For any person to sacrifice themself for any cause is an extreme example of a strong belief in the right thing. John Proctor is a man in a salem witch trial trying to prove the innocence of falsely accused town members in the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. He is opposed by the lying manipulative Abigail who claims many people are witches which trigger these witch trials. These trials are court holdings to determine witchcraft users. Proctor is virtually alone in upholding the truth. Proctor is a good admirable man because he does the right thing regardless of the situation that he is in. Proctor exposed himself and gave up his good name just to prove what is right. He told the whole court that he committed the action of adultery. “I have known her sir. I have known her.” (Miller 115), he said to judge danforth. He shamed his own name in front of everybody. John knowingly did this to convince the court of the truth because it was the right thing to do. This only failed to prove the townspeople's innocence because his wife Elizabeth wanted him to keep his good reputation as he said, “She only thought to save my name.” (Miller 119) This made john look like a liar which he is not. He is only put in the wrong …show more content…
When the reverends tried to make him confess he reflected on what the impact of the decision could be and ended up refusing. “ I have three children how may i teach them to walk like me in the world, and I have sold my friends.” He realizes this decision may save everyone lives but they will have to live in shame for the rest of their lives. He also protects his wife from abigail’s wrongdoings, “ My wife will never die for me. I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me” (Miller 85) A good man will try his hardest not to let the people around him get hurt. Proctor was determined to save his family and the townspeople from abigail’s
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there are many lies being told; more specifically, John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Elizabeth tell numerous lies. Out of these, Elizabeth’s lie is the most justified, John Proctor’s is less justified, and Abigail Williams’ is the least justified.
We find out how Proctor first confesses when he has a conversation with his wife Elizabeth. Proctor is angry because he thinks that Elizabeth is accusing him of dishonesty and is suspicious of him still having an affair with Abigail, even after he confessed to her that he stopped seeing her. Proctor yells at his wife because she isn’t forgiving him of his crime of lechery and she keeps judging him. Proctor is furious and says “...like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed! Some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you’re not, you’re not, and let you remember it!” (Miller 163). Proctor’s confession affects Proctor’s life because him confessing to Elizabeth about his sin of lechery, led to Abigail being kicked out of the house.
Lying to the court is punishable by death this is showing where his heart lays, he was searching to save his wife, but that sadly fell short. There are many morally ambiguous characters in The Crucible, however they can have their moments that shine through. John Proctor was one character that would really stand out to the reader. This character showed his true motives after he saving his wife. As readers everyone should learn from the characters in The Crucible and learn to not judge a book by it’s cover and instead look at where one’s character lays, in their
Many characters in The Crucible represent martyr's, or someone killed because of their religious or other beliefs. Of all those who represent martyr's, John Proctor sits at the top. John Proctor died believing he made the correct decision and one could agree with that, it's part of what makes a martyr. John Proctor made the correct decision and became a martyr through his genuine, respectable, and personal approach in his decision making.
The largest conflict in ideology would be John Proctor's character. He is an honest, God fearing, loving man, but he makes mistake. Proctor had a sexual relation with Abigail Williams, a teen girl who used to work for the Proctors, which was one of the the worst sin a man can commit. Proctor knows what he believes to be ideal, and he strives to be attentive to his faith. But the guilt in him fights constantly with the ideals he cannot let go of.
“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
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
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
Integrity and honesty are virtues that are highly valued within the society we live in today. Society honors those that do the right thing and those that show integrity. Most of the population perform acts of righteousness in the hopes that they would be rewarded for their actions. However, there are some who still perform good deeds and maintain their integrity, knowing they would not be rewarded for their actions. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is the most admirable character because he always does what is right, damaged his reputation to end the witch trials to save others, and stayed true to himself in the name of human dignity and justice even if it meant his 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
John Proctor is portrayed throughout the play to be a man who has high moral values that he must abide by. He
People’s true character is revealed through their actions. Their morals and ethics can be told from how they choose to act in a situation. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; the character of John Proctor is an honorable man despite having committed wrongful acts. He was able to redeem himself through acts that is considered courageous, such as when he refuses to contribute to the lie of witchcraft in Salem, when he fights for the people who were convicted of witchcraft and when he regrets being a dishonest man.
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
A wise philosopher named Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “even today a crude sort of persecution is all that is required to create an honorable name for any sect, no matter how indifferent in itself.” People who are guilty of nothing spend their entire lives trying to uphold an honorable name, but depending on the circumstances they may have to sacrifice their life in order to do so. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people in the town of Salem, Massachusetts are put through severe trials to see if they are guilty of practicing witchcraft. Many people are falsely accused, but decide to confess to something that they never did to save their own lives. By confessing, they are throwing away their name and reputation. John Proctor is among the many who are wrongfully accused. He must make a challenging decision whether to die honorably or to live with a slandered name that would affect his children’s future. John Proctor’s great dilemma changes throughout the course of the play because he faces having to appeal to Abigail, his wife, and the court all while attempting to uphold his respectable reputation.
The Salem witch trials was a story of envy, lies, and the danger of the people. Others wouldn’t defend those accused, and if they did, they themselves were eventually charged as witches. In many ways, defending others was condemning yourself. Such was the case for John Proctor in “The Crucible”. John Proctor was someone who had made mistakes, but through his own crucible made peace with himself and defended the honor of himself and the others that would not admit to witchcraft.