“The greatest conflicts are not between two people, but between one person and himself” (Garth Brooks). The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story based on the events of the Salem Witch Trials. In Salem, people are being accused of witchcraft, and most of the time hung to death if found guilty. If people confess to being a witch, they are pardoned and able to become a member of society again. John Proctor has many conflicts with people throughout this story, whether it is with his wife Elizabeth, Abigail Williams, or an inner conflict with himself over the things he’s done in his past. These unresolved conflicts lead to tragic results. John Proctor shows us that unresolved conflict between people can lead to tragic results. After John has …show more content…
After John hears about people crying witchcraft, he decides to go into town to get the truth about what is really happening. He goes to talk to Parris, but afterwards runs into Abigail. When he talks to her, she tells him what really happened when all of the girls were in the woods. After hearing her side of the story, Abigail begins to tell John about how much she has missed him. She even says that she has missed him so much; that she see’s him at night by her window. John explains to her that the feelings he once had for her are long gone. This news doesn’t sit well with Abigail. She then tells him: “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart” (Miller 1247). The feelings that Abigail still has towards John are not reciprocated. John is trying desperately to put what he had with Abigail behind him. Abigail doesn’t like the way that John dismissed her feelings for him, which caused her to take things into her own hands. Cheever comes to John and Elizabeth’s home after hearing what happened to Abigail while she was at her house. He then asks Elizabeth if she has any poppets in her home, to which she replied no. Cheever then saw the poppet that Mary Warren had given Elizabeth earlier that day after she had returned from court. He begins to examine the doll, to which he finds a needle stuck in the poppets stomach. Cheever then goes to explain what unfolded at Reverend Parris’ …show more content…
John’s inner conflict most likely started after the affair with Abigail. He had a hard time believing that after everything he had done, that he was still a good man. John may not have had feelings towards Abigail anymore, but that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t still think of her: “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my own hand before I’ll ever reach for you again” (Miller 1246). After everything that had happened between John and Abigail, he is finally saying that enough is enough. He is trying to let Abigail down gently, but she is convinced that they are supposed to be together. Soon after, John gets thrown in jail because Abigail’s plan backfired. The day comes that John is supposed to be executed unless he confesses to working with the devil, and signing his black book. John and Elizabeth talk about what decision they think he should make: confess to a sin he did not commit, or lie to save his life. They ultimately decide that John should confess to witchery. John confesses to the judges, and then is told to sign a written document of his confession. Danforth tells John that his confession will be displayed in the community so everyone knows he confessed, and to use him as an example. Danforth continues to question John about what happened when he made his deal with the devil. He asks if he ever saw Goody Nurse or Goody Corey, to which he replies: “I speak my own
Cheever had presented a warrant for the arrest of Elizabeth Proctor. Upon John Proctor asking who had charged her, Cheever replied, “Why, Abigail Williams charged her” (69). Along the beginning of the play, we can make the assumption that Abigail wants Elizabeth Proctor out of the picture due to an affair she had with John Proctor, Elizabeth’s husband. So her form of doing so is by accusing her of witchcraft as well. After a warrant being sent for her arrest, John requests there be proof for the accusation and the “evidence” is found, “Cheever: I find here a poppet Goody Proctor keeps...and in the belly of the poppet a needle’s stuck” (71). Abigail Williams had accused Elizabeth Proctor claiming that she had stuck a needle into her belly. In order to make it believable, she had fallen over during dinner at Reverend Parris’s house and screamed in pain. Parris had gone to save her and found a needle stuck two inches into her belly. When questioned how it got there, she claimed she had seen Elizabeth’s spirit push it in. However, it is known that Abigail sat next to Mary Warren in the courtroom while she made a poppet and stuck her needle into the doll’s stomach for safe keeping. Acknowledging this, Abigail took it as an opportunity to turn it into one of her accusations, this time targeting
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...
John Proctor a well-respected man in the city of Salem has a deep secret that plays a major role later on in the story. He had an intimate affair with a younger single girl named Abigail which he regrets greatly. Proctor shows his disgust when he argues with Abigail by insisting, “Abby I never give you hope to wait for me” (page168). Proctor exclaims that he surely regrets his sin and doesn’t want Abigail to think that he loves her and not his own wife. Although Proctor may still have feelings about Abigail he reassures her that he will never have emotional relationships with her ever again. He had the ultimate opportunity to get back at Abigail and stop the witch trials from happening when he meets Abigail alone in the woods; upon their encounter she confesses to John, “We were dancing in the woods last night and my uncle leaped in ...
As the play starts off, and John Proctor is introduced, it becomes know that he committed adultery with Abigail, the antagonist of the play. At this point, the play tells that John has gone against his own values by committing adultery, as well as the town’s values. He starts off seeming as though he is a very confused man and does not know what to think about his relationship with Abigail. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.” (22). This is showing how he still likes her, but he feels he cannot commit adultery with her again.
John Proctor has a great amount of inner turmoil throughout The Crucible. Most of his conflict within himself stems from his affair with Abbigail. Throughout the work by Arthur Miller, John tends to judge people and does not examine himself for mistakes and faults. All of his guilt builds up and overwhelms him when his wife is accused of witchcraft. This is the final straw that makes him renounce Abbigail’s claims to the court. John was in the right place at the right time in many situations, but his inner conflicts clouded his judgement.
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
John was a cherished man, a man that no one can replace. I stand before thee to bid my beloved John Proctor one last goodbye. John if you are listening to this, let me tell u, I had never seen such goodness in this world till the day I set my eyes on you. God has you in his arms now John and I in my heart. Oh the sorrow of bitter justice, if only there was such a thing, my husband would still be alive and well today to see his creation brought into this world. He is under gods wings now, a white knight who stopped the pillars of Salem from crumbling down to the cinders of hell.
As the town uncovers the antics of the girls and are outraged, the girls start to cry out names of others they have supposedly seen with the Devil in order to save themselves. Therefore, the audience perceives that the affair between John and Abigail is the instigator of all the hysteria surrounding the witch trials, signifying the consequences of a small human error. The affair also caused Elizabeth to distrust John, who for seven months was trying to get into her good graces and is tired of her suspicion. He bluntly tells her "... I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you.
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.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, various characters, whether it is from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution, and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family. As a result of this, he struggled with a major internal conflict throughout the play.
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.
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 realizes that his good name was at risk of being destroyed due to his edgy marriage. After his wife is accused against, he sacrifices his good name himself to get his wife to be released. Elizabeth has the reputation to never tell a lie, and John knows this so he decides to confess to the court about his affair with Abigail while Elizabeth isn’t in the room because he thinks that she will tell the truth about the affair and not lie to keep his name. But when Elizabeth came in she lied to save his name, because she did not know what he did. Having this occur, shows that John And Elizabeth may be lying about the whole situation which makes them look
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.
Abigail accuses innocent people of witchcraft, including John’s wife, Elizabeth. She does this so her and John would be together and Elizabeth wouldn’t be in his life, even after John told Abigail he does not love her. He faces this crucible throughout the play and changes his demeanor towards Abigail. John becomes infuriated and he wants to expose Abigail for making false accusations of witchcraft, although it might include his confession of adultery. John eventually confesses his sin of adultery but refuses for it to be made public and posted on the church door, resulting in his