The Crucible: Life Is Full of Hard Decisions

Making decisions can be hard but making decisions that can effect a whole village are even harder. Sometimes you have to choose the decision that causes hardship to do what is right. In Salem, in the 1600's, life or death situations had to be made that would effect not one but many. Decisions made by John Proctor in Miller's play, the Crucible, illustrate that life is full of hard decisions that can bring hardship but sometimes turn out to be for the best.

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.

Because John decides not to reveal his affair to end the witch trials and accusation...

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...dness in him after all and that hanging will add to his initial cause to stop the witch trials. This was the hardest decision John had to make in his life but because he chose to hang as an innocent man he did not taint the reputations of the other innocents that had already been hung or that would hang after him. Because of this John is truly a compassionate and honorable man.

Through the right and wrong choices John Proctor made when it came to some very difficult decisions in his life, we learn that best decisions in life are sometimes the ones that bring us hardship. Human nature causes one to lie to save them from going through the difficult part of a situation but in the process usually adds to the circumstance that made them lie in the first place. The decisions a person makes in life reveals what type of person they truly are when all is said and done.