The Trials and Testimonies of John Proctor The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in the spring and fall of 1692 in a small, Puritan town in Salem, Massachusetts. The times are often desperate with people wondering if they can trust their neighbors that they have known all of their life, people who have been settled in the town since it first cropped into existence. Fear races through the villages like the whispers of the wind that stir the hanging bodies on the village greens. The Salem Witch Trials are occurring and no man, woman, or child is safe lest they follow the rules of the theocracy set about by the church and government. In hard times sacrifices must be made in order to determine the moral characters of an individual in their society …show more content…
The Crucible by Arthur Miller showcases John Proctor’s sacrifice of both his title and his life which demonstrates his ethical moralities, conveying the theme that one must put aside their ego and pride in …show more content…
John Proctor further demonstrates that he values his characteristics of honesty and justice by ultimately sacrificing his life. In addition, Proctor is dedicated to the cause of delivering the truth unlike many other characters presented in Miller’s work. In the fall of 1692, John Proctor is brought from his cell in front of Governor Danforth and given a boon, say that he has fallen under the spell of the devil and his pregnant wife shalt be allowed to live until the end of her pregnancy comfortably. At first, Proctor agrees verbally to this suggestion even though it appears to greatly pain him. However, when Danforth states that a statement must be made and presented to the people John Proctor loses his calm demeanor and becomes shifty and clearly agitated. His values are wavering and he signs the ill-fated papers, but refuses to hand them over to the Governor. In the end, John Proctor destroys the crisp piece of paper and walks resolutely to the gallows knowing that he may have stumbled, but that he stuck to his beloved values of dedication, honesty, and justice. John Proctor was offered to save his wife, but was unable to do so because he believes that it was not justice because other men’s wives had been sacrificed due to their unwillingness to
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is afflicted with hysteria, intolerance, and accusations that lead to death. According to philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw, excessive pride, and an inevitable downfall. Protagonist John Proctor illustrates a tragic hero because he is presented as happy, powerful, and privileged, which later leads him to suffer because of his own actions. First of all, John Proctor possesses a fatal flaw, pride, which is a characteristic of a tragic hero. Proctor’s fatal flaws includes honesty and pride.
John Proctor was a man of honor and had a well respected name in the town of Salem. Sadly he died tragically but as a hero. He was hanged because he was accused of doing the devil’s work. He was given the chance to save his life if he admitted on a piece of paper that he was working with the devil but he refused to tell that lie. He wanted his sons to be able to walk the streets without being shunned from the world because they deserved better.
JOHN PROCTOR: TRAGIC HERO Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a greatly revered work, and it reflected the times of America in the days of McCarthyism. Perhaps the character that connected to the audience most was John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. He reflects the mistakes that we have made in our lives, and the struggle that some of have while trying to take the blindfold off of other people. He should be considered a hero because he feels guilt, and therefore tries to make up for the fact that he once had an affair.
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.
Because I cannot have another one in my life!... Proctor tears the paper and crumples it. ”(143 & 144) This quote proves that John Proctor preserved his dignity and soul, and followed his moral compass in doing the right thing. Contributing to the previous detail, “I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor...
As act III progresses Mary Warren decides to turn on Proctor saying, “John Proctor you are the Devil’s man” (Miller 121) and “I will not hang with you I love God…” (Miller 121)which then causes Proctor to lash out in rage against her lies. The court marshals arrest John and place him in jail, where Arthur Miller says they have to chain him because he throws fits of rage and he then sits like “a great bird”. (Miller 151) All of those events leads up to Proctors Tragic Flaw, which is pride. Proctors pride inevitably leads to his death because he won’t give up the good name to live out his life with his wife and children.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a novel that describes events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts 1962, these events were called the Salem witch trials. Two important people in the story were John Proctor and his wife Elizabeth Proctor, they were farmers that lived on the outskirts of the town, and they lived with their three sons and their servant Mary Warren. John and Elizabeth are important to the story because they are both accused of witchcraft but they are the only ones who know that the girls that are accusing people are just doing it for attention. John is a caring stubborn man who loves his wife even though she does not fully see it while Elizabeth loves her husband but doesn’t trust his word as much as she used to because of things that happened in the past.
Published in 1952, during a period of cold war tensions, which culminated in the ideological witch trials of the mcarthy era in America; The crucible by Arthure miller is set in 1692 during the witch trials in salem massachusetts. The author has used allegory to position the reader to draw parrelels betweeen the to time periods and critisize the persecution that occured in both eras. One of the main themes that Miller has used to portray this viewpoint is the representation of personal integrity. Integrity is the quality of having strong moral pronciples. This is acheived through strongly contrasted characterisation of characters such as Abigail williams and and Rebecca Nurse, aswell as the inclusion of textual features such as irony, symbolism
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.
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is about real life events that has been changed a bit by the author. The play is set back in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, were the Salem Witchcraft Trials were going on. The Witchcraft Trials were trials that mostly girls, but some men got accused of seeing the devil and doing work for him. If you were accused of being a witch you were to admit to seeing the devil, accuse other people, or you would get hung. Some people wouldn 't admit to being a witch just to save their life because of their faith in Jesus.
The Crucible “The Crucible” is a play, by Arthur Miller, about the Salem Witch Trials. After reading “The Crucible”, you will be asking yourself, is it necessary for a person to suffer? The answer to the question is shown through the characters, Giles Corey, John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Abigail Williams. John Proctor is a respected puritan man in the community. John had made the mistake of sleeping with, a teenage girl, Abigail Williams.
John Proctor's main flaw was his excessive pride which sealed his fate. I myself felt his death transformed Salem’s ways of thinking and increased their own knowledge. Proctor's life completely started going downhill when Abigail accused John’s loved ones who then were sent to jail, or executed. John Proctor was a man of goodness and pride which cleansed his soul after he suffered a tragic death, and became a symbol of purity and greatness for others to
John Proctor never settles for keeping his opinion or what he thinks is right to himself. He knows telling Danforth that he is guilty for adultery won’t help his cause but it shows his desperation to win the case in order protect his wife, Elizabeth. John Proctor was sick and tired of watching Abigail win with a lie, in this case he spoke the truth knowing his consequences. John states, “Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave!
John Proctor’s abusive nature toward Elizabeth epitomizes the prominence of patriarchy and his strong self loathing. John Proctor is undoubtedly an individual who is tormented. In his mind, he has made an unforgivable mistake, and has made an irreparable mistake that has broken his and Elizabeth’s marriage. While it is true that he committed adultery, he believes there is no way that he can ever forgive himself and punishes himself mentally for what he has done.
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.