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Essay on character analysis of all the characters of the crucible
Justice can be unjust the crucible
Justice and revenge in the crucible
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John Proctor finds a compication in his understanding of justice in Act 2 because 2 people got arrested and doesn’t want to come forword about Abigail.There was 2 people put on trial for witchcraft Rebecca nurse,and Martha Corey.He questions if justice is actually being surved because the two who got arrested are stong cristian people.He knows that they are inicent because “She do not mean to doubt the Gospol sir,you can not think it.This be a christian house sir.” (70)He knows that witches can’t take over a cristian personThis is part of the conflict John is facing as well as not wanting to testify about Abigail lieing because if he testifys in court he will have to come out with his sexual relashionship he was having with her.This is apperent
Elizabeth and John start to feel the tension when Elizabeth tries to convince John about going to court and persecuting Abigail but he refuses. When he disputes with his wife he argues, “you will judge me no more Elizabeth I have good reason to charge fraud on Abigail and I will think on it” (193). Proctor is not completely satisfied about throwing Abigail under the bus because he doesn’t want to initially hurt her and he would lose his respect in the town if he did. So he isn’t convinced about the fact that his wife is trying to get him to charge fraud at this point of the play. Soon afterward Mary the proctor’s servant comes home with news that Elizabeth has been convicted of witchcraft as well and was arrested by the sheriff in town to be brought to the trials.
Each character has a certain failing that they represent in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, more than anyone else. For Thomas Putnam his failing is how he would do anything to get vengeance on Francis Nurse. John Proctor failing is dishonesty to protect which undoubtedly cause his own down fall. Reverend Parris whose materialistic ways for money will end up with him having nothing. Putnam’s vengeance, Proctor’s dishonesty to protect, and Parris’ materialism all show a failing that will have consequences for someone in Salem.
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.
In this act he finds the goodness in himself to take responsibility for something he did not do just to make up for his sins. He says to Elizabeth, “Spite only gives me silent. It is hard to give a lie to dogs…” (4.136) He wants to confess, but he has to find the courage in him to confess it. He has to swallow his pride in order to confess of something he did not do. After he finds the courage to confess, Danforth makes him sign a confession statement, but he cannot. In support of this Proctor says, “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!” (4.142) Proctor has already confessed and he feels as if that is already enough, but he has to sign the confession or he will be hung. He finds the courage to sign it but then rips it apart before it is hung upon the church, and he could not build up the courage to re-write it. This leads him to being executed. Henry Popkin once again helps support my sources by stating, “The real, the ultimate victim in this play is John Proctor, the one independent man, the one skeptic who sees through the witchcraft "craze" from the first…This is a climactic moment, a turning point in the play. New witches may continue to be named, but The Crucible now narrows its focus to John Proctor, caught in the trap, destroyed by his effort to save his wife, threatened by the irrationality that only he has comprehended.” (143) Abigail’s idea did not go as planned because Proctor rebelled against her. Therefore Proctor was accused and died because he was not going to let Abigail ruin the pureness of his
What we mean by that is his defensive actions were made for a reason. We saw that John Proctor defended the valiantly for his wife’s freedom, his own freedom, as well as the freedom of many others of the condemned. One of the many instances Proctor defends himself is when he states, “I’ll not have it!” He stood his ground on not being involved with witchcraft. Not only is that evidence of itself proving his innocence, but it is well-known now that he declared his standing. Proctor defended the other women by putting together “sort of a testament. The people signing it declare their good opinion of Rebecca, and my wife, and Martha.” He went out of his way to receive many of these opinions to help out these innocent There was no reason to and no one had asked, but he did it because his defensive nature to stand up for the truth. In fact, he defended his wife with his life, without any hesitation. One instance is when Elizabeth was accused of possessing a poppet at home. In the court, John Proctor stated, “Your honor, my wife never kept no poppets.” In hopes to save his wife’s life, he laid down his. It only made sense that he was innocent. Who defends something and ruins their good name for something they know is
John Proctor committed lechery with Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams wants John Proctor to love her, but he is married to Elizabeth, and he doesn’t want to leave her for Abigail. Abigail knows that John doesn’t want to leave his wife, so she tries to get rid of her, first by drinking a charm to kill her, and she then accuses her of witchcraft. John knows that Abigail is trying to get rid of his wife so he knows that he has to tell the courts about what happened between the two of them so that they will realize why she is making the accusations on his wife. When he admits his fault to the court the girls turns around and accuse him of witchcraft in order to save themselves. John is put in jail for three months because of this accusation. After all of this time he nearly decides to admit to it, but he then realizes what it would do to himself and his name.
