Characterization
John Proctor: John Proctor is an old farmer who is the protagonist of this play to be the one to resolve the conflict of the story. In the beginning of the play, John is very conservative as he firmly denies the possibility of witchcraft and tries to stay away from being part of it. He has a round personality, for he has multiple sides such as high self-esteem and short temper, described as that he “cannot refuse to support to partisans without drawing their deepest resentment” (69). When he is discussing possible approach to address the wrongfully accused people of Salem, he is faced with an external conflict of standing against the radical court to prove that his wife Elizabeth his innocent of being part of the witchcraft.
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Her traits and actions soley depend on that of John Proctor’s, which expresses Elizabeth as a flat character. She is a very simplistic character because the biggest matter Elizabeth has are always concerning her husband, and even when “she doesn’t want friction, and yet she must” (51) the cause returns to it being because of John. She is yet not a stereotyped character because the decision she makes is unpredictable even though it invariably regards John. In particular, when the judge decided that he will consider John Proctor’s point if Elizabeth answers his questions in all exactness as that of John’s testimony, Elizabeth “in a crises of indecision she [could not] speak” (113) because she was not sure if her husband confessed the truth. The internal conflict she has within herself, of whether to answer the judge’s question in truth or in lie fails to be resolved successfully. Elizabeth has overthought about her decision because she truly wants to give an answer that would not be a harm to John, therefore, she concludes to falsely state that John and Abigail's affair never happened. Unfortunately, her static quality brings about a tragic consequence for John— to be sent to prison. Her unchanged characteristic causes her to make another terrible decision towards the end of the play, when she willingly tells her husband to decide on confessing or not, instead of stopping him from making the wrong decision. Elizabeth has a strong stance in her thinkings, however, her stance may be too firm for her to make the right conclusion; which altogether composes the characteristic of Elizabeth Proctor. (290
However, this is inaccurate because he avoids Abigail and risks everything for his wife. Elizabeth was taken by the court because she was accused for being a witch, but John knows she is a good women and fights for her. Elizabeth is worth the trouble of going to the court and defying the government. It is honorable for a husband to protect his wife after all they are family. John is talking to the court and tell the court a secret that no one knows about, John’s reputation is on the line.
John Proctor is a stubborn and quick tempered thirty year old man. Although John is a quick tempered man he is a hard worker and is always providing for his family, but he does have a habit of letting his temper get to him "... (shaking Mary Warren) I 'll whip you if you dare leave this house again!"(Miller 55). John is married to Elizabeth Proctor and they have three small boys.
She has the strong reputation of not telling a single lie throughout the play up until they were in court. Sometimes pressured situations push people to lie especially if it's for the people that they love. Elizabeth truly loved John Proctor and she was too kind hearted of a women to seek revenge on him or even Abigail. Another point is that out of all the people that would be guilty, Elizabeth would be the last on the list because of her devotion and genuine character. She also doesn't have a strong enough motive against Abigail besides the affair, which she had already moved on from.
In the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller several characters risk their reputation in many different ways. One specifically, standed out the most. According to dictionary.com, “reputation” means “the estimation in which a person or thing is held, especially by the community or the public generally; repute.” In this town, reputation plays a major role. With lies bashing from left to right it is quite difficult to believe someone who is confessing without evidence to prove he or she is not guilty.
Tell the children I have gone to visit someone sick” (Miller 83) and left. Clearly, Proctor’s action and attitude considered as rebellion from society and authority, where he had ripped out a warrant from court to deliver the message of “my wife will not go to court for a crime that she didn’t committed”. Although Proctor had illustrated his manhood to protect his wife by challenge the authority, but his voice was powerless compare with court authority. Therefore, Elizabeth in compliance with the authority figures because she was responsible to obey rules and laws as citizens. Further, her fear disclosed the power of individual in Puritan society, since her family’s voice was unheard and ignore, and she cannot defend herself from crime.
Journal Entry 1, Question 1 People who “mind other people’s business” can often times be a real pain, but in other cases, should be thanked and commended. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, a combination of both of these types of characters appear. For example, characters like John Proctor help the common good by not minding his own business, and characters like Abigail fight against the common good. John Proctor helps fight for the common good when his wife, Elizabeth Proctor is arrested.
John Proctor is one of the main characters in Arthur Miller’s drama because of his immense struggle with his wife and himself which ultimately leads others to change the way they think of him. First of all, John Proctor is a hard working individual who loves his family, but his wife Elizabeth still has not forgave
Proctor’s guilt is present when he, attempts to pay for his sins by giving his wife materialistic objects, hesitates to obey his wife's suggestion to accuse Abigail of false bewitchment, and breaks out in anger for not wanting to be judged any longer. The romantic relationship between the Proctor’s is undoubtedly extinguished, but even casual engagement cannot exist without tension since everything John Proctor says to Elizabeth is a symbol of repentance. He offers Elizabeth the possession of a cow and expresses “with a grin” that all he
The Evolution of Elizabeth Proctor Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a compelling look at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Elizabeth Proctor began as doubtful of her husband, John Proctor, but ends up having faith in him in the end. She still believed her husband was still in love with Abigail but Proctor soon proved his love for Elizabeth throughout the play. Elizabeth evolves from a woman who doubts her husband, but then evolves into a woman who risks her life to save her husband. Elizabeth continues to question her husband's faith causing an argument between the two.
Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife told John to do what he thinks is best, disagreeing with the ideas proposed by Reverend Hale, to confess to the court. Reverend Hale’s
In what ways are women abused and discriminated against inside literature and throughout history? In many patriarchal societies, men have held authority over women due to gender. This power imbalance between men and women sometimes led to unjust treatment of women; men exert their authority over many women in the play, The Crucible. In The Crucible¸ male characters intimidate women to achieve specific outcomes and mark their superiority. Elizabeth Proctor, the protagonist’s wife, shows the standard for Salem women as she is submissive and does not defy her husband or the traditional role as a housekeeper.
In The Crucible, the protagonist John Proctor was. In the town of Salem, in 1692, a group of young ladies by the names of Betty Williams, Abigail Williams and Tituba were found dancing in the forest naked by Reverend Parris, Abigail’s’ uncle. Reverend Parris assumed that they were participating in witchcraft. This idea of witchcraft spread through the city of Salem and the citizens began accusing each other of being witches. This started a series of court cases known as the Salem Witch Trials.
Throughout time, there have always been people who do not seem to fit in the rest of society, and they are treated as outcasts, because of their different characteristics or mindsets. In many cases they are condemned and punished by society for their differences. Hester Prynne from the Scarlet Letter, John Proctor from The Crucible, and Jackie Robinson all were the odd-ones-out in their society. Throughout their lives, John, Hester, and Robinson were separated by great physical and social barriers, which led to great hardships, but through their ordeals they were able to show where their societies went wrong. All three are set apart because of their uniqueness in their lives, both physically and socially.
Likewise, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth to verify Proctor’s confession, she lies to protect her husband, whom she refers to as a “goodly man,” from suspicion (Miller, 113). The affair may have caused Elizabeth to doubt Proctor but both parties still care deeply for each other and try to protect each other from harm. Even in his last moments, Proctor’s last words- “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”- were directed toward Elizabeth and were full of love and care (Miller, 144). Proctor may have sinned but his regret over his affair with Abigail and the trouble he had brought upon his wife justifies his
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.