Throughout the play I do believe that the character John Proctor becomes a good man because even though he made some mistakes, he knows what he has done and try’s to fix his mistakes. The people in the village think that he is a bad man. He did make a big mistake when he had an affair on his wife with a young servant named Abigail. He and his wife have a very unhappy marriage after this which is not unusual. She is not able to forgive him and he is not happy with this and begins to try and fix things. He is a fair and hardworking man who regrets what he has done and will eventually be the most honorable. That’s why I believe he is a good man. Like I have said before, even though he made a terrible mistake and kept it from everyone he eventually …show more content…
That he will do what it takes for the people in the village and his wife to forgive what he has done. John wants them to know that he knows what he has done is wrong and wants forgiveness. I don’t know about you, but when someone say forgive me forgive me then says they want their life back, I think they will do whatever it takes to get that. Coming with that means that he might have to make some decision that could hurt him, but would eventually help him in the long run. When it comes to decisions John Proctor had to make a very big one that helps make him look like a good man. His decision was he could either keep what he had done a secret or lie to everyone. Or he could tell the court what he has done and maybe things will work out. If he chooses to lie and not confess to what he has done he will just be like every bad person there is and would not fix anything. Since he wants to fix things he decided to tell the court to gain goodness, integrity, and be more respected again. Since he did this it shows that he is a good man because he I swilling to confess up to gain respect from others. In the play it says, “Because it is my name! Because cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (1232 Act 4). In this
After Elizabeth, his wife, finds out about his affair with Abigail he tries his hardest to prevent anyone from finding out because he doesn’t want to go to prison and doesn’t want his good name ruined. Again, that isn’t the best thing to do but it proves that Proctor has immense pride in himself and what he has accomplished in his lifetime that he doesn’t want to be looked down on after years of being a role model to all the civilians of Salem. At the end of the play, the only way to save himself from hanging is by confessing to the act of witchcraft. He almost does it, but he says, “I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me!”(pg.538, lines 879-82) He doesn’t confess because can’t handle ruining his name anymore than it has been and because he is a man of truth.
Throughout the whole play, John Proctor placed himself as a “servant” of God only and maintained that position regardless of what happened. He represented the image of a person that corresponded for God in Earth, and at the same time he acted consciously and knew what was happening in Salem. In an attempt to disengage from God, his principles, conscience, and morality acted upon him and brought him back to God. Elizabeth and his friends also affected his conscience, as the only reason why he went to the court was to try to release them. John Proctor can be considered the savior of Salem, he can be considered Jesus in that story. His name was important as it was the main reason why he decided to die with dignity instead of live for a lie; but what is the symbolism behind his name? What is conscience and why does John Proctor struggle with his?
Overall, I believe that John Proctor is a good man who did have a slight moment of weakness. Generally, throughout the play, Proctor is seen as a good man whose character also has the right intentions throughout. Even though he had a moment of weakness he tries to make up for what he has done. He is also seen as the character who talks through wisdom and not Puritan and biblical teachings. The main reason I think he is a good man is because he admitted to witchcraft to stop lots of other people in Salem from being hanged. The character of Proctor is seen as good because he was also innocent just like the rest but thought that he should protect the others.
Is John Proctor a good man? John Proctor in my opinion is indeed considered a good man. And the reason why I say this is to inform you that in The Crucible John faces a lot of conflicts with his wife, the church, and his individuality. The way John Proctor deals with these conflicts defines him as a true good man character, for example Elizabeth (Proctor’s Wife) always knew he was a good man in heart. She would have the courage to stand by Proctor side when they were in court “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you but a good man.” In this essay I will explain to you why John Proctor is a good man.
John Proctor has pride in his beliefs and in himself. He is always trying to stand up for those innocent people who are being accused of witchcraft and being hung. He has good morals and keeps on telling the truth to the people who are lying. These are the reasons why he has built himself up a good name. When people think of John Proctor, they will think of his good deeds and morals. This could be a main reason why he just cannot give up his name. “[With a cry of his soul.] Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I like and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(The Crucible Act IV) In this example John had confessed his sin and the Judges want to hang his sin on the church doors for everyone to see. John knows that people like and think highly of him so he knows that that cannot happen! There are two other characters in this story that also have pride in themselves and cannot have their names taken away
In conclusion, it cannot be denied that John Proctor made a major mistake and betrayed his wife and his own moral code. Despite that, he was a strong, level-headed individual that cared for his family and desired to leave them with a good name. He would not have felt such a high level of guilt if he had not expected so much from himself, which is the quality of a moral person. John Proctor was a good man who truly deserved the title of protagonist in The Crucible.
