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Making decisions can be hard but making decisions that can effect a whole village are even harder. Sometimes you have to choose the decision that causes hardship to do what is right. In Salem, in the 1600's, life or death situations had to be made that would effect not one but many. Decisions made by John Proctor in Miller's play, the Crucible, illustrate that life is full of hard decisions that can bring hardship but sometimes turn out to be for the best. 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. Because John decides not to reveal his affair to end the witch trials and accusation... ... middle of paper ... ...dness in him after all and that hanging will add to his initial cause to stop the witch trials. This was the hardest decision John had to make in his life but because he chose to hang as an innocent man he did not taint the reputations of the other innocents that had already been hung or that would hang after him. Because of this John is truly a compassionate and honorable man. Through the right and wrong choices John Proctor made when it came to some very difficult decisions in his life, we learn that best decisions in life are sometimes the ones that bring us hardship. Human nature causes one to lie to save them from going through the difficult part of a situation but in the process usually adds to the circumstance that made them lie in the first place. The decisions a person makes in life reveals what type of person they truly are when all is said and done.
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.
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...
In the Crucible, early in the play he had an affair with Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams is the main accuser, and also the main character. After this affair she desperatley falls in love with John and this is where her lying, horrendous, vicious, wicked behavior occurs.He had a choice to either have the affair...
For many reasons, John Proctor is an honest man. By no means is Proctor afraid to tell you what is on his mind.
This creates tension in the home between John and Elizabeth Proctor. “You were alone with her?” Elizabeth says, John responds “for a moment alone aye” “why then it is not what you told me”.(222) This angers John because he is floating in his guilt for being unfaithful to his wife. Its builds a strain on their marriage and keep the couple in a cold house. Proctor has been faith full to his religion, only attending church only once a month. These actions put more reason for people to suspect that john is participating in witchcraft. “I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.”(239) John is selfish by going with the lie saying, he participated in witchcraft than to confess and say he didn’t to be with his wife and his unborn child. John lived in a lie and he Salem government took his life from
Honor, dignity, and integrity are traits that are becoming more and more rare in our society. The Crucible, a play written in 1952 by Arthur Miller, is based on the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and parallels the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the 1950s. In the play, Miller attempts to focus his themes around traits such as honor, dignity, and integrity, and as a result, the theme "is it better to die honorably or live dishonorably" becomes vital to the story and well conveyed throughout it. The characters that exemplify this idea are John Proctor and Giles Corey, both of whom die by the end of the play, and Reverend John Hale and Abigail Williams, who live through the trials.
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)
John contemplated his actions and reached an influential decision towards what his fate would be after all, he believed, he could control it. As he stated defiantly, "I want my life... I will have my life" (78). After john confessed, he believed he had done Elizabeth and the children good, for they were wellspring of his life. He would be free, and accepted by Salem still. The powerful effect of his trial and disagreement and its conflicting with Salem's way of life had already left a silent, yet profound mark on the community.
People make life or death choices every day. In The Crucible, John Proctor and others decided dying honestly was better than living a lie. At this time, countless were accused of witchcraft and working with the devil in the town of Salem, MA. In this play, Reverend Hale told Elizabeth proctor “no principle, however glorious, is worth dying for.” He argued that living a life of dishonesty is better than dying for the truth, trying to persuade John to live, but as a devil's advocate. But John believed no life was worth living if it was full of falsifies information.
By sleeping with Abigail Williams he had completely lost his honor and all hope for a reputable reputation, but towards the end of the story, John begins to realize his sins and the mess that has been made by one foolish act. John slowly beings to attempt redemption to his prestige. In the final act of this performance, John has a choice to make; save his own life by signing a confession to witchcraft, or be sentenced to hang if he did not. At first he began to lie, signing the false confession, then he snatched it back, “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows my how black my sins are! It is enough!” John does not want his name and his false confession hanging in public for all to see, his name means too much to him. John also talks about the effects it would have on his sons, “I have three children-how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” In John’s eyes it would be more honorable to die than to hang his lie for all to see. All would know it was a lie, and how could John raise his sons, living a lie? In short, John’s reputation meant more to him than his
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.
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.
He tried finding some other way possible to stay alive without showing guilt. He Faced internal struggle with himself to confess of witchcraft. “It is evil is it not, It is evil” (The Crucible, Act 4) He knew the trial had been corrupted because of Abigail deceitful tongue. It only lead him believe in his truth and stand his ground. The whole village had be corrupted in john eyes. Abigail, floundering with lies, got so many people exacted, so John felt it in his power to stop this madness. He would not let evil prevail. He had hated Abigail and everything that she stood for. He wanted to be the opposite which influenced his final decision. Salem would be the same knowing hatred and lies were spread all throughout the
Written in the 1950s, Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible delineates the situation of the McCarthy conflicts in America while the plays’ events revolve around the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692. In the play, two major characters are Reverend Hale, an expert on witches sent to Salem for investigation, and John Proctor, a man known for his leadership and hard work. Proctor and Hale, in addition to both being Puritans, are alike in their actions and motives since they both see the depravity of the court and seek to protect people from it. However, they have major differences in their characters as they have contrasting dedication to Christianity and the values that they live by.
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.