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What is the meaning behind the crucible
Symbolism in the Crucible by Arthur Miller
The crucible meaning and symbolism
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How would you feel about a man who has committed adultery? Would you be able to forgive him, or would he ever regain his goodness to you? This describes a character from The Crucible, John Proctor. So, does John Proctor ever regain his goodness by the end of the play? Yes, John Proctor regains his goodness by the end of the play because he does not lie and confess to witchcraft, he confesses to committing adultery, and he does not fall for Abigail’s temptations.
When John is presented the decision to lie and confess to witchcraft so he can have his life, he chooses not to confess and rips up his confession. This shows he has his goodness because if he did confess, he would have lied to them and as John says in the play, “God damns all liars”
(pg.22). During this time period, they lived their lives by the Bible. Leviticus 19:11 states, “Do not steal, do not lie, and do not deceive one another.” By Confessing to witchcraft he would be going against their own way of life. An opposition of this might say that at first he did confess, but just didn’t sign his confession. However, by John not signing his confession, there is no proof that he had ever confessed at all. In addition to John not confessing to witchcraft, he also confesses to the court about the affair he has had with Abigail. During this time, adultery was a very formidable act, which opens up the perfect opportunity for Abigail to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft. Another example of how she has the motive of a false accusation is when Abigail declares Elizabeth is “blackening my name in the village.”(pg.23). The 9th commandment declares, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor,” and this is what Abigail is doing by accusing Elizabeth. One might believe that John cannot regain his goodness after he has committed adultery, but his sin is resolved when he repents for his sins.
In the Crucible, people were continuously accused of doing witchcraft. Those people who were being accused had to either confess or die despite of the truth. Struggling in this moral decision, people began to recoil and lie to others and even to themselves in order to save their lives. Marry, who was first accused of doing witchcraft told the judges that John Proctor was connected to the devil. Obviously, Marry chose to live as a liar. Eventually, It was John Proctor’s turn to decide: to confess and lie or refuse and die. Struggling in a decision that drives people into craziness, John Proctor chose to refuse anything despite of being hanged.
My character is John Proctor. John was accused for witchcraft mostly because he spoke against the witch trials and stated that the girls who were “possessed”, were liars and frauds, setting everything up to accuse other villagers of witchcraft. He also couldn’t remember the 10 commandments by heart, and didn’t attend Church regularly, only coming once a month. Another piece of “evidence” for him being a witch was that he apparently plowed on Sundays, which back then, was considered a high offense.
The Crucible (Argumentative Essay) Is John Proctor a good man? John Proctor, in my opinion, is indeed considered a good man. And the reason why I say this is to inform you that in The Crucible, John faces a lot of conflicts with his wife, the church, and his individuality. The way John Proctor deals with these conflicts defines him as a true good man character, for example Elizabeth (Proctor’s Wife) always knew he was a good man in heart. She would have the courage to stand by Proctor’s side when they were in court “I do not judge you”.
In John Proctor’s sudden confession of committing adultery, Miller used strong ethos and pathos to help further his agenda. He used disinterest, a rhetorical ethos device, to show that he reluctantly confessed for the greater good. By casting away his reputation, he made a personal sacrifice to show that his revelation helped the people of Salem more than it helped him. Throughout the play, Proctor concealed his disloyalty to his wife from the public; however, he finally came to terms with his sin to save Elizabeth and other innocent people from the trials. John used a rhetorical tool called the reluctant conclusion during his confession, which is blatant by the uneasiness/hesitancy he displayed. John Proctor lost his credibility and appeared
“I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (Miller 133) screams the belligerent John Proctor, confronted with the very real possibility of his execution. Being accused of witchcraft, a crime he did not commit, John Proctor is threatened by the religiously controlled courts in the 1692 Salem Witch Trials in an allegorical story for Senator Joseph McCarthy’s Red Scare. However, in the face of persecution by religion, John Proctor demonstrates immense resolve against the aggressive power figures of the Puritan Church. Throughout the story, John Proctor clashes with the religious authorities in his town. His main goal: trying to protect his family and friends from personal attacks, comprised entirely of fabricated evidence, by the church establishment.
John Proctor plays the leading role in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. He was persistent, honest, and full of integrity. He was simply, a man with pride. A wise woman once said, "Do what you feel in your heart to be right--for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." (Eleanor Roosevelt). Proctor was the protagonist of the dramatic piece of literature.
Arthur miller constructed some courageous characters throughout his play The Crucible. John Proctor is thought of as a good man who lusted at one point however earned back his goodness. The one with the greatest amount of courage would have to be John Proctor. Although he had made some poor decisions, he didn’t shy away from them like the rest of the village did. He did what all the others were too afraid to do. Most people would say that Giles Corey was the most courageous because he didn’t confess to witch craft either, but in addition to not confessing John Proctor also went against what Abigail was saying because he knew why she was doing it.
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.
The year 1692 was full of lies in Salem, Massachusetts. With a few exceptions, one of them being John Proctor, farmer and husband to Elizabeth Proctor. In all, 19 people were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials caused by lies in The Crucible. John Proctor tried to make things right by being a man of truth, was willing to stick up for innocent people, even if it meant his life and reputation diminished, and by being a man of pride.
The first struggle that John Proctor faces in The Crucible is his guilt over committing the sin of adultery. This moral problem continues throughout the play, and it is the primary moral predicament that Proctor faces in the play. He has broken his own moral code as was as the moral law in the Puritanical Salem in his affair with Abigail.
Throughout the whole play, John Proctor placed himself as a “servant” of God only and maintained that position regardless of what happened. He represented the image of a person that corresponded for God in Earth, and at the same time he acted consciously and knew what was happening in Salem. In an attempt to disengage from God, his principles, conscience, and morality acted upon him and brought him back to God. Elizabeth and his friends also affected his conscience, as the only reason why he went to the court was to try to release them. John Proctor can be considered the savior of Salem, he can be considered Jesus in that story. His name was important as it was the main reason why he decided to die with dignity instead of live for a lie; but what is the symbolism behind his name? What is conscience and why does John Proctor struggle with his?
The first incident in the play where we see Proctor's honesty is after the affair he had with Abigail. He realized his mistake and was honest and admitted it to his wife Elizabeth. In the next situation where Proctor is involved he tells the Reverend Parris why he does not like him, and it also gets him into trouble. He tells him, "Can you speak one minute without we land in hell again, I'm sick of hell! (p. 30). He is honest, yet disrespectful to his reverend. While in court, John Proctor is too honest to the judges. He admits his guilt of not being a religious Christian and says " I have once or twice plowed on Sunday" (p.91) and he also admits not going to church every Sunday. He also admits that he committed adultery and had an affair with Abigail. His most commendable moment of honesty was when he was on death row and would rather die than confess and lie.
The motivation of John’s behavior is to be an honorable man. At the same time he knows he must confess to committing adultery, which will desecrate his name, but save the lives of the accused. In the courtroom, John confesses about his affair with abigail saying:“ She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it now.” (Act 3 Lines 380-384)
In conclusion, it cannot be denied that John Proctor made a major mistake and betrayed his wife and his own moral code. Despite that, he was a strong, level-headed individual that cared for his family and desired to leave them with a good name. He would not have felt such a high level of guilt if he had not expected so much from himself, which is the quality of a moral person. John Proctor was a good man who truly deserved the title of protagonist in The Crucible.
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.