As time progresses, there are noticeable changes in the way that religion intervenes with the ideals and thoughts of any given general society. Numerous past problematic situations have now dwindled down to particularly that, no longer issues of the present. Regardless, the questionable issue of Adultery remains, standing true as consistently being the, “it,” scandal, being means for both religious and societal predicaments. Present to this day, the reputational damage done to an individual is massive, regarding Adultery, and people are left to decide what they can do about it, often left with very minimal choice but to accept or deny what they have done. Thus, by manipulating the clear-cut cross between reputation and religion, both the author …show more content…
With any plot, it is crucial how the author manipulates the way that each character deals with said issues. In, The Crucible, John Proctor, a major character, is forced into consenting to the reputational damage being thrown upon him. His wife, Elizabeth, is cried out as being a witch by Abigail, whom John has an adulterous affair with. It is clear that John takes his reputation into account very seriously; in a fight with Elizabeth, he exclaims, “Woman, am I so base? Do you truly think me base?” (Miller 62). Due to the affair, he loses much of the acquired trust he had with her, and does not take this very well, however, he is also aware of the fact that he will be unable to build it back, thus, leaving no choice but to heed consent to the overall issue. Furthermore, Proctor’s general reputation with the residents of Salem is at stake as well. In a scene where Reverend Hale questions Proctor of his true Christian faith and devotion, he panics and claims that, “She [referring to Elizabeth] do not mean to doubt the Gospel, sir, you can not think. This be a Christian house, sir, a Christian house” (Miller 70). Overall, the majority of the damage done is consented to a religious extent, specifically in the way that Proctor panics because he is afraid of loosing his grip of a …show more content…
Proctor consistently argues with numerous characters, showing absolutely no regard for what would be considered right or proper. In a chaotic scene that seals his fate, Proctor yells to the courtroom, referring to Abigail, “You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!” (Miller 120). Proctor also prior to this willingly admits to having an affair with Abigail, knowing of the religious and moral tensions that will unfold, thus opening himself up to a multitude of possible punishments. Regardless of this, Proctor continuously rebels against the idea of a perfect Christian man, and supposedly does not attend Church as he is not fond of Reverend Hale, which proves that he has no care for the standards of his current society, and is his own person. Hester Prynne is relatively similar in this concept of rebellion as well, consistently showing to the reader that the A which should bring her shame, instead brings her the power of being “able”. Hester often dresses her child, Pearl, who was conceived out of wedlock, in red. Red represents here that Hester simply does not care if the scarlet letter is for adultery or not, and that Pearl is part of that gained identity. This is a major issue among townspeople, “Hath she not expressed this thought in the garb of the poor child, so forcibly reminding us of that red symbol which sears her bosom?” (Hawthorne 95). Hester is
Sometimes people are so narrow-minded that they do not see the whole picture. People see what they want to see because they cannot handle the actuality or do not like the truth. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Danforth refuses to come to the truth that the witch trials in Salem were the result of a cover-up, and that the court hung a handful of innocent people because of a lie. Miller once said, “The tragedy of The Crucible is the everlasting conflict between people so fanatically wedded to this orthodoxy that they could not cope with the evidence of their senses.” In other words, the tragedy of The Crucible involved the theocracy’s failure to control Salem’s witchcraft mania. At the time, Salem was governed by a theocracy, in which the ministers also had judicial power over society. Because the judges were ministers, religion took precedence over realism and pragmatism; they were unable to come to their senses and realize that the accusations of witchcraft were out of human emotions.
In The Crucible, John Proctor is a good man with a deadly secret. He has a wife, children, and a good name in the Puritan society. However, his lust for Abigail Williams leads to their affair, which could potentially ruin Proctor’s status in Salem if anyone were to find out. Proctor is, above all, a proud man who places great emphasis on his reputation. Proctor regrets his past actions, and dislikes Abigail for continually provoking him to love her. Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, is suspicious of his relations with Abigail, which causes tension in their marriage. His negative feelings toward Abigail grow stronger and stronger as the
In life everything is about choices whether it is a serious choice such as moving place to place because of your parents career or it being like wanting to eat a muffin or apple for breakfast. In the Crucible written about the Salem 1692 witch trials, John Proctor is one of the main characters in the play. John is 35 years of age and is Married to Elizabeth Proctor. A concept we have to understand is in this era Witch accusations were always coming from different people to random innocent women and men. These accusations are obviously false, but due to what they believed in, and how strong they were in religion, witch trials became of it. All the choices people made during the Salem witch trials, were always looked upon corresponding to John and the choices he made.
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
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.
