The Crucible Literary Analysis “The knowledge of sin is the beginning of salvation” quote by, Epicurus. A tragedy play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller is set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692 during the Witch Trials. The protagonist, John Proctor, is a tormented individual who has a hard time forgiving himself due to his sin of committing adultery. John Proctor develops throughout the play, at first he is seen as a fearful man then he becomes courageous and lastly he shows his brave side. At the beginning of the play, John only cares about his personal issues and he is afraid of getting involved. John’s fear reveals the theme of, when one conceals one's sins, one leaves one's self vulnerable to one's enemies. When …show more content…
Hale tells John Proctor that his wife is being convicted of witchery, Proctor defends her and says that vengeance is walking Salem: “I’ll tell you what's walking Salem-vengeance is walking Salem....this warrants vengeance!
I’ll not give my wife to vengeance” (Miller 77). John means that Abigail is doing this so she could take his wife's place but he cannot tell this to anyone because his sin of lechery would be exposed. Abigail knows that John cannot fight for his wife because he would have to admit to lechery. So Abigail is taking advantage of their sin and using it against Elizabeth because Elizabeth is trying to ruin Abigail's reputation in the town. This situation leaves Proctor feeling vulnerable because in order to save Elizabeth he would have to admit to his sin. In the end of act two, Proctor tells Mary that she will testify with him in the court, however, Mary warns him, “She’ll kill me for saying that Abigail’ll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor” (Miller 80). Even Mary knows that Abigail will tell on Proctor if he tries to save his wife. Abigail is holding something huge on John and he knows it, that's why he never tried to get involved. Abigail knows that John is vulnerable, so she is using his fear against him and wants to kill Elizabeth and marry him. If John was brave and admitted to his lechery before, then none of this would have happened which shows his …show more content…
fearfulness. The results of his fear is that he will have to go to court, in order to help his wife, which will lead to him admitting to his sins and getting jailed. Currently John Proctor is in the pre- conceptual morality stage, which is avoiding punishment and only doing things that benefits him. John tried to avoid punishment and kept his affair a secret. Also he did not get involved in the trails until his wife got convicted. Proctor is an anti-hero because he shows fear and he is dishonest with his town and himself. He kept denying his sins and he was too afraid to admit. Miller’s opinion on Proctor is displayed by the way he portrays Proctor. He shows him as someone who is a coward and not bold enough to confess to his sins, also he shows him as a sinner and cheater. Which showcases that Miller disapproves with Proctors behavior since he lacks many heroic attributions and confidence. At the beginning Proctor is presented as a weak character, however, he soon develops into a stronger protagonist. In act three, Proctor's character develops and evolves by being courageous and standing up for himself and others, which reveals the theme of, A thing is not true simply because a large number of people believe in it. During the court, John Proctor stands up for his wife and states that all the girls are liars and pretenders: “she only pretended to faint, your excellency. They're all marvelous pretenders” (Miller 106). Everyone in town, including the judge, believes the girls and they think that they are innocent. However, John knows that the girls are a fraud and he does not allow anyone to manipulate him. He is insisting that the girls are liars and he is not afraid to speak out against them, even though, the majority are trusting the girls. Proctor steps up and says that all this time the girls have been faking it, which is a big statement because the judge has arrested many people because he believed them. At the end of act three, Proctor is convicted of dealing with the devil and Judge Hathorne asks him to confess himself, but Proctor refuses. Proctor explodes and says that they have all quailed, “for them that quail is to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud” (Miller 120). This shows that Proctor does not go with the majority and he does not give up his opinion. Even when Proctor is under pressure he does not confess and he does not follow the majority. This proves that Proctor is courageous because even when his life is in danger, he refused to be manipulated and had a mind of his own. The results of Johns courageous behavior is that he will be taken to jail and hanged. In act three, John is going through the conventional morality stage, which is when someone collaborate to maintain law and order. At the beginning, he refuses to get involved in the trials, however when his wife is convicted of witchery he goes with the flow and gets involved. John goes to the court, with Mary, and he brings a petition with him which ninety-one people signed. Act three showcases John’s evolution into a courageous man and not following the majority, he has a mind of his own and takes responsibility for his actions. The last act, Proctor development shows his brave and heroic side.
