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John proctors human frailties in the crucible
Character of john Proctor
Essay on character analysis of all the characters of the crucible
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Miller presents the character of John Proctor in an important way to show two sides to his character. These qualities make him have the most important role in ‘The Crucible.’ The key events that show him in this way is when the audience find out about the affair, how he tries to defend his wife, his confession in court and his hanging for the sake of others. Through the events in The Crucible, Miller then portrays John Proctor’s character with tension and suspense. This then makes the audience question whether or not he is a good man.
Firstly, John Proctor is not seen to be a good man because in chapter one is affair with Abigail is exposed. “Give me a word, John. A soft word. (Her concentrated desire destroys his smile.) From this it can be seen that before they did have an affair but now it is over. The personal pronoun ‘me’ shows how she wants him all to herself and that the meeting is held in secret. The word ‘desire destroy’ in the stage directions is then used to contradict her feelings as Miller suggests how their affair is now over but Abigail doesn’t want it to be and that she still loves Proctor. From this quote it is then shown that John Proctor can’t be a good man if he committed adultery. However, John Proctor also speaks to Abigail to mention how their affair is mentioned and how their affair to him was at his moment of weakness when his wife, Elizabeth was ill. As it was a mistake Proctor mentions how Abigail should, “Wipe it out of mind.” This shows that he wants to forget it ever happened and that he also doesn’t want anybody to find out about this. From this it shows that John Proctor is not a good and as when his wife was ill and when he was at his weakest he committed a sin. If the people of Salem were to hear...
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...The repetition of the speech that ‘he will confess’ shows how it is shocking that Proctor would do something like that. To show he is a good man he admits to something that he didn’t do to save the lives of others.
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.
Although John Proctor isn’t much of a pious man, he does choose to do the right thing in the end. He doesn’t go down to the level of Danforth, he stays truthful and prideful to himself. Not many people would confess to something if it meant they would be hanged or imprisoned for their actions, John Proctor did. These three personalities of John Proctor prove that he is an overall good man even if he made a few poor choices in his lifetime. He ultimately shows that everyone should be proud of who they are and always tell the truth because if you want to be successful, you must be true to
John Proctor plays the leading role in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. He was persistent, honest, and full of integrity. He was simply, a man with pride. A wise woman once said, "Do what you feel in your heart to be right--for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't." (Eleanor Roosevelt). Proctor was the protagonist of the dramatic piece of literature.
His refusal to go to church and avoid baptizing his kids is due impart to him thinking that Reverend Parris is a dishonest church leader. All these acts against conformity truly define who he is at the end of the play when he avoids succumbing to the conformity. Proctor was falsely accused of being a witch and was facing execution. He was desperate to give in to the conformity because he was facing death, but he stayed true to himself and did not give in to conformity. Proctor says, “And there’s your first marvel… for now I do think some shred of goodness in John Proctor”; this implies that he realizes he made the morally right choice (Miller 144). He just saved the life of many innocent people by giving his own life. For Proctor saving the people and giving up is life was the only option. “I am no Sarah Good or Tituba … it is no part of salvation that you use me… I have given you my soul; leave me my name”; as John Proctor says this it implies how morally strong he is because he thinks it is shameful to go along with the conformity (Miller 142 – 144). Most of the court was against Proctor and were pressuring him to surrender but he refused. He says, “for them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed… we will burn, we will burn together”; this emphasizes the fact that he truly understands that there is
Is John Proctor an Honorable Man? Everybody has a flaw that leads them to their downfall. John Proctor, from the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, had many flaws that lead to his death, but is known as an honorable man. “The Crucible” is about a group of girls committing witchcraft but accused other innocent victims.
Despite these good qualities, John Proctor had many flaws as well. Lust was a constant struggle for Proctor in many forms. For instance, when Abigail was working for him and his wife, he lusted after her and committed adultery by having an affair. Afterwards, Proctor was extremely repentant and stopped seeing her. “Abby, you’ll put it out of mind. I’ll not be comin’ for you more” (Miller 21). This essentially lead to his demise because of the affair, Abigail became infatuated over Proctor to the point where she went into the woods with her friends and Tituba and practiced “witchcraft” to kill Proctor’s wife. “You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife!” (Miller18). When the girls were caught and the whole “witch” hysteria broke out, people were getting accused and executed, including Proctor, who wouldn’t confess to witchcraft and died because of it. If Proctor never lusted after Abigail and had an affair with her in the first place, accusations of “witchcraft” would have never happened and his death. Throughout the book unlike many other characters, Proctor never accepted the girl's story about witchcraft to be true. He on the other hand knew
John Proctor depicts a courageous individual with an image of a sincere and an honorable man, not only in minds of the Salem community, but also in his own. His death implies more than a “tragedy”, but rather a strong action that inspires and encourages citizens in Salem to follow his footstep for change. Proctor is frustrated at how the court for believing Abigail and not the innocents. He says, “My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one! You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!” (Act III). He is infuriated that the officials in the court believe the ridiculous pretenses and acting of the Salem girls, that everyone’s the belief in god seems to be deteriorating.