Every event in history can be attributed to a collective of emotions. In 1692, in Salem, Massachusetts, a group of girls claimed to have seen other villagers working for the devil and began accusing people of practicing witchcraft. This soon created a sense of mass hysteria throughout the town that resulted in the death of twenty people and the imprisonment of over two hundred. We now refer to these events as the Salem witch trials. In the 1950’s, Senator Joseph McCarthy conducted similar trials accusing people in prominent positions of being Communists. McCarthy implemented unfair investigative techniques, similar to those used in the Salem witch trials. Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”, creates a story around the known details of the Salem witch trials and focuses on the relationship
Elizabeth Proctor is used in The Crucible to illustrate the powerful strength of what manipulation has over any living mortal. Typically an honest person under their religious faith would believe in telling the truth, but not while having an evil thoughts being whispered in your ear disguised as manipulation. Already knowledgeable of her husband’s previous affair with Abigail Williams, Elizabeth fears of ruining the Proctor name in the town of Salem, Massachusetts due to John’s affair and since John is a high authority figure in the church, it would ruining his name and people would not respect him as a preacher anymore. So in the process of saving the Proctor name, regardless of John admitting the truth by making the court aware of the recent affair he had with Abigail, Elizabeth denies those allegations because she fears that John will be upset to the utmost point, so she sacrifices herself to protect the Proctor name, even though she fears that she hopes that she made the right decision, as shown when she tried to clarify all statements be...
To admit to adultery takes integrity. To tell the truth no matter what the consequences takes integrity. To stay true to one's morals and be able to accept any punishments to keep one’s integrity, is a genuine trait. During the Salem witch trials many were unable to keep their integrity, but there were some who did. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller takes place during the Salem witch trials, when many people were forced to lie in order to live. John Proctor is looked at in the play as an adulterer, and sinful man. Nevertheless, John Proctor's public and private selves differ dramatically, but overall Mr. Proctor is truly a honest and integrity filled man.
Oppression; an extended treatment of cruelty or injustice towards an individual or a group of people. If looked for, it can be found in every society expressed in a number of different ways. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, puts it in a way that is easy to understand. "It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions." This is evident in his play, The Crucible, demonstrating that within a society, oppression will always be present due to personal motives, disputes and misuses of power, as well as distorted religious beliefs.
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a historical play about the Salem Witch Trials. The play contains a historical allegory to the Salem Witch Trials and a political allegory to Mccarthyism. John Proctor is one of the main characters in and is considered the tragic hero of the play. Throughout Miller’s play, John Proctor is seen as the protagonist of the play because he is not afraid to stand up for what he believes in, even if no one else agrees with him. John Proctor’s intention to hang instead of admitting that he was consorting with the devil was an act of honor because he didn’t want to lie for the sake of saving his own life, but also wanting to prove that Puritan society has changed because of the Salem Witch Trials.
The Salem witch trials were a time period when any individual could be accused of witchcraft for numerous reasons. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller focuses on the deviation of the trials and how the town’s most religious and honest members of the community are tried with witchcraft. John Proctor, the town’s most honest man, is accused of being a witch and must decide if he should confess or not. Proctor’s confession will stop the town from rebelling and uphold the reputations of Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris. Hale also wishes for Proctor’s confession so he does not have to feel responsible if Proctor were to be hanged for his witchcraft accusations. The confession of Proctor would convince others in the town to confess to their
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...
How many religions are mentioned in The Crucible? To start, The Crucible is a play by, playwright, Arthur Miller (Burns). The Crucible is about the salem witch trials, which was a event in early America where people were falsely hung for practicing “witchcraft”. Many people believe that Miller chose that time as a metaphor about the red scare, as it was a current event during the release and writing of the play and cost him his career as a playwright. There are only two religions directly mentioned in The Crucible (“Themes”). One religion is Christianity, which is defined as: “Of, relating to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings” ("Christian"). The other religion mentioned is Wicca: “A nature-oriented religion having rituals and practices
In Salem, the governmental system is theocracy. In a theocracy, the church makes and enforces the laws, which were created through divine guidance. In such a case, the church officials take a high ranking in society. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, it is this government that helps propel the action in the play forward.
The Crucible is a play with many underlying messages and themes. One of which is the idea of power. Power is a very important term in this play in that whoever holds the power, holds the fates of others. The hysteria within Salem has directly effected society. Everything has turned upside down and has gotten distorted. Arthur Miller is telling us that all the power in Salem is given to those who are corrupt and their abuse of it is directly shown through: the actions of Abigail throughout the play, the corruption and desires of Parris, as well as the witch trials held by Judge Danforth.