John Proctor is guilty of both spoken lies and lies conveyed from his actions. John Proctor has to deal with the decision to stay true to himself and not let his frustration condemn him to falsify the truth. Accused of conjuring with the devil among many other innocent Puritans in the town, John has to face making the right decision to either be hanged and keep his soul pure or lie to save his life and oblige to the magistrates that he did indeed conjure with devil. The tendency to want to keep your life is within any human being on this Earth, however John is faced with the decision of saving his life or faulting his already remorseful heart by lying. As John Proctor makes the decision to lie and keep his life, he begins to doubt how others will now think of him knowing he conjured with the devil. When asked to sign his name on paper for the entire town to see he refuses and exclaims, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies…” (143) While John passionately speaks this, his immense frustration is finally released and shows his desire to stay true to himself and others in the town. Refusing to sign the paper conveys the lie he initially told and the truth he sought for once realizing the guilt and remorse he would have for the rest of his life. John Proctor’s feeling of frustration
In Act IV Danforth antagonized Proctor about his confession that came to surface about him committing adultery. Danforth insisted Proctor sign the sheet of confession in order to hang on the door of the church for all to witness. “Proctor has just finished signing when Danforth reaches for the paper. But Proctor snatches it up, and now a wild terror is rising in him, and a boundless anger.” The reasoning behind this bold action of John’s was simply driven by self-preservation. He knew where he stood with God, the only being qualified to judge him, who had forgiven his sin. Proctor refused to have his named nailed to a door to shame him of his character. Rather he wanted to preserve his name, since afterall it was the only thing he had left to fight for, and he refused for his children to be labeled as a Proctor with a negative message attached. He announces “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name.” This is a great example of how Proctor faces conflict with others around him and
John Proctor is portrayed throughout the play to be a man who has high moral values that he must abide by. He can spot hypocrisy in others easily and judges himself no less harshly. Elizabeth Proctor says to him in the second act:
This goes against the statement and supports John’s character; he always was a good character and will now die, a good honest man, right with God.
To give this false confession and to sign away his name, John Proctor would be further exacerbating his sins. He wants to live, but he also knows his life would not be worth living if based on a lie. While saving his life would only require him to give a false confession, Proctor would be eternally plagued with a guilt-ridden conscience. He would’ve damned himself for a second time if he were to profess that he had been consorting with the Devil just to evade death
John Proctor is a very good man or he seems like a very good man. He is hardworking, nice guy, never lies or people thought he was that guy. In my opinion, he wants to be thought of a great guy and he is, but up until he makes a very bad life decision with Abigail. At one point he was possibly bored with his good wife, Elizabeth. As the book goes on, Abigail gains power in Salem and people that live there view her as a saint. John has no worry about what is happening in Salem. His reputation is good still, but his wife knows what he and Abigail did, but as nice as Elizabeth is she has forgiven him. When Abigail has power and she is running around Salem accusing people, she accused Mrs. Proctor. John goes to Salem, sees what is going on and talked to Abigail. John is mad, it was just Abigail and him alone, she confesses that she just wants to get John to
Selfishness is exhibited many times by many different people. John Proctor is a great example of the selfishness in the play. He acts for himself in the beginning of the play, but becomes almost completely selfless by the end of the play. He has to face many different trials but they help him learn that he needs to be the man people in the town expect him to be. As he realizes this he begins to act in accordance with the needs of the town and not his own.
When Danforth, a judge of the court, asks him to hand over his signed confession, Proctor refused, became very upset and said “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!...I have given you my soul leave me my name!” (1132). Proctor was willing to sign the confession but it was the hanging of the document on the church door that he disapproved of since he did not want it to tarnish his reputation. In fact, he preferred to keep his reputation well rather than his own life. Although some may think Proctor is a selfish person, his reasons might have been justified. Proctor was aware that if he let them place his confession on the church door it would bring shame and dishonor upon him, his family, and their name. He did not want his sons to walk around and overhear the townspeople speaking ill of their name. He also believed he would have lost the right to speak to his sons about
John Proctor is a good man. He is a puritan, a husband, a citizen, and an all around valuable member of the community. All of this is represented by his name. The name of John Proctor could be considered his most prized possession. It is his most priceless asset. Proctor is very strong-willed and caring. He does not set out with any intentions of hurting anyone. He is a farmer and village commoner who is faced with incredible inner turmoil. He has committed adultery and had absolutely no intentions of joining in the witch trials. After his wife got involved and eventually was set free due to the fact that she was pregnant, he feels that he can't sit back and accept what is happening to the town. John Proctor is a good and noble man and because of this he believes that he can't be hanged and die a martyr when he has this sin blooming over him every waking moment.