John’s bravery reveals the theme of, it is better to sacrifice one's life than one's principle. When Proctor confesses, he refuses to sign the paper, “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends” (Miller 143). This shows that Proctor does not want his dishonorable behavior to affect his children and he would rather die. If he will sign the confessions then he is basically giving the court the right to hang all the innocent lives. He cannot bear the knowledge that his signature will be used to condemn other innocent lives. Proctor’s bravery prevented him from selling his friends and he disagrees to sign the confession since that will not only ruin his reputation, but his kids reputation as well. At the end, he finds his goodness: “I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs” (Miller 144). This implies that he is satisfied with his decision and he finally finds his goodness. Which proves that he is brave because he refused to sell his friends and sacrifice his principles, instead he sacrificed his life but he died with honor. After committing sins and acting cowardly, he finally shows heroic attributions and finds his salvation. John does not allow them to take his goodness away from him and died with a good name. The results of his bravery is that he was able to find his goodness
and he forgave himself, however, his bravery led to his death but he died pleased. In the end of the Crucible, John Proctor has reached the post-conceptual morality stage, which is when someone disobeys wrong rules and follow the ones that are grounded in justice and wellbeing. He refuses to corroborate with the court and insists that it is better to die good than living as a crowd. John feels that the court is corrupted and he declines to support them, even though he would not have died if he contributed with them. By the end of the play, Miller displays Proctor differently and portrays him as a hero and someone who is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. This shows that Miller's opinion changed from the beginning, since he first characterized Proctor as a weak protagonist, however, now he is showing John as a stronger character. John Proctor has evolved throughout the play, the reader sees him changing from a fearful man, to courageous, and lastly brave. He shows his fear by trying to stay away from the town since he had an affair with Abigail and he does not want to get involved. However, when his wife is convicted, John becomes this courageous man, who does anything to save her which led to him admitting to his sin. Lastly, John is in a life or death situation and he chose death, in order to save his honor and friends. The play shows the dynamics of John Proctor's character and how he grew from being an anti hero to a brave man who stood up not just for himself, but to everyone in town.
John Proctor and Reverend Hale are similar as they have both detected the corruption beneath the witchcraft accusations and attempt to prevent false testimonies and innocent people being hanged. John Proctor easily realizes the truth of the witchcraft trials because of his affair with Abigail Williams, one of the leading culprits of the hysteria in Salem. Abby exclaims that “Elizabeth hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman” (Miller 12). Abigail feels this way, not because Elizabeth has mistreated her, but instead because Elizabeth is Proctor’s wife, a nuisance to Abigail and Proctor’s relationship. Additionally, after Elizabeth found out about the affair, she fired Abigail, thus ridding Abigail
In the crucible, I believe reputation and respect was interwoven in the term of the play the ‘‘crucible’’. Reputation and Respect can also be a theme or a thematic idea in the play, reputation is very essential in a town where social status is synonymously to ones competence to follow religious rules. Your standing is what enables you to live as one in a community where everyone is bound to rules and inevitable sequential instructions. Many characters for example, john proctor and reverend parris, base their action on the motive to protect their reputation which is only exclusive to them. People like reverend parris saw respect as what made them important or valuable in a town like Salem, this additionally imprinting to his character as a very conventional man.
Before the play takes place, Abigail Williams and John Proctor had an affair while Abigail was working as a servant in their home. Eventually, John confessed and apologized to Elizabeth, pledging his faithfulness to her. Nonetheless, at the time the play takes place, Elizabeth still hasn’t fully forgiven him, and gives him a hard time about it. Abigail confessed the pretense of her accusations to him when they were alone, and now he has no way to prove that she’s lying to the court. But because he was alone with her again, Elizabeth becomes angry with him. She still doubts her husband because she feels that if it were any other girl he had to go testify against, he would not hesitate. But, because it’s Abigail, John feels he has to think harder on making a decision. He doesn’t want his name spoiled by a counter-testimony. John feels he is now justified in becoming angry because for the seven months since his confession, he has done nothing but try to please his wife, and she still approaches him with suspicion and accusatio...
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.
As the play starts off, and John Proctor is introduced, it becomes know that he committed adultery with Abigail, the antagonist of the play. At this point, the play tells that John has gone against his own values by committing adultery, as well as the town’s values. He starts off seeming as though he is a very confused man and does not know what to think about his relationship with Abigail. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.” (22). This is showing how he still likes her, but he feels he cannot commit adultery with her again.
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.
