Essay Comparing The Crucible And John Proctor

When considering two works of highly influential literature, it is important to consider how the texts are similar or different. When it comes to classical literature, there are often more similarities than one might think. This is evidenced by the abundant similarities in Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter and Miller’s The Crucible. Despite these many similarities, there are still many differences. The two works of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are both highly similar; however, they also bear many differences.
One common theme of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter is the idea of adultery. In both texts, an adulterous character plays a major role in the story’s plot. In The Crucible, John Proctor’s affair with Abigail Williams is where

the main conflict originates. Everything Abigail does can be traced back to her jealousy of John’s wife. Abigail’s blatant dislike for Elizabeth Proctor is evidenced by her angry outburst, in which she says, “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her!” (Crucible 1140, 10) In The Scarlet Letter, all of the citizens have a similar reaction to Hester Prynne’s infidelity. "If thou feelest it to be for thy soul's peace, and that thy earthly punishment will thereby be made more effectual to salvation, I charge thee to speak out the name of thy fellow-sinner and fellow-sufferer!” (Scarlet Letter, 64) These religious groups clearly have very strong feelings about adultery. According to psychologist Michael W. Austin, adultery is wrong in any sense. He says, “First, adultery involves breaking a promise, in fact, one of the most serious promises we make.”
Another similar idea within the texts is that of sin. In The Scarlet Letter, “Thus the young and pure would be taught to look at her, with the scarlet letter flaming on her breast,—at her, the child of honorable parents,—at her, the mother of a babe, that would hereafter be a woman, —at her, who had once been innocent, —as the figure, the body, the reality of sin.” (The Scarlet Letter, 72) Similarly, the citizens in The Crucible react to sin in the same way, as Reverend Parris says, “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death…” (Crucible 1154, 37) In both texts, sin is taken very seriously, punishable even by death. A similar opinion is had by David Branon, “Yet we must understand that if we continue to sin knowingly, we are in effect turning our back on Jesus and His pain.” This reveals that these opinions are still held by some people today.
One final similarity is that of mass hysteria. In The Crucible, this theme is prominent throughout. When Proctor begins to panic about the possible conviction of his wife, he becomes involved in this whirlwind of emotion, “Make your peace with it! Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away—make your peace!” (The Crucible 1181, 12). Proctor quickly becomes very emotional, threatening Mary Warren. This theme appears within The Scarlett Letter as well. “‘What choice had you?’ asked Roger Chillingworth. ‘My finger, pointed at this man, would have hurled him from his pulpit into a dungeon, —thence, peradventure, to the gallows!’” (The Scarlet Letter, 154) Rather than have reason, Chillingworth chooses to jump straight to accusation and threats. Mass hysteria can be described in many ways, “Mass hysteria is characterized by the rapid spread of conversion disorder, a condition involving the appearance of bodily complaints for which there is no organic basis.” It becomes clear through this definition that mass hysteria is certainly present in both of these texts.
Along with these similarities, there must also be differences, which include the difference between an affair of love and an affair of lust.

In The Crucible, it is clear that John Proctor did not feel love for Abigail. Proctor states, after Abigail insists he speak to her out of love, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” With such a weighty statement, Proctor confirms that his affair with Abigail was merely due to his own lust and weakness. However, in The Scarlet Letter, Hester finds herself in love with the object of her affair. Rather than simply using Dimmesdale for physical romance, Hester also develops a strong love for him, “‘Thou shalt forgive me!’ cried Hester, flinging herself on the fallen leaves beside him. ‘Let God punish! Thou shalt forgive!’” (The Scarlet Letter, 175) Clearly, Hester seeks Dimmesdale’s approval desperately, as one does only for those they truly care for. Hester feels a true love, unlike Abigail’s lust, which causes her view to be distorted. Judith Orloff puts it best, saying, “…lust is fueled by idealization and projection--you see what you hope someone will be or need them to be--rather than seeing the real person, flaws and

all.”
Another difference seen is the behavior of women in the text. Within The Scarlet Letter, the women (with the exception of Hester) are much more silent than the women of The Crucible. When speaking to Hester, Dimmesdale gives her this piece of so-called advice, “‘Heaven hath granted thee an open ignominy, that thereby thou mayest work out an open triumph over the evil within thee, and the sorrow without. Take heed how thou deniest to him—who, perchance, hath not the courage to grasp it for himself—the bitter, but wholesome, cup that is now presented to thy lips!’” (The Scarlet Letter, 63) Here, it is seen that women were not given a proper chance to testify in the court. However in The Crucible, the women’s testimonies were the main source of conflict. In one of Abigail’s numerous testimonies she says, “She sends her spirit on me in church; she makes me laugh at prayer!” (The Crucible, 1154, 19) While this could be written off as a simple distraction, the men of the court take this young woman’s words as fact.
A final difference in the two texts is the prominence of the court. In Hawthorne’s work, the court is seen only a few times. However in Miller’s work, the court is an extremely common setting. For example, one of the only scenes in which the court is seen in The Scarlet Letter is when she is confronted by Chillingworth, “‘Foolish woman!’ responded the physician, half coldly, half soothingly, ‘What should ail me, to harm this misbegotten and miserable babe?’” (The Scarlet Letter 67) Revealed here is the harshness of the court in Hawthorne’s work. In one of the many court appearances in Miller’s The Crucible, the girls of the court pretend to be taunted by Mary Warren’s spirit, Abigail even cries out, “She’s going to come down! She’s walking the beam!” (The Crucible 1211, 8) This serves to show the reader that the court in this text was often a mad house, a place where people went to be convicted, often of crimes they did not commit. Even when others said the trials were unjust, it went unnoticed. “Though the respected minister Cotton Mather had warned of the dubious value of spectral evidence (or testimony about dreams and visions), his concerns went largely unheeded during the Salem witch trials.”
In conclusion, it is clear that these texts complement each other well. They revolve around the same ideas and themes, making them easily comparable. It is also interesting, however, to analyze how the works contrast as well. As a whole, a study of the two texts can only enrich the understanding of both. Therefore, a better appreciation of both pieces can be achieved.