status as a measure of their nobility and goodness. However, many societies do not realize that goodness can only come from within, when an individual is willing to face their truths and
Julius Caesar once said, “I love the name of honor, more than I fear death”. When Caesar said that, he stated that there may be moments in a person's life where their honor is questioned, but in the end, only the person who would die to preserve their good name are truly worth honoring. Arthur Miller use The Crucible to portray John Proctor as an honorable man who made a few mistakes to have people question his honor. In The Crucible, John Proctor is shown to be a respectable, honest, and kind hearted man.
However, this is inaccurate because he avoids Abigail and risks everything for his wife. Elizabeth was taken by the court because she was accused for being a witch, but John knows she is a good women and fights for her. Elizabeth is worth the trouble of going to the court and defying the government. It is honorable for a husband to protect his wife after all they are family. John is talking to the court and tell the court a secret that no one knows about, John’s reputation is on the line.
John decided to cheat on his wife by having an affair with Abigail. Every action has a result and will reflect on your path, hence I think John is to accountable for his own fate. John must admit his sin and acknowledge that it was his choice, but there
Therefore, Miller uses The Crucible as a platform to highlight individual freedom and integrity. Through the character of John Proctor, he portrays a man who refuses to hide or withdraw his principles, even in the face of his own persecution. Proctor's ultimate sacrifice stands as a symbol to the importance of personal integrity and the fight against cruel
In retrospect, in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor shows admirable qualities and weaknesses of a tragic hero. Proctor fought for his morals, imperiled himself to jail his mistakes, all to save the upright people
In Arthur Miller's “The Crucible” there are many places where weakness, courage, and truth are shown. In this essay you will read how each one of these were presented in the story. In “The Crucible” there are many places where weakness is shown. Weakness is expressed quite a bit by Mary Warren.
In Arthur Miller's play, dignity and reflection of one's self plays an important role in what makes up a person's character. Through John Proctor's actions and words, Miller's element of tragedy that emphasizes laying down one's life for personal dignity is demonstrated in The Crucible as people will go any extent to accomplish their desires and fight for their beliefs, despite the consequences because they are trying to protect who they are. Tragedy lies within
Reputation vs Moral Rights in The Crucible Every day, human beings are faced with having to choose between keeping a stellar reputation, or pursuing what is morally right. This is apparent in Arthur Miller’s tragic play, The Crucible, when multiple characters have to make the choice of good reputation, or following good morals when they are dealing with witchcraft and The Salem Witch Trials. Through the use of well thought out characters, Arthur Miller is able to portray that when one’s actions are chosen by the intention of maintaining a perfect public image, instead of doing what is morally right, he/she ends up ruining that reputation in the end. While reading the play, the very first character that the reader is introduced to is Reverend
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!" (-Parris Last Page in Crucible) By sacrificing his integrity in the beginning of the story for wealth and power he created an image of a villain for himself, but by the end once he realized the state of his integrity he attempted to save John helping restore his integrity and made him less of a villain. Integrity is an essential piece of heroism, this can especially be seen in the novel "The Crucible" as the two ideals of integrity and heroism collide. This is seen through such characters like Abigail, John, and Parris all of whom exhibit the polar opposites as well as the in
When John and Elizabeth are arguing over how John was in Salem and how he should tell the court what Abigail told him, John snaps at Elizabeth. He says “I say I will think on it!”. He is a little aggressive and very cold towards her when he says this. This shows the reader that he does not respect her because if he did, he would not be so rude to her. Next, John is saying how he was alone in a room with Abigail when she told him that there was really no witchcraft in the town.
“She thinks to dance with me on my wife's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance, and you must see it now” In this quote, John tells the governor the truth about the affair and that Abigail’s actions are because she is jealous.
Selfishness is one of the most blinding character traits a person can have. Many think the iconic play The Crucible teaches an important lesson to take responsibility for ones actions. In addition, the character John Proctor is considered an honorable, noble hero. However, that is far from the truth.
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.
When people think of the play, “The Crucible”, they usually picture the witch trials and women being hanged, but Arthur Miller depicts the witch trials in a completely new light. He shows through a story that the witch trials were much more than just people calling others witches. There was deceit, pain, greed, and more. Through the play, we follow the character, Abigail, observe her actions and their consequences. We witness the lives of people she impacts, what happens to them, and how many times she lies to get her way.