Although John Proctor isn’t much of a pious man, he does choose to do the right thing in the end. He doesn’t go down to the level of Danforth, he stays truthful and prideful to himself. Not many people would confess to something if it meant they would be hanged or imprisoned for their actions, John Proctor did. These three personalities of John Proctor prove that he is an overall good man even if he made a few poor choices in his lifetime. He ultimately shows that everyone should be proud of who they are and always tell the truth because if you want to be successful, you must be true to
John starts interacting with a younger member of the town, Abigail Williams. The two spend time with each other which eventually leads to John having an affair. John and Abigail kept this from the whole town, even after Elizabeth finds out because she realizes that his name will be affected if the word does get spread. “Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. Elizabeth Proctor to her husband…” “She tells him that by sleeping with her, he made a commitment to her, at least in her eyes. (Elizabeth) After he has the affair with Abigail, Elizabeth has trouble holding the trust she has for John. Abigail also loses faith in John due to the fact that he told her false ideas that he sensed that he had something for her, but then later in the play he admitted that he only did such a thing because of the tension in his
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...
While most are opposed of John Proctor's idea of being a man of integrity, some may view John Proctor as a man who has motives for protecting his name. At the end of The Crucible Proctor is in the court to free his wife for a false accusation of witchcraft, which seems like he loves his wife, and he does. But when faced by Judge Danforth on bringing up evidence of the false accusation, John Proctor claims that Abigail, a seventeen year old girl is a liar and a whore. Abigail is the one that accused John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth of witchcraft to have her hanged and have a chance to be able to marry John Proctor after an affair between John and Abigail which sets the
Elizabeth Proctor has many moments which show how she is changing throughout the play. When she is trying to persuade Proctor to tell the court that Abigail said the girls were not practicing witchcraft, Elizabeth blurts out, "John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not." Elizabeth is confessing that she believes Proctor had an affair with Abigail. She is giving him no mercy by showing that she will never forget what happened. When Elizabeth is being accused of stabbing Abigail, she instructs Proctor to go to court, and tells him "Oh, John, bring me soon!" Elizabeth is gaining trust in John. She is forgetting his act of adultery and now has faith that he will defend her. At the end of the play, when Proctor is sentenced to death, Elizabeth says that "he [has] his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" Elizabeth is admitting that John was righteous to confess his sin of lechery, and she should have pardoned him. She considers herself impure for not showing mercy, and does not want to take away from his glory. Elizabeth has transformed from an ignorant victim of adultery, to a forgiving, loving wife.
The only thing John Proctor wants to be is an honorable man in the eyes of Puritan society. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible John Proctor repeatedly tries to do good for other people. John’s motivation motivation to retain his honor is seen throughout his actions. Since John Proctor is motivated by his honor, his decision to admit he committed adultery creates doubt in the guilt of the accused.
When we are first introduced to John Proctor, we learn of his affair with Abigail Williams, Abigail's involvement in the accusations of witchcraft, and of John's desire to do what is honorable. Because of John's desire to do what is honorable, he ends the affair with Abigail and begins to attempt to repair his broken marriage. Abigail's jealously of Elizabeth and desire to be John's wife leads to Elizabeth's name being mentioned in court. Abigail's mention of Elizabeth's name in court reveals her attempt to get rid of Elizabeth for she knows Elizabeth will claim innocence and be hung if she does. When word reaches the Proctors, about Abigail's mentioning of Elizabeth's name in court, John concludes that Abigail's motive is to kill Elizabeth. Knowing this information, John is faced with his first difficult decision, save his reputation, keep his affair a secret, and let the accusations continue, or ruin his reputation, tell of his affair, and end the girls' accusations. Not wanting to ruin his good name, John decides to hold his tongue and because of this the trials continue and more accusations are made, some of which lead to his wife's and his friends arrest for witchcraft and bewitchment.
At the beginning, he is concerned with his reputation, but at the end, he risks his life to save others. While this is true, changes occur on a much deeper level for John Proctor. Although he is just an ordinary sinner, his changes are important because he improves himself in an effort to overcome the internal and external dilemmas he is faced with. Externally, John is faced with a town and a legal system that is intolerant and unforgiving. Through his process of making a mistake, he not only has to try to face the unjust legal system, but he faces an internal conflict. John is out of line with the accepted belief of the town, and he is unable to forgive himself or to repair his relationship with his wife. These are problems that he does not know how to face at the beginning of the play, but as the play goes on, he adapts and learns. Elizabeth helps him understand the importance of forgiving oneself and is then able to do this. Furthermore, by forgiving himself, and having the confidence to admit it, he learns that there are more important things than life. This conflicts with Hale, who learned that life is more important than anything else, even one's beliefs. These conflicting ideas are important because they show that there is contention in the world. Ultimately, John and others can learn that conflicting ideas and contention should exist in the world, but would fail to do so without tolerance, and the ability to