When the play sets in 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 causes the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. After the affair, Abigail becomes 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 admit to adultery which is considered a sin. . Also in the beginning R...
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, justice and injustice is portrayed through the characters of John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor and Abigail Williams. It is also shown through the minor characters of Mary Warren and Mercy Lewis, followers of Abigail Williams, and through Danforth and various townspeople.
Imagine that someone is accused of doing a crime and went to jail and died there, but then new evidence came up and that person was proven innocent. The people in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, would have the same fate. The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1700s, during the witchcraft trials. People were being convicted of being a witch, just like what happened to John Procter during the Salem witch trials. Injustice of the courts is shown in Miller's The Crucible as well as in the unfortunate case of Robert “Bob” Doyle.
John Proctor is being tried as a guilty man. He has done some wrong things in his life like having an affair with Abby or not like the minister as a person. The things he has done wrong have nothing to do with witchcraft, though these “wrong” things he has done doesn’t make him a witch either. This trial has taken many innocent lives and John will not be another one! Honestly how could a person everyone looks up to, a father of three children, and a hardworking farmer be guilty of such a crime? John should not be charged with perpetuating the witch trials.
The court had thought themselves to be correct, and if you were accused of witchcraft, you were either put in jail or to death. John Proctor had been accused of this, so he "confessed" to it to save his own life and take care of his family. Although, he changed his mind later on and said that the document he was signing was a lie, the minister had asked, “If [the document] is a lie I will not accept it! What say you? I will not deal in lies!” (1112). He believed that John was telling a lie when John was actually telling the truth. John was not a witch, but it did not matter what he said to the minister, if you were accused, then you were a witch. Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, had been accused by Abigail Williams. After John had admitted to
John Proctor was not only in a physical state of isolation in the jail, he is also in a mental isolation.There, he pondered what he had done, what he his life has come to, but most importantly, he wondered if telling the truth (that he and his wife did not commit witchery), was right. This is apparent when he is asked to admit to witchcraft after he had been in prison for months. As Judge Hathorne pressed John for his admittance to witchcraft, he asked Elizabeth what she wanted him to do, but his was still left uncertain when she responded, “I cannot judge you John” (Miller 135) He seemingly stands alone, with no definite answer. His wife will not tell him what to do, God has not told him when he cried out and he cannot seem to convince himself what is right. Finally, he screamed his false confession of witchcraft and signs the paper, thinking only of his life. But, then he realizes it is not this life that should matter, rather the everlasting life that his Puritanical religion promised him. All his darkened, lonely days showed him the truth of who he is, that he does “see some shred of goodness in John Proctor (...) enough to keep it from such dogs” (Miller 144). He knew that the judges and people of Salem could take away his name, his pride, and his family, but he was strong enough to recognise that they could not take away his
right about selling out the other innocent prisoners to save himself, he feels as if he's betraying them. Such as when Proctor says “ you will not use me! I am no Sarah good or Titubia, I am John Proctor! you will not use me…” ( Miller 1356). At the end of the play John is taken away to the gallows after he refuses to sign the confession, because he feels like that is the right and moral thing to do. “ He were not hanged. He would not answer aye or nay to his indictment…” (Miller 1352). Elizabeth explained how the court wanted him to confess of witchcraft. Instead, he died standing for himself.
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 by Arthur Miller perpetuates the theme of justice. Reverend Hale truly believed he would find the so-called witches and deliver swift bouts of justice in Salem, however an immoral Abigail Williams was only using this an opportunity to evade facing her own justice. Justice is an easy term to understand, but difficult to define . Webster’s dictionary defines justice as “the maintenance or administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or the assignment of merited rewards or punishments” or as “the administration of the law”. The ideals of what is ‘just’ in modern society and in Puritan society are vastly different. While today we administer justice based on the laws set by the federal