The Crucible John Proctor Change

Change has always been a strong uniting force throughout the history of America. Many literary works have incorporated change as their driving point, such as Arthur Miller's, The Crucible. The culture and beliefs in the Puritan time period was strictly based on religion. Everyone expected each individual to be righteous, pure, and live a puritan lifestyle. Change was something out of their social norm making it harder for Proctor to change, but his change impacts the many lives of the people that were wrongly accused. In The Crucible, change is shown through John Proctor by him being an adulterous man, redeems himself by sacrificing his life and reputation in the end.

John Proctor, a dynamic character, was “the kind of man- powerful of body, even-tempered, and not easily led- who cannot refuse support to partisans without drawing their deepest resentment” (Miller 1138). He seems steady, persistent the first time we meet him or as Miller describes him, but that changes when he commits a sin. He is now a “sinner” due to having

an affair with Abigail Williams, a manipulative seventeen year old girl. This event that happened with Abigail turns him into a hypocrite and destroys his pride and reputation. He is now confined by guilt and wants to redeem himself, but guilt is overwhelming him. However, when Abigail accuses his wife of practicing witchcraft resulting into her getting arrest, this spurs him up. In other words, Abigail has popped his bubble which results into the starting point of his journey on him regaining his own morality and redeeming himself.
Naturally, his wife’s arrest encourages him to prove that she is innocent. Act 3 shows him along with Giles and Francis going to the court to show proof of their wives being innocent. He loquaciously defended his wife and the people of Salem who were accused to the point where he confesses his adultery with Abigail. “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything. I know it now...she thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, 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; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now” (Miller 1206). Even with knowing that he himself might end up in jail, he now refuses to lie and do what’s best. However, this confession is still not enough to prove the false accusations made by the girls (Miller 1209).
As a result, John Proctor’s growing guilt turned into his tragic hero demise.

He confesses his sins gaining his wife’s trust, but not the court. This doesn’t trigger his willingness to stick with him changing. “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before” (Miller 1227). This shows who he has changed into because one can see that he views of himself as a sinner, a view he didn’t have of himself before. He now also knows that he doesn’t deserve to judge someone else’ sins when asked if he saw Rebecca Nurse with the devil. “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it” (Miller 1230). In addition, he was offered to live if he confess his sins in public. His fear of people’s opinion made him almost sign the paper, but eventually cares more about his personal

rectitude.
Eventually, Proctor’s life ends up getting taken away. His change made a huge impact to the story and the lives of many others. Not only did he make an impact for other people, he made an impact for himself. At the end, Elizabeth says, “ He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (Miller 1233). Surely he has shown who he really is by the end of the play which makes his character so memorable. His dire need to have a clean conscience changed his character for the best.