ipl-logo

Excessive Pride In The Crucible

946 Words4 Pages

Excessive Pride through The Crucible

In the play, The Crucible, everyone holds an excessive amount of pride which is an over exaggerated sense of ones own proper dignity or value. “Dictionary.reference.” This critical play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. (883) Throughout the story, it indicates what happened during the Salem Witch Trials. The story is based on a secret love affair between two main characters, Abigail Williams, who is seventeen years old, and John Proctor, who is thirty-five. This love affair ignites a variety of arguments and hatred between, John, his wife Elisabeth, Abigail and her family, and the entire town of Salem. It started when Abigail and her friends accused the other townspeople of witchcraft. During …show more content…

He was not so religious, not faithful to his beliefs, and not a very good Puritan man, overall. However, his high self-pride was putting his “name” to shame in the small town. John isn’t like the other men, he does not make friends in the town. He argues with the Reverend Parris and also with the Putnam family. John's pride won't allow him to give in to their points, and prompts him to point out the flaws in others. His self-pride makes him regret his choses; he knows he has sinned and is unworthy, and can't find his way back. Proctor fell with his relationship with Abby, he came to believe his flaws were more evident in his words and actions throughout the play. He states “You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me!” (969) John thinks he is the leader and role model of the town, but people look down upon him as he lies and betrays his loved ones. He believes that his name should stay in put and that the people should still treat him as a part of the society. So he confesses and says “You are the high court, your word is good enough! Tell them I confessed myself; say Proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman; say what you will, but my name cannot.” John finally confesses because he believes his family can be more important than his name but he doesn’t take much to rip up the confession soon

Show More
Related

  • Theme Of Arrogance In The Crucible

    735 Words  | 3 Pages

    Arthur Miller argues that being fearful or damaging one's reputation is what caused people to act irrationally and against their morals, coming off as selfish and arrogant, and leading to the Salem Witch Hysteria. Through the characterization of Hale, Parris and Danforth, it is evident how excessive pride makes people unwilling to admit to their mistakes, with the fear of a reputation damage. Miller's descriptions of the frailty of arrogance, can be used as an example of how arrogance turns people against each

    Read More

  • Examples Of Bravery In The Crucible

    618 Words  | 3 Pages

    John does not care how powerful he is or the reputation he has, so John questions his actions of bringing witchcraft right into a simple problem of girls dancing in the woods. Proctor is unafraid of the fact that he could get in trouble by questioning Paris and he is the first man that decides to question the correctness of the corrupted officials. The thought of being punished by Parris does not cross his mind and he only thinks of the logical and right ideas. Only a brave man would be able to question the authorities as John did. John Proctor demonstrates true bravery when questioning the decision of the reverend of

    Read More

  • John Proctor: The Threat Of Death In The Crucible

    762 Words  | 4 Pages

    He refuses to lose his honor by confessing to a crime that he did not commit and will not allow his lie to go on public display:“Because it is my name! … Because I lie and sign myself to lies”(Miller 1232). His main concern is preserving his reputation and he is willing to undergo any punishment in order to feel like he has done so. He would rather be hanged than have the community think that he is a dishonest man. John Proctor is willing to rebel against the community officials in order to be at peace with himself: “Is the accuser always holy now?

    Read More

  • The Crucible John Proctor Strengths And Weaknesses

    613 Words  | 3 Pages

    I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me!” (1356). The dignity Proctor has for his name throughout the village proves that he will under no circumstances be used as an example to others.

    Read More

  • Values In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

    615 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Act IV on line 293 a beaten John Proctor says, “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?

    Read More

  • John Proctor Honest Analysis

    566 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor was accused of witchcraft. John Proctor was a man of great integrity and knew he did nothing wrong. He was given the choice to confess and lie or be hung. Being the honest and stubborn man that he was, he decided his name was more important than his life. John struggled both internally and with others while trying to fight for what he thought was right.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Jealousy Quotes In The Crucible

    512 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.

    Read More

  • John Proctor Sacrifice In The Crucible

    705 Words  | 3 Pages

    He was given the choice to either confess to being apart of witchcraft and be spared or not confess and get hanged. He is allowed to talk this over with his wife and at first they decide it would be better to confess even though they know he didn’t do anything! At this point in the play John realizes that it is not the right thing to do. He says “ How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul now give me your name.”

    Read More

  • Life Or Death: Did John Proctor Make The Right Decision?

    1158 Words  | 5 Pages

    Proctor is a well respected upperclassman and him sacrificing his life led to his family living a greater life. To the court with great emotion proctor states “ 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).

    Read More

  • Internal Conflict In The Crucible

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Crucible - Conflict Analysis John Proctor Internal: John Proctor’s most eminent internal conflict is over the sin he has committed, adultery. Proctor cheated on his wife with Abigail Williams, and this makes Proctor feel incredibly guilty because in the town, he is “respected and even feared” (19). He tried very hard, and succeeded, with keeping this moral crime to himself. He still walked about Salem as if he was “an untroubled soul,” (21) however, avoiding the sin again would be a difficult task. Abigail flirts with him, in attempt to have him for one last night, and it’s obvious Proctor has an arduous time pushing her away.

    Read More

  • The Crucible John Proctor Reputation Quotes

    520 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Crucible Essay What others think about you is all people seem to care about. So when your reputation is good and is on the line, you will do almost anything to protect that. Reputation is the main value that the characters in The Crucible are trying to protect.

    Read More

  • Reputation And Integrity In The Crucible

    799 Words  | 4 Pages

    By looking at The Crucible by Arthur Miller one can see that the characterization of John Proctor reveals the theme of reputation and integrity, which is important because refusing to tell lies to protect his reputation and stop delirium from spreading throughout Salem. John Proctor states that the woman of Salem who have been locked up for witchcraft:”Excellency, does it not strike upon you that so many of these women have lived so long with such upright reputation”(3.1.305-309). Proctor represents reputation because he would rather die than have his reputation downed to a victimizer. Protecting his reputation motivates John Proctor to deny that witchcraft exists in the village. All he hears is crying out of screams and wailing which is a cause of the Devil 's work: “What 's she doing?

    Read More

  • Theme Of Integrity In The Crucible

    914 Words  | 4 Pages

    It Proctor values his reputation, albeit in a positive way (unlike characters such as Abigail) when he says"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?

    Read More

  • What Is John Proctor's Reputation In The Crucible

    1159 Words  | 5 Pages

    In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.

    Read More

  • Pride And Honor In The Crucible

    794 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Excessive Pride In The Crucible

Open Document