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Is John Proctor Honorable In The Crucible

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What characteristics generate an honorable or dishonorable man? This can be contested in the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. This play consists of the time period during the Salem Witch Trials. Girls were said to have been witches for their dancing, and were accused of witchcraft. John Proctor was accused, and although not involved with witchcraft, confessed to being part of it anyway. He then took away his confession to keep his good name, but was hanged despite this. John Proctor chose to die in order to preserve his name in the town, and also fought for what he believed in. In The Crucible, John Proctor was portrayed as an honorable man. John Proctor was honorable because he fought for justice for the innocent people involved in the accusation of witchcraft. In fighting for justice for his friends and his wife Elizabeth, John gathered up …show more content…

Proctor shows strong integrity when he has Mary Warren come to court with him and his other friends to have her tell the court that she, along with Betty Parris, and Abigail, were just pretending to be afflicted with witchcraft. “It were pretense, sir”(3.167) Mary says. Mary confessing was Proctor’s idea and was one of his main concerns going into court. Also, Proctor wanting Mary to say this shows that he wanted to be honest with everybody and that he was pushing for people to see the real side of Abigail. Along with Proctor having Mary confess in court, John also shows integrity when refusing to tell Judge Danforth of other people’s sins. Proctor utters, “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it”(4.653-55). This is Proctor saying that he is not willing to share other people’s sins, as it is none of his business, nor his responsibility to do so. Proctor saying that he has no room to talk shows that Proctor respects and honors his other friends and that he does not want to see them in the same position he is in right

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