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Personal Integrity In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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Crucible, noun. 1. a container of metal or refractory material employed for heating substances to high temperatures and 2. a severe, searching test or trial. (Dictionary.com, 2015) Definitions such as these describe certain events which occurred in Salem. The hot tempers of many created severe witch trials costing the lives of many innocent people in 1692. The highly acclaimed, The Crucible by Arthur Miller was first published in 1953. The Crucible follows the story of an extremely Puritan religious village of Salem in Massachusetts and the so called witchcraft exploited by individuals in the village. Within the play personal integrity is illustrated by multiple characters and others lack individual moral integrity. Maintaining personal integrity …show more content…

Jealous of Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail begins her witch frenzy. Proctor is so obsessed with his public reputation that he refuses to confess to adultery. With Abigail driving the train of havoc in Salem, Proctor realises at some point he must admit to lechery to bring her to a halt. When John finally releases his secret, it keeps his personal integrity intact but majorly damages his reputation. By the end, he becomes disinterested by the public opinion and concerned about his personal integrity. By maintaining his individual integrity, John Proctor’s life came to an end. He quotes, “I have given you my soul, please leave me my name.” (Act 4, Page 124), at this point Proctor still wants his name unscathed for personal and religious reasons. He refuses to confess and sign his name to witchcraft in respect of fellow prisoners dying after refusal to confirm dealings with the devil. As the Puritan society of Salem is so fixated and fearful of witchcraft, most individuals were gullible to almost all testimonies made. If the town were not fanatical about the witchcraft and focused on obvious truth, John Proctor may have lived to raise his children and live a prosper life but his personal integrity cost him his life. This leads on to character Giles Corey, who demonstrates true personal

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