Analysis of The Crucible by Arthur Miller ‘You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.’ Assess the developments in John Proctor’s character that validate this statement. How does Miller create a sense of tension and suspense in the build up to this climatic moment in Act 4? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible he has used many dramatic devices in order to create tension and build up to the climaxes of the story. Each act tells the audience more about the characters and gives insight into what others think of them. John’s character is slowly revealed to the audience as the play develops. It is one of Millers devices, which means that Proctor’s character is slowly developed and the audience slowly become more aware of his different sides leading to this climatic moment in Act 4. The play begins with a group of girls practicing witchcraft in the woods. The next morning several of the younger girls fall seriously ill, some are unable to wake. It is then that suspicions about witchcraft begin. It is in Act 1 that the audience first meets John Proctor. He comes across as a young, respected and confident man who is happy to speak his mind. Early on we discover that in fact John had recently had an affair with Abigail Williams, one of the teenage girls, who had before been a servant in his house. Abigail appears to still have feelings for John, although the feeling doesn’t appear to be mutual. John says ‘No, no Abby. That’s done with… Put it out your mind, Abby…Abby I never give you hope to wait for me.’ This shows John’s regret in having had an affair, he wants Abby to forget it, as... ... middle of paper ... ...goodness in him. The many methods of tension build up to the climax of John’s decision to admit that he hasn’t in fact been in contact with the devil, and that he is innocent, so will therefore die for it. The quote; ‘You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor,’ creates dramatic irony before his death. The actual goodness in John Proctor has been shown throughout the play in his honesty and openness, whereas the statement says that witchcraft has turned him into a good person. John Proctor has been a good, honest man from the beginning of the play; it was only in Act 3 when he was accused of witchcraft that he was dishonest. This goes against the statement and supports John’s character; he always was a good character and will now die, a good honest man, right with God.
that he is a brave man. As soon as his wife is accused, John quickly
When the play sets in to action, John has had a past affair with his servant Abigail Williams. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor is very forgiving of his sin, but John has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of ruining his good name, and reputation. The affair between John and Abigail caused the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. After the affair, Abigail became horribly jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. Proctor realizes there is only one way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess his sin of adultery. Although he knows he should, he continues to be determined not to confess. Also in the beginning Reverend Paris is new to town, and John insist continually that he is only speaking of hell, and hardly ever of God, as Proctor goes on to say to Parris, "Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!" (Miller 30). In the drama, Mary Warren places a needle in a poppet she gave to Elizabeth; John firmly demands that Mary Warren tell the courts that she really put the needle in the poppet that day. Proctor says to her, "You're coming to the court with me, Mary. You will tell it in the court." (Miller 80). Furthermore, at the end of the play Proctor is persistent by saying that no matter what anyone says to convince him differently, he would rather die an honest man and save his name. John Proctor took pride in his thoughts, feelings, values, and his name. It took persistency to make his intent clear to others.
Early on in the play, the reader comes to understand that John Proctor has had an affair with Abigail Williams while she was working in his home. Abigail believed that if she got rid of Elizabeth Proctor, then John Proctor would become her own. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, but for him it was just lust, while Abigail believed it to be true love. She told John Proctor that she loved him, and once she destroys Elizabeth, they would be free to love one another. John is horrified at this, but can do nothing to convince Abigail that he is not in love with her. Because of Abigail's twisted plot to secure John for herself, Elizabeth is arrested. John Proctor has to wrestle with the decision of what to do. He knows that he has sinned; yet he does not want to hurt his beloved wife. This is partly why he is willing to die. He knows he has already sinned.
The Salem Witch Trials, Who is Really Guilty? After all of the witch trials in 1692 concluded, a total of 20 people were hanged, all because of people craving attention and personal gain. There are three people depicted in Arthur Miller's The Crucible that are most responsible for this and they are, Abigail Williams, Judge Danforth, and Thomas Putnam. Abigail Williams is mostly responsible for the Salem witch trials because she was the first person to start accusing innocent people of witchcraft.
...nnot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" (p. 143) By the end of the play, John has grown enough to realize that though he was wrong to have an affair, he did not lose all honor. By learning this lesson and keeping his honor right up until his death, John passes his test.
