How Did John Proctor Change Throughout The Crucible

John Proctor is the a very important character in The Crucible. He is a good man, except for his one flaw of having an affair with Abigail. This affair leads to the witch trials because it starts with Abigail wanting to kill John Proctor’s wife so she could be with him. He changes from the beginning of the book to the end. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows the importance of reputation through John Proctor changing his mindset and actions from the beginning to the end of the book.

“A situation of severe trial, or in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new,”(Google) that is the given definition of a crucible. A severe trial is an accurate term used to describe the town of Salem during the Salem Witch trials. Many characters had unmitigated personality changes throughout the play as morals soared out of the window to save lives or take them. One character who had not changed, however, just happened to be one of the strongest in the town, John Proctor. Many things dictate a change in character such as willingness to participate in wrongdoings and the ability to perceive and accept new information.

Another example of John showing regret is during the court trial when he says "It is not a child." Now hear me, sir. In the sight of the congregation she was twice this year put out of this meetin' house for laughter during prayer." Miller 3.289. This time John wants Abigail to be held accountable and punished for trying to murder his wife, Elizabeth.

All because of Abigail not being able to keep being with John since he went back to his wife, Abigail basically wanted revenge on John and wanted to get rid of his wife. So when his character really starts to change is when he realizes what he did was wrong and that he is truly sorry for what he did and hopes he can be forgiven. Proving that he is sorry for his sin and that he wants no more to repeat this sin he says “ Abby I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind.” He then attempts to save his wife so he confesses all sorts of sin along with admitting to his affair even to the public. Following this throughout the Crucible it really comes to show that John Proctor changed as a person and how he viewed what was going on in salem, and that he began to care about others rather than himself. So much that he was willing to risk his chances of living just to expose that the girls were lying so they would stop hanging the innocent including his wife. The fact that John Proctor admitted to his mistake shows that he is a dynamic character from the way he was selfish in the beginning unlike then end where he actually admitted to his mistake and his willingness to change to help others.

During the Crucible, in the town of Salem, everybody is in fear of witchery. Lots of drama and fear has been going around about people committing witchcraft. In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, Proctor, is a rule breaking man who changes from being a cheater to a man who has a change of heart and wants to save people who are being falsely accused of witchery by admitting his own sins. John wasn't always a kind man, trying to do something good for the community. Before he changed, Proctor could be described as a cheater, a narcissist, and a brave man.

Confess and save his and his wife's lives or deny all accusations and be hung for his “crimes”. This is where the decision making becomes more serious than it has ever been. He and Elizabeth discuss their options. He learns that she is pregnant and this persuades him to confess. He claims it is best for him and his family with one on the way if he is there to help raise and be with them. A smart, level headed choice. A choice that is made by thinking ahead and into the future. They also discuss his affair with Abigail. Something that he cannot forgive himself for and won’t. Elizabeth states that she will not begin to forgive him until he forgives himself. You can see in John’s expressions during this scene that he is contemplating the idea of forgiveness. He doesn’t think he deserves it and some part of you can tell that he’s never going to forgive himself for it. Even if he says he

Johns tragedy to his hero life was his lust for Abigail while married to Elizabeth. Abigail speaks of their affair when John comes to see what has happened with Betty and to send Mary home; “ABIGAIL: I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! Or did I dream that? It's she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!” (Miller 21), a couple lines later John tries to stop it, “PROCTOR: Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach of you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” (Miller 22). In Act Three, while they are in court John confesses. He says, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” (Miller 102), that actually means he has had sex with her. After John confesses his ‘good name’ takes a turn for the worse, and he is no longer the John Proctor everyone trusted. “PROCTOR: … I have rung the doom of my good name…” (Miller 103), this is when John, and everyone else know he is no longer the ‘hero’ he is thought to be.

The Salem Witch Trials were one of the most embarrassing moments of history. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible shows how people can throw away their judgments over fictitious ideas such as witches. The main character, John Proctor, overcomes challenges in life including the secret affair with a teenager, Abigail Williams. This event caused John to eventually come to admit his sin of adultery. John Proctor’s last act in the play was an act of honor. On the other hand, his actions through out the play were noble.

In the play, The Crucible, MIller allows the reader to learn something about the world by showing us that the sins that we have committed will keep weighing us down, until we confess them. John Proctor commits adultery with Abigail Williams, and keeps this affair a secret from Elizabeth. Proctor starts to feel guilty, and mad at himself. He attempts to pretend that the affair never happened. “But I will cut off my hand before I reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind, we never touched, Abby…..Proctor, angered--at himself as well: You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth!” (24) This piece of textual evidence proves that Proctor is unable to forgive himself for what he has done to Elizabeth, and what he has done to himself to lose his goodness.

Several characters throughout the play, The Crucible, remain the same. However, some did change. One in particular was John Proctor. This character changes a lot from the beginning, even to the end. Some feel that he is the most important element of the play, going from a hot tempered guy who committed adultery, to a man who wants forgiveness from his wife, admitting he did her wrong.

​In act I, John has shown his sinful past with Abigail and his hatred towards authority. John and Abby talk for a bit about his past with her and John shows mixed emotions but overall wants to forget about her. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut of my hand before I reach for

John Proctor was a truly honest man, as his personality continued to remain unwavering, even when confronted with the harshest situation. Honesty can be defined as the pursuit of vindicating the innocent and ending the Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller explores Proctor’s honesty and its consequences in his play The Crucible. Aggravated by his wife’s false condemnation for witchcraft, Proctor demonstrates his resolve to help her, which will cause the court to antagonize him. Additionally, his desire to stop Abigail’s rampage leads to his imprisonment for witchcraft. Guilty of lechery, Proctor embarks on his final path to redemption, which will lead him to his death. Ultimately, John Proctor’s honesty leads to his downfall.

Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible in 1953. The Crucible takes place in the late 1600`s around a town called Salem in Massachusetts. Miller went to Salem and acquired historical documents about the Salem witch trials and used the real people's diaries and other writings to gather information on what happened and how it happened. He also used the information to create interesting and real characters that would grab and hold audiences attention. His most memorable characters, Abigail Williams and John Proctor, are really the center pieces of the play. Although Abby and Proctor in The Crucible seem like polar opposites, they are however one in the same as they use different methods to reach an unlikely bet yet common goal proving how in common they really are.

In the book, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a farmer and a prominent member of society. However, he had an affair with a girl in town, Abigail Williams which leads to his wife being convicted of witchcraft and himself convicted of dealing with the devil. John Proctor is a strong and effective speaker and proves his point with the three rhetorical appeals and devices such as personification, similes, metaphors and tone.

John Proctor became a tragic hero in “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller has brought a big problem to the Village of Salem, after Procto had an affair with Abigail Williams, she began to look for revenge and she started accusing people of witchcraft. John Proctor; a well-respected man in Salem, who is a hard worker always working for his family, love his children and his wife, is founded in a critical situation after committing adultery with a girl in the village. John Proctor, the protagonist of the play “The Crucible”, a well-respected man, a noble man who has done a lot for his family, possesses a major flaw he has had an affair with Abigail Williams, and eventually he realizes what he has done in Salem and to