How Does John Proctor Tear Up The Confession

John Proctor’s decision to die for his name was the wrong one because despite his attempt to die an honest man, his name would remain tainted by his sinful affair regardless of whether he decided to live or die. The reality of Proctor’s decision is that he abandoned his wife, their three sons, and their unborn child for an ultimately futile act of self-sacrifice made for the approval of the townspeople. Throughout the course of the book, Proctor’s guilt from his affair with Abigail continuously guides his decisions and the moment it came time to decide whether to confess and live or maintain his innocence and hang was no different. Proctor decided that he would rather die than taint his name, but this decision stems from the guilt which constantly

Everyone in town would read about John Proctor, the confessed witch! Late in Act IV, John tells us why he cannot sign this confession, in Salem’s Jail, to Hathorne, Parris, Hale, and Danforth. ¨Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!

As Proctor says, no one would just throw away their reputation, so then why would he give away his reputation? John Proctor is known for standing up for the little people in the town of salem. Whether he did this to look good in the eyes of the people around him, or he is actually a good person, we will never know. Proctor gives up up his good name just to save his friends, and wife.

He ripped the confession because he knew it would blacken his and the others who did not confess names. “Proctor tear the paper, is weeping in furry but erect” (212, line 739). Proctor knew signing the confession was his very last chance at freedom. He did not believe he would be able to live with a bad name. He knew it would be hard to get land or grow crops and do a lot of other things. “Because it's my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! (211, line 726). Another reason it was honorable is because he was thinking about others. If he signed and it was hung on the church it would be like saying the others lied and died guilty. “They think to go like saints. I like not to spoil their names.” (210, line 637). Proctor did not think he was better than anyone that hung. “Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” (211, line

Second, John Proctor evokes our pity. He committed adultery with his servant and tried to hide this fact. This is his mistake for sure. But he had to suffer dead as a result, which is uncommon suffering. Let’s see the process why he had to die. Abbigail, who is partner of Proctor’s adultery, entraps as a witch because he never thinks about Abby. He only cares about Elizabeth. So, Abby entraps Proctor as a witch and he had to die. He had a big mistake, but death is too harsh for him as a result. And it makes readers to feel pity for him.

At one point, he was willing to confess to something that wasn’t true and rat out his friends to save his own life. Proctor signed a confession saying he was guilty of witchcraft, although he really wasn’t. In Act IV Proctor saws, “Beguile me not? I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence” (Miller 239). He knew what he was doing when he confessed to witchcraft. John thought maybe he could save his life by faking a confession, but he still refused to admit he’d seen other people with the devil even though he was confessing. He tried to redress his mistake shortly after, but they found out he was lying to escape with his life. His lying was an example of his way of trying to manipulate situations to get out of them. When making a decision, one must decide if it is right and be willing to face the consequences if it is not. John was hung for his decision. His selfishness for his own life lead to his

“Proctor: with a cry of his whole soul, Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (281-294)”. John told the truth throughout the whole novel, but he battled with his dignity because he didn't want to be known as a liar. He would rather have taken the death penalty, which he did. John was trying to free his wife who was innocent but Abigail hated her because Elizabeth had what she wanted. Elizabeth was John’s love, who Abigail was jealous of. Abigail thought that by getting Elizabeth to go to jail, she could have John. When Abigail finds out that John still loves his wife and tried standing up for her, she was not

After John Proctor had courageously confessed to his adultery, everyone turned against him and he was deemed as a liar. In his cell, he was conflicted between lying so that he could live but also wanted to tell the truth because he, for once, wanted to stop lying. He did not want to leave Elizabeth again so in order to stay alive, he lied again. John Proctor was asked to gives names but he defended, “They think to go like saints. I like not to spoil their names”(Miller, 1230). But after truly wanting to find peace, he finally could not stand any longer to lie and voluntarily gives his life. When Reverend Hale pleaded Elizabeth to go change Proctor mind, Elizabeth replied, “He has his goodness. God forbid I take it from him!” (Miller, 1233). When Elizabeth said this, she’s saying that Proctor has redeem himself but in order to forgive himself, he needs to do this. His death, for him, meant he righted his wrongs and finally regain his respect and his dignity by dying for the

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

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

If he chooses falsely and publicly confesses to witchcraft he will damage his name even more so, even though he will be able to live and see his children. If he chooses not to confess, placing his moral integrity above the value of his own life, he will be put to death. This brings upon some conflict at the end of the story. “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!”(142) Although it may come off as selfish, Proctor speaks the truth when he says this. This part of the story brings out Proctor’s true colors. He cannot live on knowing that he has confessed to a crime he did not commit,and letting the townspeople believe he was involved with witchcraft. Danforth does not understand why he won’t allow his name simply to be tarnished in order to live, Proctor retaliates by saying, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143) John Proctor’s main fatal flaw was his excessive pride which ultimately sealed his fate. Although in the end it made him a better Christian, by staying true to his word and dying with his soul and name in

John Proctor knew that if he confessed he would make himself look guilty and his friends who didn’t do anything would look guilty. “I speak my own sins, I cannot judge another I have no tongue for it”(Act IV,#148). “They think to go like saints, I like not to spoil their name”(Act IV,#148).“Then who will judge me? God

Another inner quality that defines John Proctor is the value he holds to his good name. Proctor is a firm believer in the fact that one’s name is the only thing that remains after death, and what is done with it while living can affect one’s posterity for generations. This is the driving force behind his actions in the final act of the play. At first, he felt no shame in lying to the court about his accusation of witchcraft because he felt there was no more damage he could do to his reputation and that one more sin would not make any difference. His attitude changed when he realized his confession would mean blackening the name of those who already had died, and his sons would have to live with that mark on their names. He knew he could not teach his sons “. . . to walk like

He is faced with extreme conflict due to the fact that he committed one of the biggest sins there is: adultery. Proctor then has to decide whether he wants to confess his sin in order to save his wife or to be selfish and live a slandered reputation. Just as John Proctor makes the decision to save his wife’s life and his family's reputation, so too will any person that believes it is more important to put their family above

Quote 1: Proctor has confessed to adultery and given himself and Abigail a bad reputation. In a community like Salem this sort of behaviour resulted in punishment since it was considered unholy. The people who admit their sins are spared, and the ones who don´t are hanged, which is not the most logical approach. John´s confession is important because he is willing to have a bad reputation in order to achieve