How To Ignite Courage In The Crucible

Christopher Paolini once said that “without fear there cannot be courage.” In “The Crucible,” John Proctor was put up to the ultimate test. During the Salem Witch trails if one was unable to cry real tears, unable to recite the Lord’s word, or seen with the “Devil’s Mark” then they would be accused of being a witch. Since witches are not real, it can be concluded that all who were accused were innocent. So, common ways that the public forced innocent people to confess about being a witch was to torture them, sexually abuse them, and have the threat of death looming above them. Some may say that fear can bring about the worst in people, but John Proctor sacrificed himself for the greater good of his community and for the relationship with his wife, in order to prove that fear can ignite courageous and heroic actions.
However, those who disagree claim that fear can bring out the worst in people as it did with Abigail Williams allowing her to give into selfishness and not consider the greater good. According to “Fear, Distrust, and Hate,” “…hate is a sterilizing, disruptive force in the long run, which by stimulating fear, superstition, and suspiciousness contributes to lowered morale” (The British Medical Journal 323). In “The Crucible,” Abigail Williams was afraid of being

John Proctor’s deep loyalty to the town was unquestionable. He knew that if the village watched him die the witch trials would end because he was undoubtedly innocent; Proctor risked his life just like “a soldier risked his life in battle on behalf of a good end, the preservation of a community” (J.J. 352). In this sense, he could be compared to a brave soldier who fights for the preservation of their community even after they pass