Mcgill, Jr. William J. "The Crucible of History: Arthur Miller's John Proctor." The New England
Arthur Miller shows us Proctor as a common farmer, who is honest, and respectable, who only cares for his family. Proctor lives in the town with his wife and their children. Nevertheless, as the play goes, Miller lets us know that Proctor has a significant secret, an extramarital relation with Abigail Williams, relation that was over for Proctor, but not for Abigail. In the following passage Abigail tells Proctor, why she loves him: “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was thought by all these christians women and their covenanted men! and now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet.”(page 177) Abigail does not want to believe that everything is over between her and Proctor. For Proctor everything is something of the past, while there is
It is apparent that Miller focuses his play around the moral struggles of the protagonist, John Proctor. Throughout the play, Proctor has many struggles that he must deal with and look deep into his soul to find the resolution. He undergoes a major survey of his character and it is only this way that he can gain redemption for his sins. By abiding by his own moral code, John Proctor makes many hard decisions that will affect the outcome of the play. Proctor's struggles reflect upon the central message that Miller is communicating through the play.
Another important work Miller wrote, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th century. It is a time when jealousy and suspicion poisoned the thinking of an entire town. Neighbor turned against neighbor when events happened that could not be explained. Accusations turned into a mad hunt for witches who did not exist. One of the main characters of the play is John Proctor, a well-respected man with a good name in the town. As the play develops, John Proctor’s moral dilemma becomes evident: he must decide whether to lie and confess to witchcraft in order to save his life, or to die an honest man, true to his beliefs.
Analysis of The Crucible by Arthur Miller ‘You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.’ Assess the developments in John Proctor’s character that validate this statement. How does Miller create a sense of tension and suspense in the build up to this climatic moment in Act 4? In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible he has used many dramatic devices in order to create tension and build up to the climaxes of the story.
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
While most are opposed of John Proctor's idea of being a man of integrity, some may view John Proctor as a man who has motives for protecting his name. At the end of The Crucible Proctor is in the court to free his wife for a false accusation of witchcraft, which seems like he loves his wife, and he does. But when faced by Judge Danforth on bringing up evidence of the false accusation, John Proctor claims that Abigail, a seventeen year old girl is a liar and a whore. Abigail is the one that accused John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth of witchcraft to have her hanged and have a chance to be able to marry John Proctor after an affair between John and Abigail which sets the
This creates a web of confusion and lies throughout the village. Proctor, however, does not feel right confessing to something he did not do. Reverend Hale, a man who is trying to undo the wrongs and bring peace to Salem, tries to persuade Proctor to confess for the sake of his family. When Proctor is offered the opportunity to confess being a witch publically and live, he almost gives in, even signing his name on a written document. Nevertheless, he states, “Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten before.” (p. 208) Proctor has the opportunity to choose his fate, and makes an honorable choice that will protect his name. When Proctor is taken away to be hanged, Elizabeth says, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take if from him!” (p.212) It was a noble decision of him to sacrifice himself, rather than let others die in his place and ruin his
Early on in the play, the reader comes to understand that John Proctor has had an affair with Abigail Williams while she was working in his home. Abigail believed that if she got rid of Elizabeth Proctor, then John Proctor would become her own. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, but for him it was just lust, while Abigail believed it to be true love. She told John Proctor that she loved him, and once she destroys Elizabeth, they would be free to love one another. John is horrified at this, but can do nothing to convince Abigail that he is not in love with her. Because of Abigail's twisted plot to secure John for herself, Elizabeth is arrested. John Proctor has to wrestle with the decision of what to do. He knows that he has sinned; yet he does not want to hurt his beloved wife. This is partly why he is willing to die. He knows he has already sinned.