The Depth of Human Evil in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller

878 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Morals in the crucible

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, is an intriguing novel about the witch trials in Salem during the 17th century. During the Salem witch trials, innocent people were accused of being witches just so that others could take their land and farms. The main protagonist, John Procter, stands up against the corruption and greed that has infested the very heart of Salem, and tries to overthrow Abigail Williams, a corrupt young maiden who blames and kills the accused witches. This novel explores the depth of evil in human nature through these main characters John Procter and Abigail Williams. But despite the corruption of Abigail and the town, the just emerge to try and stop this evil from occurring. The characteristics of John Procter are well represented by his commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth, his persistence and persuasiveness, and his personal integrity. Even though, later on in the story John Procter is faced with certain death, he would rather die than compromise his principals or disgrace his name.

The most important character trait John Procter exhibits during the course of The Crucible, is his commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth. Whether in his certainty of Abigail’s corruption and manipulation of the court, or his fundamental opposition to the witch trials, he does not hesitate to fight for what he believes in. A good example of his commitment to his beliefs is when he says, ”I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing Elizabeth” (p.73). He demonstrates that he is strongly opposed to the court of Salem and has confidence in his convictions. He also displays bravery and courage through his actions. An example of this bravery would be when John decides that he is going to admit to witch ...

... middle of paper ...

... house sir; ……. (p.102).

By saying this, he risks his own life to save Elizabeth. This says a lot about his morals, beliefs, and the extent to which he is prepared to stand up for his values.

John Procter’s commitment to the pursuit of justice and truth, his persistence, and personal integrity are key components to understanding him as a person. These qualities present him as a very humble, amiable, and practical man. His judgment of what is right and wrong is consistently precise. He was a man of great principals and when his principals were tested in the extreme, he did not waver or give in. The story explores what can happen when extreme fear turns to hysteria. John Procter overcame this extreme fear and through his practical nature and his strong characteristics went against it and overcame it. This is what made John Procter the protagonist in this story.

Show More
Related

  • Annotated Bibliography On The Crucible

    399 Words  | 1 Pages

    The focus of Miller’s The Crucible is an appalling witch trial that morfs the once-peaceful town of Salem into a cutthroat slaughterhouse. As a lucrative playwright and a not-so-subtle allegory author, Miller is a seasoned wordsmith who addresses people akin to himself, and is not secretive about that information. The Crucible best serves its purpose as a learning device and a social statement, especially at the time of its publishing. Miller‘s piece showcases the appeals in an easy-to-identify manner that is perfect for middle or high school students who are new to the appeals, or for English majors who have no problem pinpointing them, making this play ideal for a classroom setting.

    Read More

  • The Marriage of John and Elizabeth Proctor in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Crucible is one of the most bizarre accounts of a historical event to date. The naïveté of the townspeople leads them down a road of madness and confusion, led by a shameless Puritan girl. Abigail Williams was a ruthless girl who showed no mercy upon accusing her victims of witchcraft. Knowing the entire town of Salem would believe her and the other girls, she would not hesitate at charging anyone she wished with the crime of the Devil’s work. However, a challenge arose to Abigail when she decided to accuse Elizabeth Proctor, and eventually her husband John, of witchcraft. The Proctor marriage was not just any simple marriage; it had its times of cold shoulders, heartfelt truth, and undying love.

    Read More

  • Human Flaws in Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many of the characters in Arthur Miller's The Crucible have specific human flaws that cause the tragedy of the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem villagers exhibit failings, including greed, vengeance, and fear, which eventually lead to the downfall of their town. Many villagers, especially Abigail Williams, take advantage of the opportunity to seek vengeance on others through the trials. Greed for power and land often holds precedence when the hysteria takes over. Fear of being arrested or put to death is the key motivation in turning others in as witches. From these three human flaws, the town of Salem falls into chaos with many innocent people paying the price.

    Read More

  • Essay On The Anti-Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

    1544 Words  | 4 Pages

    He regards himself as a fraud. These insecurities are the foundation of Proctors character development into an anti-hero.

    Read More

  • Courage, Weakness, And Truth In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    When people are put in tense and difficult situations, they lose control. John and Elizabeth Proctor, and Mary warren, all exhibit this throughput the play. John exhibits courage, in the sense that he found the strength to keep his name and lose his life rather than keep sinning and lie. Mary Warren displays weakness when she falls to Abby once again, in the end, instead of sticking to her story and assisting John, in freeing Elizabeth. Elizabeth illustrated how difficult it was to tell the truth in life or death situations. All three of these characters, and their traits, represent what “The Crucible,” is about, courage, weakness, and

    Read More

  • John Proctor's Moral Struggle in The Crucible

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    1468 Words  | 3 Pages

    Proctor concentrates on his name, because it would be destroyed of he signs. He finally comes to a true understanding of what a good reputation means, and his defense of his name enables him to muster the courage to die heroically.

