And The Price for the Most Integrity Goes to… Elizabeth Proctor How can one keep their integrity in the face of adversity without ever desperately succumbing to corruption? In the renown 1962 play The Crucible, it is nearly impossible for many of the characters to stay true to their values while keeping their lives. Lying, mistrusting and cheating neighbors seems to be the only way to survive the chaos that reigned in Salem during the time of the witch trials, where anyone could be accused of witchcraft as a result of personal grudges. However, there are certain characters who stand by their values, defend them until the very end, and survive the hysteria without being tainted. A prime example is Elizabeth Proctor. Because she kept true …show more content…
This is exemplified in Act Four, when Elizabeth meets her husband in the dungeon after she is asked to get him to confess to witchcraft; confessing upon being accused was a way of saving oneself. John wants her opinion on his decision, but she tells him “[she] cannot judge [him]” (p. 135), and repeats it later on when it is insisted upon. She says: “I am not your judge, I cannot be. Do as you will, do as you will!” (p. 138) By telling him to “do as [he] will”, Elizabeth emphasizes her belief of individual choice. She reminds John that the matter lies on his hands …show more content…
The decision results in an inevitable death sentence from the court. When Elizabeth has the chance to go after John, she refuses. This is when she utters her most memorable quote in the play: “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (p. 145). She is stating that by choosing his honor over his life, John has redeemed himself and has found “his goodness”. Even while suffering from the knowledge that her husband will be hanged, she respects his choice until the very last
She is faced with helping her husband make the biggest and most final choice in his life so far. Since they have been apart for a while, separated by prison, it would be incredibly easy for her to say that he should live and give up his good name just so she can still have her husband and her kids have their father. It would be incredibly difficult for her to see John for a few minutes after a long time apart and say he can sacrifice himself for the greater good. However, she sees the situation as that: him sacrificing himself for the greater good. She is also strong enough to admit part of the blame is her own, that she has a hand in the guilt he feels about their relationship.
In the late 1600’s, Salem, Massachusetts was flooded with witch hysteria. This was based on the Puritan religion, which was taking the Bible verbatim. For this reason, there was no hard proof, but rather spectral evidence. A multitude of citizens was falsely accused and used as scapegoats to save oneself's. In The Crucible Elizabeth Proctor happens to be one of the many people who gets thrown under the bus.
One question At the beginning of the story, some of the charaters were trying to be really demanding and prideful in their authority which caused the trials to be more horrific and lead on to more death. The pride that Elizabeth has is so much that she can’t forgive John, which shows in act 4: “It come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself” (Miller 136). Elizabeth trys to help John through what he is going through, but he will not forgive himself through all the hurt that has gone through the village. When all that comes down the people try to tell the truth, but nobody has any strength, which hurts them by not speaking up. Another example, John shows pride for not turning in Abigail yet, because he knows that
The Salem witch trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft in colonial Massachusetts. The trials resulted in the executions of twenty people, fourteen of them women, and all but one by hanging. The play was written in 1952 after the Red Scare in America that caused much hysteria, like the Salem witch trials. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Each of the characters of Proctor, Hale, and Elizabeth changed from the beginning of the play to the end of the story. Proctor becomes more honest; Hale becomes more skeptical, and Elizabeth becomes more forgiving.
Only be sure for I know it now: whatever you will do, it is a good man does it… To which she then tells him then she apologizes to him for not being a good wife “…I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery” (1114). Showing she blames herself for her husband’s lechery, this then causes John to have the want of living, causing him to confess. This shows the strength and forgiveness Elizabeth has give john having her evolve from a doubtful wife to a woman who risks her she has taken for her
This quote reveals, Elizabeth’s genuine understanding and faithfulness in her husband. She believes that John carries the burden of his own guilt, which is a lucid indication that he has a sense of morality. John feels this guilt, as he recognizes and takes responsibility for the sin he commits, against his wife. Additionally, due to John’s guilty conscience, he also realizes the value and tenderness that his wife brings him. He accepts his misdoings, and never utters a blame against his wife, for his actions.
Life or Death: Did John Proctor Make the Right Decision? Countless people have learned about the lies and horrors of witches in 1692 during the Salem Witch trials. In The Crucible, a tragedy written by Arthur Miller, it displays the tragedy and wrongful convictions of the townsfolk of Salem. One notable character being John Proctor a well respected upperclassman in Salem who was willing to confess his sins, sacrificing his life for the greater good of his family and friends. There are many reasons people choose to do things in life whether or not they will turn out well in the end.
Elizabeth Proctor VS. Abigail Williams In today’s time, cheating is dealt with too lightly. The dishonesty of our world is taken too far and many people get away with it at no expense. In the book, The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, many young men and women were accused of being witches.
Integrity is an essential piece of heroism, this can especially be seen in the novel "The Crucible" as the two ideals of integrity and heroism collide. Many different conclusions could be made from reading this novel when it comes to both integrity and heroism. While there are characters like John Proctor whom exhibits heroism through integrity, selflessness, and bravery, there are other characters whom sacrifice their own integrity in order to preserve their own imagine. These characters are portrayed as dynamic villains like Reverend Parris and Abigail Williams and others like Salem's own Sheriff whom is less dynamic and a greater linear character. Each individual's integrity would change constantly throughout the story due to a constant stacking of lies, all of which is rooted to one's struggle to keep a good image by forfeiting her own integrity.
When John and Elizabeth are arguing over how John was in Salem and how he should tell the court what Abigail told him, John snaps at Elizabeth. He says “I say I will think on it!”. He is a little aggressive and very cold towards her when he says this. This shows the reader that he does not respect her because if he did, he would not be so rude to her. Next, John is saying how he was alone in a room with Abigail when she told him that there was really no witchcraft in the town.
By looking at The Crucible by Arthur Miller one can see that the characterization of John Proctor reveals the theme of reputation and integrity, which is important because refusing to tell lies to protect his reputation and stop delirium from spreading throughout Salem. John Proctor states that the woman of Salem who have been locked up for witchcraft:”Excellency, does it not strike upon you that so many of these women have lived so long with such upright reputation”(3.1.305-309). Proctor represents reputation because he would rather die than have his reputation downed to a victimizer. Protecting his reputation motivates John Proctor to deny that witchcraft exists in the village. All he hears is crying out of screams and wailing which is a cause of the Devil 's work: “What 's she doing?
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.
Sometimes there will be people who just seem to fit together flawlessly comparable to two dogs, but in the play it is like a cat being terrorised by a dog chasing it. In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller there are two contradictory characters. Elizabeth and Abigail are important characters who have opposite traits. Elizabeth is an extremely sweet and truthful women, and Abigail regularly tries to lie and be jealous. Throughout The Crucible Elizabeth and Abigail express truly opposite traits only to follow the theme of protecting their integrity.
In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.
Millions of people are in unhealthy relationships, which can be identified in certain ways. In the tragedy, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor, and his wife, Elizabeth Proctor have issues in their marriage. John has an affair with a girl named Abigail Williams while Elizabeth is sick. As a result, this breaks her trust in him, making her come off as cold and reserved. The nature of John and Elizabeth’s relationship is unhealthy because their words and actions towards each other reveal a sense of hostility, mistrust, and lack of affection.