John Proctor Struggles

For example, Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor who was married to Elizabeth Proctor at the time and got discovered. However, Abigail Williams still “loved” John Proctor and was rejected. Later, she accuses Elizabeth Proctor for witchcraft, an action she uses as her revenge. These acts of cruelty ultimately affect all the victims and their families in this play as their consequence is to be hung. The vulnerability and sense of helplessness are all revealed in the victims as they are facing their

Everybody makes mistakes in their lives, but how they react to them exposes who they really are. In the play "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, the Puritan citizens of Salem are caught in a perilous storm of terror and accusations of witchcraft. The sins and choices of other characters in the play fuel the fire of injustice and cost the lives of many. There are two tested characters who played large roles in the outbreak of witchcraft accusations; they either passed or failed this test. John Proctor passed the trial of his sins, and Abigail Williams failed her test.

This disgusting behavior seen today is also seen in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is the story of a young Puritan woman in 1692 Massachusetts who made false witchcraft accusations in an attempt to save her life and to end a rival’s life. While her actions are horrific and the cause of numerous deaths, the actions of the adults around her that enabled her lies to cost lives are despicable. Through his dishonest characters, specifically Reverend Parris, Judge Danforth, and John Proctor, Miller exposes the evils of lying to save one’s name and the destruction that inevitably ensues.

To begin with, Abigail Williams starts the accusations of witchcraft in order to fulfill her ulterior motives. We first see hints of her motives when Abigail tells John Proctor, a married man under whom she had worked that, “I am waiting’ for you every night”(1099). While Abigail worked under John and Elizabeth Proctor, she had developed feelings for John. Elizabeth removes her which angers Abigail deeply.

As the trials go on and take more lives, Proctor finally has enough of Abigail’s nonsense. After Proctor confesses that he has committed the sin of adultery, Elizabeth is then questioned by Danforth to see if Proctor is telling the truth. Elizabeth tells Danforth, “Your Honor, I--in that time I were sick. And I-- My husband is a good and righteous man.

I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller 1120). She even threatens to divulge her affair with John to the court because she thought it would make it more likely for Elizabeth to be convicted. Chillingworth’s character is just as vindictive, if not even more so, as Abigail. When he finds out that Hester has cheated on him, he is at first solely curious about who she cheated with.

The first Stuart King of England, King James I was one of many who believed in witchcraft, so much that it led to

Arthur Miller 's historical play, The Crucible, portrays the historical events of the Salem witch trials through a crowd of unforgettable characters. Fear drives these Puritans to reveal their true emotions while facing their accusers in the bias courts before merciless judges. While eventually all the people of Salem become subject to this madness, two women stand out above the rest. Revenge and shame live in the heart of the teenage adulteress, Abigail Williams, while truth and righteousness reside in the soul of Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor 's faithful wife. Although they both heighten the tension and suspense of the play, Abigail William 's and Elizabeth Proctor 's differences lead to turmoil due to their desire for one man 's love.

The main character of The Crucible, John Proctor is someone who possesses all the necessity traits that classify a tragic hero. Not only is his downfall in the book initiated by his human flaw, but he also captures the sympathy from the readers. Even though John Proctor’s intentions are good and truthful through out the book, in the beginning we discover that he has a significant secret. He is guilty of committing the sin of adultery with his young servant, Abigail Williams. His sick wife Elizabeth learned of his infidelity and forgave him, but Abigail was in love with John and tries to kill Elizabeth by engaging in witchcraft with a few other girls in Salem.

Guilt is emotional torture that transforms one's psychological operation. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, before the Salem witch trials emerge, John Proctor cheats on his wife Elizabeth Proctor, with young Abigail. Causing him to live with an eternal shame that generates dispute. Proctor’s endeavour is to elude from his wrongdoing, but he cannot because of the disgrace he feels himself to be when around Elizabeth. Miller shows that John Proctor's emotional and behavioral conflict rises from his guilt.

Moreover, another important crucible someone had in the story developed from the very beginning all the way to the end. In the beginning of the story before even the trials really began we learned about the adultery of John Proctor. While in the house talking to Elizabeth, they have a conversation about what John has done and how she cannot forgive him, he must forgive himself, “You will not judge me more, Elizabeth” (54-55). He says she forgets and forgives nothing but he will not forgiving himself.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in Salem, a small town in Massachusetts Bay in colonial America. As Puritans, the people of Salem were faithful, but close-minded and judgmental; they believed they were to be a “City on a Hill”. The more negative qualities of the people of Salem caused them to believe that the darker side of their faith—witches and demons— were always walking among them. Additionally, the Puritans’ strict and conservative faith led to the suppression of “sinful” feelings such as lust and violence. The fact that the people of Salem had no process for washing away sins, thus letting hypocrisy fester and grow, was one of the major causes of the Salem witch trials.

“The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, this quote by Franklin D. Roosevelt depicts how dangerous fear truly is. By saying this, he understands the drastic effect fear can have. Even today, ISIS is using fear as one of their primary weapons. Fear can force people to undergo such actions that they would have never even imagined in their wildest dreams. This is a crippling feeling that none are truly immune to.

Arthur Miller used indirect characterization (what characters say about each other) to help prove his point that people will turn against each other to save themselves. Many of the villagers in Salem would call out other villagers to turn the blame onto them in order to redirect the high council in Salem. Furthermore, Abigail Williams was one of the main reasons that the Witchcraft scare even happened in the first place. She wanted to take out Goody Proctor and have John all to herself. She began to accuse people by saying that she saw them with the devil this caused mass panic across the town and made people fear for their lives.

1. Which character developed or changed the most during The Crucible? How did he/she change? What caused this change? Give specific examples from all stages of development.