    Read More

  • The Crucible: Hysteria And Injustice

    1618 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.

    Read More

  • The Role of Fear Depicted in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

    763 Words  | 2 Pages

    The play “The Crucible” is an allegory for the McCarthyism hysteria that occurred in the late 1940’s to the late 1950’s. Arthur Miller’s play “the crucible” and the McCarthyism era demonstrates how fear can begin conflict. The term McCarthyism has come to mean “the practice of making accusations of disloyalty”, which is the basis of the Salem witch trials presented in Arthur Miller’s play. The fear that the trials generate leads to the internal and external conflicts that some of the characters are faced with, in the play. The town’s people fear the consequences of admitting their displeasure of the trials and the character of John Proctor faces the same external conflict, but also his own internal conflict. The trials begin due to Abigail and her friends fearing the consequences of their defiance of Salem’s puritan society.

    Read More

  • Pressure In The Crucible Essay

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    For example, Elizabeth Proctor pressures him into admitting his infidelity, and right the wrong he has done, “ Then go and tell her she 's a whore. Whatever promise she may sense—break it, John, break it.” Elizabeth tries to pressure John into going to talk to Abigail in hopes that she would stop targeting her. Elizabeth also pressures John into telling the court about his infidelity with Abigail, which he hesitates and does not do, until act 3 when he goes to court. Even more pressure is inflicted upon John in court when Danforth tries to get John to sign his name in act 4, “You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me!” John refuses to give up his own name, standing up to their manipulating ways of pressuring him so that he may possibly rescue his friends that were accused. This act makes John heroic within the book, showing that he does not cower under pressure like Abigail and Mary. In conclusion, although John hesitates at first when peer pressure is against him, he will eventually stand up for what 's right, making him a hero within the

    Read More

  • The Crucible: Danforth & Intolerance

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    Arthur Miller’s eminent play, The Crucible, is a product of literature set in 1962 Massachusetts, an era in which the city of Salem was under a stirring amount of hysteria due to the accusations of witchcraft on its citizens. The play, based on the true story of the city, displays the importance of reputation, hysteria, and intolerance through the actions of many characters in the play. Perhaps the most prominent is Danforth’s actions making way for a prominent theme of intolerance. Danforth, the deputy governor of the state and the judge presiding at the witch trials, is hypocritical while believing the action he is taking is for the common good of the people. Although these actions in no way resemble the common good, Danforth’s tyrannous personality is thoroughly recognized throughout the play through his determined and stubborn personality, courtroom actions of indistinguishable prosecution without evidence and his biased favoring of Abigail Williams, causing intolerance galore throughout the scenes of the play.

    Read More

  • Why Is John Proctor A Tragic Hero

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    John is heroic, because he deserves a good honor in the village, and he also attempts to save his wife and other people. But his tragic flaw—pride, is the main reason that he is hanged to death. If proctor refuses to have an affair with Abigail, or if he does not have that much of pride, he would have lived. Miller creates John Proctor as an example of showing people that a person, or a hero, will have his downfall if he has natural flaws and does not realize to change

    Read More

  • Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    546 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.

    Read More

  • Theories Of The Crucible

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Crucible is a drama film written by Arthur Miller in 1996. Miller’s drama film was inspired by the Salem witch trials. The fiction film opened the audience eyes to seeing somewhat of what happened on those cold lonely days in Salem, Massachusetts. Starring Wiona Ryder as Abigail William’s, Daniel Lewis as John Proctor, and Peter Vaughan as Giles Corey. Many scenes Abigail William’s caused most of the chaos according to the movie, The Crucible. My paper is going to go into detail about the Prosecutions, the relationship between John and Abigail, and also why Giles Corey was a hero.

    Read More

  • The Theme of Evilness in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

    1370 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Theme of Evilness in The Crucible by Arthur Miller In any type of society, there is evil. Evil lives amongst us all. sometimes in the people you would least suspect. Everybody in the 'The Crucible has sinned in some way, except for Rebecca Nurse. The play almost certainly starts off with an element of evil.

    Read More

More about The Depth of Human Evil in "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller

Open Document