In The Crucible, Arthur Miller captured the fear of Americans during the time of the Red Scare and made it into a play about the Salem Witch Trials. The story follows John Proctor, a married, middle-aged, hard-working man, but the least bit faithful to his Puritan religion. John Proctor made the ultimate choice to commit adultery, and it affected his faithfulness to the Puritan religion. When faced with a challenge, he was unable to recite the 10 Commandments, and was exposed for working instead of attending church on Sundays. In the beginning of the story, John Proctor chose to commit adultery with Abigail Williams. During this wrongdoing, Abigail worked for John and Elizabeth Proctor. When John admits to having sexual relations, Elizabeth immediately fires her, but the true reason for firing Abigail is kept between her, John, and Elizabeth. John apologized to Elizabeth for his actions, and she stayed with him. But, depicted in Act II, the relationship …show more content…
Proctor’s body language and emotions throughout the book revealed that he felt guilt and regret for his decision. In the end, he even admitted to the court his wrongdoing in hopes to save Elizabeth from the accusations Abigail put against her. He knew the consequences that would arise from admitting such a sin, but he does the right thing. The morning of his scheduled hanging, Elizabeth and Proctor discuss if he should confess to being a witch. “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.”Proctor states. Proctor’s body language and emotions throughout the book reveal that he feels guilt and regret for his choice to commit adultery. This results in him making his final choice, to
Proctor chose not to confess to the court at first due to his name being important to him as well as it would have been a lie which would have made him to self condemning himself. But Proctor decides to confess his adultery with Abigail to prove the court that she was using his opportunity to accuse of his John Proctor's
As a result of John Proctor committing adultery, he was hanged. Proctor made a mistake and cheated on Elizabeth with his former maid, Abigail Williams. Proctor immediately realizes that he messed up terribly and feels as if he can never make up for such a thing. Proctor admits to Elizabeth, “I am no good man” (Miller 136).
He doesn't understand her side and begins to get frustrated with her because she is still hurt from the situation. When Elizabeth's trust issues begin to show he becomes insecure and mad at himself and lashes out on his wife. The story tells, “ No more! I should have roared you down when you first told me your suspicion. But I wilted, and, like a christian man, confessed. Confessed !” (Miller 55). In this quote the audience learns that proctor wishes he never confessed to his wife. The guilt it starting to eat him alive, instead of in the beginning of the story where he just pushes his guilt to the side. Arthur also writes, “ Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me.” (Miller 55). In this quote Proctor shows a softer side of his personality. He now asks Elizabeth for forgiveness, when he gets forgiveness from her he can then forgive himself. He wants to be able to call himself a good
He confesses to get his wife Elizabeth out of prison and uncover the reason for her being accused. He knows that Abigail is trying to get Elizabeth killed so that her desire to marry John can finally be met. John realized this and again spoke out against injustice. Proctor wanted to honor those who died faithfully and therefore admits to the sin he has been hiding. He feels he “cannot mount the gibbet like a saint”(136) and therefore first admits to lechery before he is executed.
The Crucible In “The Crucible”, Arthur Miller uses John Proctor to oppose the moral and ethical implications of the Puritan society. John Proctor goes against the grain and has his own opinions on life, good and bad. Puritans were strong religious people that thought that church should be attend on the sabbath day, that you should be faithful to your spouse, and to always tell the truth and live according the the bible. John Proctor did the exact opposite.
Proctor was initially fueled by keeping his wife and a clean name; but, spending time in jail further changed his motives. When speaking to Elizabeth following being accused of witchcraft, he questioned taking the easy way out, stating “I am not a man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing is spoiled by giving them this lie”(137). Proctor sinned previously when performing lechery; as a result of this, he now believes that sinning again would not make a difference. In the eyes of the Puritans, he would already be going to hell due to performing lechery. However, Proctor soon came to the realization that in order to keep integrity he had to be truthful. He no longer wanted to follow in the footsteps of other citizens who
In Act IV, Elizabeth tells proctor, “Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it”. This is very important. Elizabeth seems to be saying that a man may lie and be ‘good’ – or, on the other hand, a man may refuse to lie and be equally as ‘good’. Proctor is faced with two choices, either to confess and live, or to protect his innocence and die, he knows now that whatever he chooses, Elizabeth will still see him as a good man.
