Essay On Symbolism In Andover, By Arthur Miller

Not only would that be totally degrading for him, publicly and for his own individual integrity and sense of self, but it would also, symbolically or effectively, besmirch his friends’ names. “I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day the hang for silence”, he yells at Judge Danforth, referring to the names of Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey and the others innocents bound to hang on that day. Even if the village upholds them as “saints”, John’s act of publicly condemning them as witches through his own confession, is symbolic (Miller does not give any insight as to whether it would be entirely nominal or actually more veritable, but the rebellion in Andover and the insinuation to John’s name being essentially tarnished

That being said, John’s public confession, palpably exposed through material (a piece of paper with letters on it) would not only be etched on people’s memories and perceptions of him, thereby indelibly stigmatizing his good name, but also ultimately splinter his conscience and self-esteem. Having found again faith in his self-worth, through his conversation with Elizabeth and his refusal to name his friends’ names, John, stimulated to affirm his organic moral capacity, John stands up for his own truth, and that of others. He refuses to totally degrade himself and eliminate his rightful self-worth by giving “such a lie” to “dogs” and having his confession used as proof for the court’s legitimacy, to symbolically concede alliance or confirmation to this murderous court that he has been complicit in through his acts, and to deviate from his responsibility to show moral support to the truth and correctness of those who have hanged and are about to hang. While John’s expression of the aforesaid points can be misconstrued as a desire to preserve his self-image intact, or that it is reputation-conscious, that is not entirely