John Proctor's Intentions In The Crucible

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In many situations, people's intentions aren't so clear. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor's intentions are very debatable. He can be viewed as an egomaniac, or as I see him, a martyr. A martyr is someone who dies for a cause, which is exactly what Proctor did. Proctors intentions are to stand up for what is right and even die for it. Proctor sees how unjust the court is and he wants to change that. That would make him not an egomaniac, but a martyr.

John Proctor's name was tarnished the moment he confessed to the court that he had an affair with Abigail Williams. Proctors goal is not to boost himself up on a social level, but to rise above the court and get justice for his wife and friends who were arrested for committing a “crime” with no hard evidence against them. Proctor even admits that his name is ruined when he said, “I have rung the doom of my good name.” Right here we see that any ego that John Proctor may have had in the past is completely …show more content…

When Proctor finds out that his wife Elizabeth is going to live another year due to her pregnancy, he does not just stop fighting. He wants to stop the trials and end the murdering of innocent people. Right here we see that Proctor is looking at the bigger picture. He could not handle the corruption of the court anymore. When Proctor is asked whether or not he is going to continue fighting for those accused of witchery, he answers “I-I think i cannot”. Proctor does not want to throw his friends under the bus, he wants the exact opposite. Some may say that John Proctor just fought for himself or his wife, which would connect right back to Proctors ego. But when Proctor says, “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?”, we can see the loyalty of Proctor, along with clear characteristics of a

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