Proctor says “ You are the high court, your word is good enough! tell them i confessed myself; say proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman, but my name cannot!”. In the quote John Proctor does not want written proof that he was a witch because he wants to protect his friends and not throw them under the bus. This means he cares for his friends and is truly a good man. Proctor says; “ let them that near dead now take their souls, it is pretence to me.”
it’s a lose-lose situation. Things like politics, religion, imaginations, and fear of people were just some of the main factors of what aided people into believing that Satan was upon the town of Salem. They believed that the humans were with devil and doing as he said which in turn gave them the power to harm others. One girl named Tituba was trying to save herself by confessing to witchcraft.
I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(1272). These words by John Proctor exemplify his character by making, in my opinion, not a very wise decision. In the play The Crucible, John Proctor’s unwillingness can be seen as selfish because others hung before he confessed his affair with Abigail but he redeemed himself by undoing his confession and refusing to sell the court other names, which Arthur Miller used to convey a message about a crucible being put through a fire/trial and coming out in its purest form, through the character of John
Hale no longer believes in the witch trials. Everything Reverend Hale came to Salem for now no longer means anything to him. By this point Reverend Hale, among others, has become fed up with the pretense and falseness of ‘The Salem Witch Trials’ and wants nothing more than for it to be over. (page 84, act four, Miller, Arthur The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts, Viking Press 1953) “ HALE, quickly to Danforth: Excellency, it is enough he confess himself. Let him sign it, let him sign it.”
This conflict John is having and how it effects people around him connects to the universal theme of respect and reputation. John’s true friends and family have good respect for John and His good name so they let him make his own decision of not signing the paper’s. These witch trials in Salem Massachusetts show how just a little bit of lies and deception can change a town in just a few days.
Habakkuk highlights the injustice that arises from God’s decision to allow evil to oppress the righteous. The revelation though God’s divine punishment and unforeseen promise ensured an everlasting faithfulness and trust between Yahweh and the people of Judah. The recollection and trust embodied in Habakkuk’s prayer allows for a remembrance of God’s covenant and faithfulness for his people. Habakkuk’s prayer questions God’s decision of succumbing the righteous to evil. The unforeseen plan set by God examines the faithfulness of the people as they rely only on their trust in God’s promise of delivering justice to their oppressors.
All these characters have what they feel, is a logical reason for lying, but the question why do people lie to others and themselves, is something to ponder while reading the play. People lie to themselves to make them feel better about their own lives and people lie to others to cover up something they may be ashamed of. One reason people lie to themselves is to make them feel better about their own life and what they 're going through. Abigail is reprimanding the girls for saying things about witchcraft she doesn 't approve of.
Such similarities include the false imprisonment of innocent people based off of prejudice beliefs and heavily biased justice systems. The Salem Witch Trials began in the year 1692 when several young girls in Salem, Massachusetts were acting so strange that they were believed to be under a witch’s spell (Schiff). When confronted, the girls began accusing others of practicing witchcraft (Schiff). Many people were soon accusing others or being accused of witchcraft; they were being accused for various reasons such as unexplained illnesses, failed crops, or a woman could even be accused if she could open something a man could not (Brandt, p. 38). As stated in Anthony Brandt’s article, An Unholy Mess, “Legally, spectral evidence was not grounds for convicting a witch.
Shortly after that, these actions started to allot all over Salem. Ministers came to Salem trying to find who is responsible for this crisis. The Puritans believed that to become bewitched, a witch must draw a person under a spell. The young girls of Salem could not have brought this situation onto themselves, so they were questioned and forced to name their torturers.
Girl what ails you? Girl what ails you? Stop that wailing!” (1.1 620-621). John Proctor is saying that Abigail is crying out in nonsense to protect her by making people think she was cast over by witches rather people finding out about the adultery that she committed .
In The Crucible we all know that Parris is the reverend of Salem. All he wants is to be respected by the people there and be treated the way he wants to be. we know that in the beginning that Parris didn’t like the idea of word going around that witchcraft was in Salem. He was even opposed to Hale coming to Salem at first, clearly Parris changed his mind to where he supported the Witch trials.