“… Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery, Thou Shall Not Lie” (Exodus 20:14). John Proctor was the tragic hero of Arthur Miller Crucible; even though it seems as if he is the bad guy because he cheats on his wife and withholds information from the court, he becomes a hero in the end when he dies for his and for the truth. Due to the fact that it was difficult for him to get out of trouble, he committed adultery and was ashamed to admit it. John Proctor slept with Abigail who was a minor. “… I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then, and you do now.” ( Miller, date, page..) Even though he was willing to stop the relationship between him and Abigail, she was not. Even when Abigail mentioned her and John Proctors affair he denied …show more content…
He even said a couple times before that him and Abigail did not have anything going on. “… We never touched Abby ). (Miller , date, page) Since he lied about that, when his wife found out she was angry. No matter what, Proctor felt that he had to keep quiet about the truth about him and Abby. “… Aye but we did not). ( Miller, date, page) In hope that he tells the truth, he still did not because he was afraid of the outcome. Proctor was the most despicable character in the play because he secretly seduced a minor, lied to his wife, causing Elizabeth to fire Abby. Despite all the different personalities he showed he was a hero, at one point of the story. He finally realized that he was wrong and felt the need to tell his wife the truth and the rest of Salem. “… Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!” ) “… Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” ( Miller,1692,page 993-995). Proctor did not want them to put the singed document on the church door because he did not want to leave a bad name out there for his sons. He felt like he had to keep some
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.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, it is evident that John Proctor is the tragic hero. Concluding through evidence in the play, it is fairly simple to connect him with separate parts of the definition. He makes his share of mistakes, just as many human beings do. John Proctor is fundamentally a good man, with respectable
He does this with the intention of exposing Abigail’s spiteful character and her main desire to replace his wife. John Proctor says “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 whore’s vengeance and you must see it. I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now” (110) John Proctor exposes not only Abigail’s sins, but also the fact that he was infatuated with Abigail. He knows that by doing this he would dishonor his name, but he deems it as the only solution because people were falling into Abigail’s manipulation., John Proctor also fights for everyone not just his wife. John Proctor continues his attempt to voice out the truth even though his wife was exempted from being punished because she was pregnant. He defends other people because he knows their innocence. “The people signing it declare their good opinion of Rebecca, and my wife and Martha Corey...these are all landholding farmers, members of the church, sir- they’ve known the women many years and never saw no sign they had dealing with the Devil” (93) John Proctor protects everyone’s names because he recognizes that they have no reason to be jailed, thus showing his kindness and consideration.
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
First of all, reputation is a huge issue for John Proctor, both internally and externally. From the very beginning, John is extremely concerned about word escaping about his adulterous acts with Abigail. If anyone were to find out, his good reputation as a respectable farmer in Salem would have been cast away by nasty looks. A lack of willingness to give up his good name also stopped John from admitting anything he knew about Abigail to possibly save lives. He cared more about having a clean name than completely halting the trials to begin with. In the end of the play, John Proctor is put to death
The play The Crucible by Arthur Miller has one character that is true to himself and stands out above all the rest. Throughout the play, John Proctor shows some ideal qualities that are not found in the other characters. Proctor is a man of integrity because he shows honesty, he stands by his beliefs, and he makes sacrifices.
John Proctor also lies throughout The Crucible. Although he has come clean to his wife, Elizabeth, about his love affair with Abigail, it is still a secret to the rest of the citizens of Salem. John is severely ashamed of his act of adultery, and has trouble admitting it to himself. When Elizabeth suggests early on,”I think you must tell him[Hale], John” (Miller 67), Proctor evades admitting the truth to Reverend Hale of his affair even though it could have been a valid excuse for the Proctor family’s lack of attendance at church and John’s inability to say the commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” In Act III, when John finally is forced to admit his clandestine affair with Abigail to the court, nobody believes him. Because John has waited so long to confess his affair, it just looks like a poor attempt to save him and Elizabeth from the indictments. If John had divulged the secret of his affair earlier on, people might scorn him for his sin, but he would have evaded the allegations of witchcraft.
