Courage, Weakness and truth in The Crucible Have you ever been in a situation that had only bad endings? A position where, if you tell truth you’ll be punished, and if you lie you’ll still be punished. How would you feel in a situation like that? When we are forced into bad positions or find ourselves in them we tend to take the side that benefits us most. In those times we don’t always think about the right thing because it takes a lot of courage and honesty that many don’t have. Arthur Miller in The Crucible uses courage, weakness and truth to allow the reader to better understand and relate to the characters in the book and the way of their society, during that time. Some examples to show are when John Proctor was tried for his lifeand his name, when Elizabeth Proctor was tested of her truth in the court, and when Giles Coery was pressed to death. …show more content…
“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!... Proctor tears the paper and crumples it…” (Arthur Miller, 143) This evidence shows that Proctor was at his breaking point. He was in a sitution with only bad outcomes yet he decided to use his courage to stay truthful instead of signing to a lie. As a result he was remebered by his wife and those of the court as an honest man, with all the goodness he
Several characters show the theme of heroism in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The first time readers see the theme of heroism, is when John Proctor tells the court about his affair with Abigail Williams. He admits to the affair by when he says, "I have known her, sir. I have known her." (Miller 110).
Greta Banks Beskenis/Manley English 11 10/28/15 Crucible Essay In Arthur Miller's book The Crucible. He had two type of pride the good pride and the bad pride. The good pride is the one that you would sacrifice yourself for it , and the bad type of pride you would sacrifice someone else to keep your reputation , and yourself out of trouble. Pride is a sense of one’s dignity and with pride comes action ,it causes reactions, and emotions.
Courage can be defined in many different ways. It can be either a mental or a moral strength when facing danger and showing no fear. These examples are supported in the play of The Crucible by Arthur Miller and the story he tells through the character John Proctor. Many characters showed many courageous acts, but one stood out. John proctor was the most courageous character because he stood up for himself and his family.
Everyone knows it's hard to tell the truth, but how many would if faced with death? Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, starts with one bad deed that ultimately effects everyone and leads to their death. Throughout the story, John Proctor shows courage by confessing to his wife, trying to convince people the girls are liars , and decides not to sign his confession paper for dignity. Although it's often hard, Arthur Miller uses The Crucible to show it takes courage to tell the truth. Opening up to his wife,
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible aims to place characters in such difficult positions that they begin to consider death, just as Hamlet did before ultimately realizing “conscience makes cowards of us all.” By this, Hamlet implies that knowledge of the horror of death can persuade a human to do anything, as they are almost subconsciously obligated to avoid the premature coming of this inevitable end. Hamlet’s statement is relevant to The Crucible in that the townsfolk will seemingly do anything to avoid “social suicide” or the destruction of their carefully constructed reputations in the small community. In the play, John Proctor, Abigail Williams and Reverend Hale all experience the unrelenting pressure of preserving their image and weigh this
Courage is not the absence of fear. Rather it is the judgment that something else is more important than fear. In Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, many characters have to decide whether they should confess to dealing with the devil and run away their “good name” or be hanged for something they did not do. In life, everyone is responsible for their actions which mean the characters in The Crucible should confess to their actions with the devil. Abigail Williams the vehicle that drives the play, Abigail, Reverend Hale, and Mrs. Putnam all bear the responsibility for the hysteria in the trial.
“People show who they are when put through difficult times.” It is true that in difficult situations your true self is shown. In the play, Crucible, Written by Arthur Miller you are shown the true dynamics of certain characters. It shows whether a character is moral or immoral from their doings. Characters John Proctor, Reverend Hale,and Mary Warren are all put into a situation that changes who they are by the end of the play.
In Arthur Miller's play, dignity and reflection of one's self plays an important role in what makes up a person's character. Through John Proctor's actions and words, Miller's element of tragedy that emphasizes laying down one's life for personal dignity is demonstrated in The Crucible as people will go any extent to accomplish their desires and fight for their beliefs, despite the consequences because they are trying to protect who they are. Tragedy lies within
Proctor doesn’t want to sign the confession because he couldn’t live with anymore guilt after he sees how determined Rebecca is to tell the truth. When Proctor refuses to sign,it is assumed that he is lying once again just to keep from dying. In order for him to feel good about himself and feel like he is a decent person, he feels like he needs to tell the truth after everything he’s done with the affair. In the end, this lie leads to Proctor being hung and Hale along with many others, start to realize that the witch hunt has gotten out of hand but it’s already too
I am going to tell you who I think is the most courageous person and the most cowardly person from the play The Crucible. I think that the most courageous person in The Crucible is John Proctor, i think that the most cowardly person in The Crucible is Abigail Williams. I think that John Proctor is the most courageous person in The Crucible because all throughout the play he was standing up for people. He stood up for his wife when Reverend Hale came to their home in the middle of the night and started questioning her about being a witch and if she had a puppet, and still stood up for her when she was in court and was being charged with being a witch. Then he took Mary to the court so she could tell the court that the girls were not witches
Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before” (Miller 1352). He is ultimately giving up his confession even though he knows it is not the right thing to do. A previous break to Proctor’s Christianity beliefs is when he commits adultery; however, instead of standing up for himself he gives into the court’s desire. When John Proctor confesses, his actions prove a huge weakness John Proctor has. However, his actions of confessing result in a strength.
The Crucible was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller, the play delivers many messages and carries many themes throughout. Nearly every character in the play is put to the test to display an act of courage, weakness, or truth. Some characters lack these traits and never learn to have courage or display honesty. However, most characters are very courageous and demonstrate these acts throughout the whole play. Overall the theme of the The Crucible boils down to being about honesty, weakness, and courage.
The Crucible Argumentative Essay John Proctor should have risked taking a stand against a system that was against his beliefs. In the past, people have sacrificed themselves for what they believed in. As seen in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor defies the court, and it results in his execution. John Proctor should have risked taking the stand, because he maintained his reputation as a good man and role model.
Hero: A person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities; however, heroism is not synonymous with perfection. Man can be a hero in spite of having some flaws. This is apparent in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, a story about the Salem Witch Trials in which Abigail Williams accuses dozens of innocent people of witchcraft. Despite being flawed, John Proctor, Reverend Hale, and Elizabeth Proctor can demonstrate their heroism in The Crucible. John Proctor is shown to be both a hero and a flawed man in regards to his lechery.
In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist, symbolized truth and justice by displaying honor and pride in his name. The change in balance between those two attributes acted as a catalyst in defining moments of the play. In the beginning, Proctor equally reflected both pride and honor in separate events. However, when forced to make a decision, he chose honor over pride. Ultimately, both his honor and pride pushed him to commit the ultimate sacrifice.