“John Proctor you must confess your sins”, Hathorne demands. “Blasphemy! There is no such thing as witchcraft. You have gone mad believing in Abigail’s tales”, John screeches back. Hathorne and John stand facing each other, neither willing to back down. Danforth holding out the feather pen to John. John’s heated glare is switching between Hathorne and Danforth. Reverend Hale standing off to the side, with worry etched into his facial features. His eyes are pleading with John to just back down and sign the paper, but he says nothing out of his mouth, but his lips are constantly trembling. Eventually Hale controls his trembling lips enough to beg Elizabeth, “Elizabeth, do something. Make him sign it”. The look in his eyes switches from worry to desperation, as he looks about to drop to his knees and beg someone to do something to save John’s life. Elizabeth tears her eyes from John and looks Hale straight on, “He …show more content…
John believed that signing the confession was preposterous, he would rather die than lose his good name. In the end, he was convinced that maybe signing the confession wasn’t that bad, yes. He would lose his good name, but he would live and the witchcraft nonsense would be over. However, after signing he realized he had not only tainted his name but his boys’ names. John never wanted his boys to deal with the hatred that would come, he intended to stand beside them and take each blow with them. But when time came to take the hate John couldn’t do it, which ultimately led to the death of his youngest son. In this ending his second chance decision only makes things worse. Even though it was because of the others that he signed the confession, his son’s death still falls on his hands. He is left with a feeling of blood, that isn’t his, left on his hands, and no matter how hard he tries he can’t clean it off. His second chance is wasted and his good name
Reverend John Hale and John Proctor are the first to realize that the girls who started the accusations should be punished for their actions. Reverend Hale starts to change his belief when Mary Warren tells reveals that there is no witchcraft, and when the girls hear about this they start to turn against her. In the scene when John Proctor and Giles Corey are taken away into custody Hale says "I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!". Hale has now crossed a line between his old self who put all his faith into the court, to a man who has absolutely no respect for it. At first Reverend Hale leaves Salem, but returns to try and save as many of the accused as possible. While doing so, Hale tries to convince Elizabeth Proctor to get John Proctor To confess so that John doesn't die. Hale doesn't know yet but anyone who confesses will he sent to be
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 ...
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
The Crucible – Forgiveness & nbsp; The Healing Power Of Forgiveness - The Gift of Reconciliation. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." --- Mahatma Gandhi & nbsp; Forgiveness is a process of inner healing. For most of the people in The Crucible, they did not need to necessarily forgive others but forgive themselves.
Today is the day that John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, known as the purest of Puritan women, and Martha Corey, wife of Giles Corey, are set to hang for being judged as witches. Hale comes back to speak with Elizabeth because he is uneasy with these three, who he believes are innocent, being hung. He was suppose to be this witchcraft expert, but in his conversation with Elizabeth, is shown to be doubting himself now due to all those who have died and are set to die. “ Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crown of holy law I brought, and what I touched with bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up. Beware, Goody Proctor-cleave to no faith when faith brings blood. Like, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. Quail not before God’s judgement in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than that he throws his life away for pride. Will you plead with him? I cannot think he will listen to another. “ Hale says. This shows the great guilt for all the accused. Arthur Miller has taken the highly confident witch expert and turned him into this guilt ridden minister who
...ecause it would be a lie to claim that he has never lied. Elizabeth says that she has her own sins, and only a bad wife would want lechery. Finally Proctor decides that he will confess himself, and then he asks if what he does is even evil. When Proctor agrees to save himself by admitting to witchcraft, Danforth demands a written confession and says that he must prove the purity of his soul to others, so he demands that Proctor accuse others. Hale says that it is good enough for Proctor to confess to God, but Danforth still wants a written statement. Proctor refuses, because he wants to keep his name good for the respect of his children. Danforth refuses to accept his confession, and orders that he be lynched. Hale begs Elizabeth to plead with Proctor to sign a confess, but Elizabeth claims that Proctor now has his goodness, and nobody should take it away from him.
Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale share this motive because it would save more individuals’ lives in the town and validate that there are witches in Salem. Proctor has a good reputation in the town; therefore, if he were to confess, others would follow his actions. Parris believes John Proctor’s name in the village “...is a weighty name; it will strike the village that Proctor confess. I beg you, let him sign it” (1230). Parris begs Proctor to sign his confession on paper to hang up on the church doors. He knows if the village and others being accused see John’s name signed for confessing, it would validate that there are witches in Salem and that Parris did not call Reverend Hale for nothing. Hale desires Proctor’s signed confession because others being accused of witchcraft would see Proctor’s good name and they will confess along with him. Hale believes the less people who get hanged for being accused of witchcraft, the less guilt he will have to feel for being involved with these trials. Hale still has guilt for the individuals who have already been hanged: “There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!” (1224). Hale’s guilt starts to grow on him and he regrets his involvement in the witch trials. He knows he has already committed enough wrong doings, and Proctor’s confession would stop others from being hanged. Reverend Parris and Reverend
While questioning John and Elizabeth Proctor at their house, John asks Hale if he is seriously believing the word of several children, and if he has ever considered the possibility that citizens are only confessing to witchcraft to avoid being hanged. Reverend Hale responds, “I have I have indeed. [It is his own suspicion, but he resists it]”(69). This is a key moment in the development of John Hale’s character, it illustrates that he may be starting to doubt the authenticity of the witch trials. It is also foreshadows his eventual decision to criticize the court and his own past judgements. During this portion of the play, Reverend Hale struggles with doing the right thing and following his
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
The Crucible was written in the early 1950s as an exploration of events which took place in Massachusetts in 1692. What does the play have to offer an audience in 2014?
The witchcraft trials became a significant event in Salem. There were 20 innocent people that died and many more accused. There is a debate on whether who was the main reason for the witchcraft trials and all the deaths of the accused. There are good arguments on about every side. Judge Danforth, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren are all the main arguments for the blame. Personally, I believe that Abigail Williams is the main reason why the witchcraft trials came about and that so many people have died and were accused.
... as Mrs. Proctor. It got to the point to where Abigail turn into witchcraft to get what she want. So therefore, John’s first downfall is his lust and having an affair with Abigail that fueled Abigail’s motivation to destroy his marriage and make John marry her. The second downfall of John is pride, toward to the end when Mary, his servant, for being a witch, falsely accused him. At first, he kept denying it, but was arrested and on hold for further trails if he confessed. Despite of Hale’s pleas to the judge that John is innocent, John doesn’t want to destroy and brand his name as a liar. He just accepts the accusation that he’s a witch and ended up being handed. The pride of John Proctor got the best of him. However, it did keep the town silent about the witch trails and witchcraft.
In this act he finds the goodness in himself to take responsibility for something he did not do just to make up for his sins. He says to Elizabeth, “Spite only gives me silent. It is hard to give a lie to dogs…” (4.136) He wants to confess, but he has to find the courage in him to confess it. He has to swallow his pride in order to confess of something he did not do. After he finds the courage to confess, Danforth makes him sign a confession statement, but he cannot. In support of this Proctor says, “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 how black my sins are! It is enough!” (4.142) Proctor has already confessed and he feels as if that is already enough, but he has to sign the confession or he will be hung. He finds the courage to sign it but then rips it apart before it is hung upon the church, and he could not build up the courage to re-write it. This leads him to being executed. Henry Popkin once again helps support my sources by stating, “The real, the ultimate victim in this play is John Proctor, the one independent man, the one skeptic who sees through the witchcraft "craze" from the first…This is a climactic moment, a turning point in the play. New witches may continue to be named, but The Crucible now narrows its focus to John Proctor, caught in the trap, destroyed by his effort to save his wife, threatened by the irrationality that only he has comprehended.” (143) Abigail’s idea did not go as planned because Proctor rebelled against her. Therefore Proctor was accused and died because he was not going to let Abigail ruin the pureness of 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 and Reverend Hale are similar as they have both detected the corruption beneath the witchcraft accusations and attempt to prevent false testimonies and innocent people being hanged. John Proctor easily realizes the truth of the witchcraft trials because of his affair with Abigail Williams, one of the leading culprits of the hysteria in Salem. Abby exclaims that “Elizabeth hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman” (Miller 12). Abigail feels this way, not because Elizabeth has mistreated her, but instead because Elizabeth is Proctor’s wife, a nuisance to Abigail and Proctor’s relationship. Additionally, after Elizabeth found out about the affair, she fired Abigail, thus ridding Abigail