Prior to, and perhaps the cause of the “witchcraft,” John committed the crime of lechery. He finally confesses in court, but it is discounted. He exclaims, “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” (Act 3). John Proctor acted on his temptation and slept with his handmaid--- Abigail. She was thrown out of his home but still loved and lusted after John. Because it was illegal to commit adultery in those times, Abigail sought to find a way to rid the world of Elizabeth Proctor, so she could legally sleep with John. When John attempts to discredit Abigail's insidious plot of falsely accused witchcraft by confessing to lechery, and Elizabeth denies the claims to the court, John and Elizabeth are both condemned for lying in court. John Proctor’s flaw of lust eventually led him to be imprisoned and eventually
Proctor and Abigail had an affair, Proctor is currently married to Elizabeth, which Abigail hates, Abigail hates Proctor’s wife she despises her. Abigail is an underage girl who is overly obsessed with Proctor and would do anything to have Elizabeth out of the picture so she can marry Proctor. Abigail has it in her mind that she and Proctor “touched” but Proctor swears up and down that nothing like that ever happened. He even states that he will never reach for her again, and that he would rather cut off his head then reach for her ever again. Abigail keeps calling Proctor’s wife “sickly”, which fires Proctor up, makes him yell at Abigail, and tells her to never bring Elizabeth up again.
Mackenzie Siverson Ms. Firavanti English 2H October 2014 As a child, we are taught honesty is always the best policy, and we would have punishment for lying. In the well known play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, he uses the characters to show honestly during the trials and the benefits and consequences of it. The girls of Salem, being accused of witchery is often faced with the choice to lie or tell the truth about the actions and choices they made, and it would be the deciding factor on whether they are imprisoned, or set free. He also shows how it affects the characters emotionally, whether it frees them, or harms them. The examples that Miller uses in The Crucible, clearly shows how honesty affects the characters and the outcomes of
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Miller introduces John Proctor. John is living with deep guilt after committing adultery with Abigail Williams. Afterwards, he does all the possibilities in his power to clean the dirt off his name, even if that was death itself. However, accused of being a witch in Salem during the 1690s brings more disgrace to John then committing adultery.
Committing adultery, lying, and wanting to cause harm towards others are a few examples that are against the Puritans. All three of these crimes are committed in The Crucible by either Abigail or John. Elizabeth says, “You’ll tear it free--when you come to know that I will be you only wife, or no wife at all! She has an arrow in you yet, John Proctor, and you know it well!” (Miller 59). Elizabeth tells John that if he wants to have a wife, he will have to break the lust between Abby and himself. Abby left a mark on John, but he does not want to admit it. Proctor is not being a good husband, and does not follow the rules of a Puritan. By committing against these laws, Abby and John cause conflict amongst the town of Salem and
John Proctor was a “farmer in his middle thirties… strong, even-tempered, and not easily led” (20). Proctor’s reputation was good and he was a well respected man around Salem. The play shows that Proctor’s past involved him having an affair with Abigail. Now in the present, Proctor is conflicted with the fear of being labeled as an adulterer for his past. Proctor’s fear weakens his morality in the court when he has to explain the situation to Judge Danforth. Proctor tells Danforth that he “has known her” (110) and that Abigail wishes to “dance with me (Proctor) on my wife's grave” (110). Although the fear of being labeled as an adulterer and being charged of lechery, Proctor believes that telling the truth is the right thing to do. Proctor realizes that the Salem witch trials have gone to far and are merely just attempts from Abigail to get Proctor all to herself. Proctor’s fear initially holds him back from telling the court the reason why Abigail is accusing everyone and acting strange. Later on the unveiling of his affair with Abigail results in the trials being questioned but it also fuels the deadly fate of
Proctor’s first flaw is seen in Act I, when he speaks with Abigail Williams, a dismissed servant, who he had an affair with. He attempts to cover his actions, stating to Abigail, “…I will cut off my own hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby” (Miller 22).
During the beginning of the play, John Proctor is hesitant to admit to his affair with Abigail even though his feelings for her are no longer existent. He knows how substantial the consequences could be if Abigail reveals to the town of