Proctor 's decision to tell the court about his affair ironically demonstrates his goodness. He also spoke up for the innocent girls that had their names branded. He willingly sacrifices his good name in order to protect his wife and others who are wrongly accused. Only through his public acknowledgment of the affair does Proctor regain his wife 's trust. At the end of the play, Proctor refuses to slander himself by allowing the court to make him make a false confession. The court told him to lie, and that if he lies that he would not be sent to the gallows. He did the right decision by telling the truth about his affair with Abigail. He honestly told the truth about the affair, and that he was not part of the witchcraft. His response further exemplifies Proctor 's integrity. But John was not guilty. He had nothing to do with witchcraft, he admitted to his own mistakes. Proctor knows that if he confesses that he will be damned himself, yet again, if he agrees to confess, he will also be free from the torment from the demon inside him and set others free too. This realization, along with Elizabeth 's forgiveness, enables Proctor to forgive himself and finally regain his good name and self-respect. As the court
Throughout the play, Proctor struggles with his honor as he changes from viewing it as his reputation to believing it is based on his own private moral of truth. The isolated Puritan community in which Proctor lives forces him to try and achieve a pious and perfect lifestyle, which ultimately pressures him into lying about his affair with Abigail in order to maintain a good reputation. This view changes in the courtroom, when Proctor becomes extremely frustrated with the lies and deceit that Abigail is telling the judges, Proctor screams in anger, “I beg you sir, I beg you - see her what she is… 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
This speech shows that Proctor is blaming himself for this tragedy. Proctor's guilt still continues about his affair with Abigail and he is also now guilty for hesitating to act earlier.
His unwavering perseverance leads him to do anything to save his wife which results in him being tried and hanged. Proctor speaks his mind in opposition of the trials and against the girls which leads them to turn against him and accuse him of working with the devil. The most significant flaw of Proctor is his lust which guides him to infidelity and results in him having an affair with Abigail Williams. The affair leads Abigail Williams to turn upon Elizabeth Proctor out of jealousy after being fired from working at their house. This jealousy leads Abigail into accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft to have her be hanged which causes John Proctor to attempt at saving Elizabeth, leading to his own
As a result of his foolish actions, Proctor’s affair drove Abigail to plot to get Proctor’s wife Elizabeth out of the picture so that she could take her place. She was intelligent enough to realize that if she accused the wife of a well-respected man of the village of conspiring with the devil, no one would believe and she would be thrown in jail for lying to the court. It was as if Abigail decided that if she filled the jails with people who were not as respected, no one would notice one more person passing through the courts. Abigail was driven by the hope that she and Proctor had this affair, that he made a sort of a promise to her. She thought that if Proctor did not have Elizabeth he would then love her instead, but John Proctor was intent on protecting his wife’s name no matter what the cost. He finally decides to speak the truth to the court of his affair in order to save Elizabeth.” I have known her, sir. I have known her. In the proper place where my beast are bedded. On the last night of my joy, some eight months past”. She used to serve me in my house, sir. I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name. You believe me, Mr. Danforth! My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she
To John the affair was just a one time thing and he never wanted it to be brought back up again. But for Abigail it was commitment, since they had the affair then she saw it as John being with her forever, and she realized that the only way for that to happen was to get Elizabeth out of the picture. So even though John Proctor was a good person because of his one little flaw, big issues appeared.
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was a historical play written about the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692-93. The Salem witch trials created mass hysteria throughout the entire village of Salem, which was also mainly inhabited by Puritans. Puritans had a set ideal of firm beliefs that managed how they lived. Essentially, they were living as an elect, which meant they (referring to the Puritans) had a place in heaven for the righteous acts they have done in the physical world. Meaning, any sinful acts could potentially hinder the chances of entering heaven as an elect. The Crucible, questioned everything the Puritans abided by. It questioned the basic morals of a pure lifestyle, adultery and
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an interpretation of the Salem witch trials of 1692 in Puritan Massachusetts in which religion, justice, individuality and dignity play a vital role. These factors define the characteristics of many of the most significant characters in the play. Some of them being John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Reverend Hale, Danforth and many others. The Salem witch trials were a result of the lack of expression of individuality and the fact that no individual could expect justice from the majority culture as a result of the deterioration of human dignity in the Puritan society of Salem.