How Did John Proctor Change In The Crucible

Arthur Miller based his play, The Crucible, on Salem Witch Trials, a real case that happened in the deeply religious New England region during the 1690s. The fear-of-witches is one of the most important elements that affects the characters’ actions and changes their minds due to the contentious time period that the play is set in. John Proctor is the main character in this play. His personality changes totally from the beginning to the end. Through the play, he goes from a selfish person who betrays his wife to someone who truly wants to make everything become normal and not violate his conscience. First of all, John Proctor is a farmer. He is a doughty man. At the beginning, he is not presented as a good man. Although he has a wife named

Abigail wants to take place of Elizabeth all the time. So Abigail accuses Elizabeth and says she is a witch, this makes John realize he needs to save his wife’s life. During the third action, John tries to convince the court that he is telling the truth by taking Mary Warren to the court. He wants through Mary’s testimony to name Abigail as a fraud without revealing the crucial information. However, something happens. Mary Warren changes her bearing and accuses that John Proctor is the evil man. Then, Proctor thinks if he admits to the affair, Abigail can be proved to be a liar. In that case, his wife will be fine. On the other hand, if Proctor admits to the affair, his good name cannot keep any more. But he still chooses to save his wife and admits to the affair. This can show how much John is making efforts to compensate his sin. “And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir—He is being overcome. Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. Angrily against himself, he turns away from the Governor for a moment. Then, as though to cry out his only means of speech left: She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly”(miller 102). This quotation means John Proctor tells people that he has an affair with Abigail. So Abigail has a harmful motive to accuse Elizabeth. Nonetheless, when Abigail Williams and John Proctor turn round, Elizabeth does not tell judges that Proctor