The Effects Of Life Changing Decisions In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Decisions One decision is all it takes in the life of a person to go from one path to another. The decision can be a good one and affect one’s life in a positive manner or a decision can be a poor one and result in negative effects. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Abigail Williams and John Proctor make life altering decisions. Willy Loman, the main character in The Death of a Salesman also written by Arthur Miller, makes a decision that will change his life. This paper will examine the life changing decisions made by the characters in these books, the reasons behind their decisions, and the consequences of their decisions for their lives.
Willy Loman is an aging salesman who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. When he was younger,

He is a farmer in Salem who has an affair with Abigail which ultimately changes his life. There are only a few people that know about the affair. “Proctor thinks that in lying to the court, he will be only adding a lie to the sin of adultery” (Sundstrand). This quote shows that John has guilt and believes speaking up about the truth will have the best outcome for him. Therefore, Proctor confesses to the court about the affair. The reason he does this is to save his wife Elizabeth, who lies for John in order to save his name. This works in the fact that Elizabeth is saved, but John is scheduled to be hanged. His decision is the climax of the play because the deaths start to add in numbers. The choice is smart because people would have found out sooner or later that John had committed adultery. John knew the consequences would not be good for his choices. He did not want his name to be ruined across the town for his kids and did not want to be on the confession list on the wall of the church. John is eventually hanged and dies because of the decision to have his life taken because he feels like it is better to die than to lie anymore. His choice affected the lives of other people not just his own. John’s name gains more honor and self-respect since the hanging because he chooses his wife’s life instead of his