Examples Of Morally Ambiguous Characters In The Crucible

‘The Crucible’ is a great example of morally ambiguous characters. A plethora of characters with blurry ethics exist within the world of ‘The Crucible’, this makes it difficult to distinguish who is truly good and who is evil. Arthur Miller has a fantastic approach to how he displays his characters and their moral standpoints. Adultery, lying, and even the suspicion of witchcraft, within the community brings out the worst in the townspeople. John Proctor is an example of how thin the lines are drawn between a complete saint and a damned sinner.

Proctor has many character traits that contribute to him being so difficult to figure out. His crime of lechery against his wife, and his willingness to save her, are both intermixed in a tangle of ethics. After committing adultery with Abigail, John clearly has a guilty conscious. When

questioned by Hale to recite his commandments, John leaves the sin of adultery out.

The stage directions even say “as though a secret arrow had pained his heart” this proves that he feels horrible about deceiving his wife. Hale also questions John about why his third son is not baptized and John replies, “I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay a hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it.” This theme reemerges later in act two, when Cheever says “He plow on Sunday, sir.”, John says “I- I have no love for Mr. Parris. But God I surely love.” This proves that although John has not been the holiest he still believes in the gospel. John has also moved on from his act with Abigail. He develops a new maturity when he tells Abigail “...I will cut my hand off before I reach for you again.” John is

finally trying to repair his wounded relationship with his wife, Elizabeth when suddenly, she is ripped away from him, and he has to try and prove that she is not guilty of witchcraft. This leads to more decisions that test his morality. John later finds that his wife will be saved for one year after learning she is with-child. Proctor still decides to stay with the men, whose wives are still in court, to save them. This puts himself and everyone else involved in jeopardy. He does this out of the kindness of his heart and for the justice of the innocent women.
Although, many characters in “The Crucible” could be considered morally ambiguous, John Proctor is by far the most ethically challenged. The deceitfulness to his wife and his moral obligation and love of God create a conflicted character with many differing personality and character traits. His twisted soul is at the heart of “The Crucible” and truly shows the human trials and thoughts.