Many of the characters in Arthur Miller's The Crucible have specific human flaws that cause the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem villagers exhibit failings, including greed, vengeance, and fear, which eventually lead to the downfall of their town. Many villagers, especially Abigail Williams, take advantage of the opportunity to seek vengeance on others through the trials. Greed for power and land often holds precedence when the hysteria takes over. Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price.
The statement,“The Crucible is essentially about courage, weakness, and truth,” is proven true numerous times, throughout the play. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, about the true events that happened in Salem, Massachusetts, between the years 1692 and 1693. The Salem witch trials consisted of many hangings, lies, and complete mass hysteria. The citizens of Salem followed the religion of Puritanism, and the ideas of predestination. The root of the mass hysteria comes from their belief in the sense that in something happens then it must have been planned by God. In Miller’s portrayal of the story, Abigail Williams was the ringleader of the witch trials, and she used the idea of predestination to cover up her own sins. Abigail was a very manipulative girl and ruined many lives. John Proctor, Mary Warren, and Elizabeth Proctor were just a few of the victims in Abby’s game. John, Mary, and Elizabeth exhibit the traits courage, weakness, and truth, whether it was in a positive or negative way.
John Proctor is portrayed throughout the play to be a man who has high moral values that he must abide by. He can spot hypocrisy in others easily and judges himself no less harshly. Elizabeth Proctor says to him in the second act:
have any freedom because he was always there. John acts as if he knows what the
The adult John comes to civilized society as an experiment by Marx and Mond to see how a "savage" would adapt to civilization. Frankly, he does not adapt very well. He is appalled by the lifestyle and ideas of civilized people, and gets himself into a lot of trouble by denouncing civilization. He loves Lenina very much, but gets very upset at her when she wants to have sex with him. He physically attacks her, and from that point on does not want to have anything to do with her. When his mother dies, he interferes with the "death conditioning" of children by being sad. Finally, his frustrations with the civilized world become too much for him and he decides to take action. He tries to be a sort of a Messiah to a group of Deltas, trying to free them from the effect of soma. He tells them only the truth, but it is not the truth that the Deltas have been conditioned to believe, so to them it is a violent lie and they begin to cause a riot. When the riot is subdued, John is apprehended and taken to have a talk with Mustapha Mond.
Did you know that 34% of the total population of homeless people are under the age of 24? In 2014 a survey was conducted where they found that most of the homeless youth was with their family, but 45,205 of them were by themselves. In America alone, there are more than 3.5 million people that have experienced homelessness. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has many similarities and differences to the homeless people in America. The witches in The Crucible were being treated poorly because of false accusations without any proof. Homeless people are treated poorly because society was once known to pretend to be homeless to get extra money, giving them a bad reputation. Society stands up for the homeless than they did for the witches in The Crucible.
middle of paper ... ... Although he had signed, he does not want his name on the Church doors. Hale knows that Danforth does not like this, and he tries to help. The judges start to doubt if John is really telling the truth or not, but in the end John and all the other innocent people end up hanging!
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is an intricate piece of literature. He assembled this literary labyrinth using precision. One example of his twisted methods is his use of the word, “crucible”, in his text. What does the word, “crucible”, mean? This word has five definitions, and Arthur Miller has managed to bring all five of them into play in The Crucible. One definition of the word, “crucible”, is “The light placed in front of The Crucifix”. This definition, unlike the others, is used in a largely abstract way in the text. The, “light”, in The Crucible is a symbol of shining a light on, or drawing attention to, certain issues.
John Proctor faces many decisions in response to his moral dilemma to try to save his life. One of the difficult decisions John makes is to reveal that he had an affair with Abigail Williams and thereby has committed adultery. If the local court convicts him of this crime, he faces being jailed. Also by admitting this crime, John reveals a weakness in his character. This flaw in his personality will make it harder for him to stand up in the community as an honorable and believable person. In trying to convince others that witchcraft does not exist John’s dishonesty with his wife will make him less convincing to the community.
The Crucible is set in Salem in 1692. It is about a group of girls who