The Character Of John Proctor In The Salem Witch Trials

In Arthur Miller’s historical fiction play The Crucible (1953), he created loyal and unloyal figures that either stay true to their beliefs or falter in order to save themselves. Multiple selfish characters such as Thomas Putnam, his wife, and Abigail Williams manipulate others for their own gain- with no regard to any loyalty toward those people they have known for years. In The Crucible, the town of Salem goes into a panic when people are accused of witchcraft, and long-term friends start turning on each other. Loyalty does not matter, because people are either trying to save themselves or get something from it by using other people. Many people disregard loyalty and allow self-interest to overcome their integrity.

He is also honorable because he will not have his name written on the church door. If his name it posted it will only give the people of Salem a bad example. Lastly, with refusing to write his name, Proctor is standing up for the people who were wrongly

Also, during the trials, Proctor had to tell the judge it was Parris who caught the girls in the woods. That is a huge piece he did not tell the court because he was too scared his name would be ruined. It did not care that tons of his people were being accused of witchcraft. Someone in authority would be trying to save their people, not put them on a scaffold to

To his discontent, none of these tactics work leaving his main purpose a failure. As Proctor is defending the life of his wife, he utilizes Mary Warren, to logically explain what is happening in Salem and supporting it with his credibility. As Mary Warren testified she swore ¨that she never saw Satan;... And she declares her friends are lying now¨, attempting to reason with Danforth, nevertheless

Proctor has a little issue with verbally saying that he is a witch because a verbal statement is between him and his God. But when Judge Danforth wants to post it on the church door, Proctor refuses to sign the document. The difference between verbally saying something as to putting it in writing is huge. By stating he is a witch, John Proctor feels that saying this lie verbally, he will view himself

The court was so fearful of the devil and of witches that they killed many people without any real evidence. John Proctor was accused of witchcraft; he had a chance to save his life but knew it was not the right thing to do. In order to save his family and clean his conscience, Proctor accepted his fate and chose to be

But his test becomes more severe, as he will not publish the signed confession. Procter does in the end pass the crucible when he is hung. He passes it because he took the blame and punishment when he truly was not apart of the witchcraft. Miller adds some self realization as proctor cries, “It's my name.. I cannot have another life.”

In Act IV Proctor states “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed to the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are!” ( Miller p.132)

Throughout the play John Hale seems to become more and more unsure of himself. It is like Reverend Hale is being split in two directions and can not decide which is the right path for him to take. He changes his opinion about witchcraft at this time because he knows that John Proctor is a good man and is not a witch. Reverend Hale realizes his job of finding and ridding the world of witches is false. “It is mistaken law that leads you to sacrifice.

Mary is part of the courts and seems to use this to manipulate her employer, Mr. Proctor. Her first act of defiance was when she told him that he could not order her to bed, give her whippings, or stop her from going to court proceedings (Miller, pg. 59). It is not certain if she knew the intent of Abigail to use the poppet to condemn Elizabeth Proctor. However, when she asked by Mr. Proctor to tell the truth about the poppet, she adamantly says that she cannot because she fears the girls will turn on her. When she does have a change of heart and is put in front of the courts, she shows her weak side and you can see her confidence wane.

The controlling nature of John Proctor towards those who work for him also reinforces the statement made by Vowell. Although Proctor is considered to be a good man, he reveals a tendency to be controlling towards his servants. When Mary Warren comes running towards the Proctors’ home after attending the trial, John Proctor tries to force her to testify against Abigail Williams in court. He says, “You will tell the court how that poppet come here and who stuck the needle in” (Miller, Act 2). Proctor is very menacing as he delivers his dialogue.

“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.

Analyzing The Crucible’s Dramatic Structure Aristotle believed that drama and poetry should have an unmistakable beginning, middle, and end. Originally, it was a three-act structure, but in the following years this view of Aristotle’s was expanded to include more divisions in a five-act structure. This new format for drama, known as Freytag’s Pyramid, gives each act a purpose, helping the audience progress from exposition to resolution. Though The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is only a four act drama, the play can still fit into Freytag’s Pyramid by applying more than one element to an act.

Is there any way to judge if people are good or not? In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and perhaps in real life, one of the main problems is deciphering the goodness of people. One cannot tell a sinner from a saint apart, as every character either has excessive pride, sinful witchcraft, or terrible lies. However, the play heavily applies, however unnapparent by the reader, that certain people who commit sin are less guilty than others, especially those who don not understsand they are wrong. The theme that only people who fully understand the situation at hand can be morally judged is proven through Proctor’s fair moral outlook in the story and Parris’s who does wrong in contrast to Danforth who looks righteous in the story despite all the wrong he does, because he does not know, and .