John Proctor: A Character Analysis
analytical Essay
970 words
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.
To begin with, Proctor was considered a strong person in the community, and he was respected for it. He was a handsome, hard-working, and revered man in the community. To the people of Salem, he was a dedicated farmer that had done nothing to blacken his family name. His attitude was “. . . even-tempered, and [he was] not easily lead. . .” by the rumors and hysteria surrounding Salem at the time of the witch accusations (Miller 21). When other were jumping to the conclusion of witchcraft and starting to fear, Proctor kept a realistic, skeptical look on the situation. Contrary to the ideas of the time, Proctor would miss church and openly disagree with Reverend Parris (Scheidt and Calandra). Despite this, he had a strong belief in God and followed his own moral standards more than strict rules the Puritan church set out at that time. He was revered in Salem as an honest man who always spoke his mind, and who had the ability to silence the hypocrites with his quick logic (Sparknotes Editors). Whenever Reverend Parris would try to tear Proctor down with criticism on his church attendance and Sunday activities, Proctor would always cou...
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...uilt is fuel for the internal conflict he experienced throughout the majority of the play.
In conclusion, it cannot be denied that John Proctor made a major mistake and betrayed his wife and his own moral code. Despite that, he was a strong, level-headed individual that cared for his family and desired to leave them with a good name. He would not have felt such a high level of guilt if he had not expected so much from himself, which is the quality of a moral person. John Proctor was a good man who truly deserved the title of protagonist in The Crucible.
Works Cited
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Viking Penguin, 1980. Web
Scheidt, Jennifer L., and Denis M. Calandra. “CliffsNotes on The Crucible.” CliffsNotes.com. CliffsNotes. 2010. Web. 18 Sep 2011.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Crucible.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 18 Sep 2011.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes arthur miller's the crucible, where various characters, whether from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. the protagonist, john proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution.
- Explains that proctor was a strong, hard-working, and revered man in salem. he was an honest man who always spoke his mind and followed his own moral standards.
- Explains scheidt, jennifer l., and denis m. calandra. cliffsnotes on the crucible.
- Analyzes how john proctor's morals and inner qualities add to his character. he held himself to a high moral standard because he felt like it was the right thing to do.
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- Analyzes how john reveals abigail's true motivation of jealousy and desire when he confesses to committing adultery. the confession does not help anyone as john is accused of forcing mary warren to sign satan’s book.
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- Analyzes how john proctor had an affair with abigail williams while she was working in his home. she believed that if she got rid of elizabeth, john would become her own.
- Analyzes how the most important scene in the play was act two, scene three, where john proctor decides to "confess" to the crime of witchcraft, thereby avoiding being hung.
- Analyzes how the judge requires john proctor to sign a written confession which states that he confessed to the crime of witchcraft.
- Analyzes how john proctor made a last-response stand against the insanity of the town, for himself and for god. he weighs both sides of his internal conflict and realizes that he must not make another mistake.
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- Narrates hale's words to john after his wife was arrested, which struck a chord within him.
- Analyzes how john proctor's character and the puritanical salem alleviated his moral struggle in the crucible. he is portrayed as a man with high moral values.
- Analyzes how john proctor is a foil to most characters in the play, who are conformists and submissive due to the restrictive lifestyle they had to lead.
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- Analyzes how the final act of the play focuses on proctor's dilemma to whether to live or accept death.
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- Explains that john proctor is a complex character and is respected even though he has done wrong things. arthur miller was in the same situation as john in 1956-57.
- Explains that when john proctor is introduced in the play, there is a paragraph describing him. reading this, one learns about his character, what others think about him, and how he acts towards people.
- Analyzes how the quote "he was the kind of man – powerful of body, even tempered and not easily led" is straightforward and you understand that he is fair-minded. then you get to the line "he's a sinner against the moral fashion of the time."
- Analyzes how proctor was respected so much that he was also feared. he enters from the door and mary warren ‘leaps in fright’.
- Analyzes how mary warren is the servant girl of john proctor, but after a couple of lines you realize that she is not good.
- Analyzes how in times of anger, he is not humourless and still manages to be respected. the other girls all fear him and are strangely titillated.
- Opines that the main relationship in the play is the relationship between abigail and john proctor.
- Analyzes how john feels bad for what he did with abigail and broke serious ‘rules’. he wants to make it up to his wife and the conversations between elizabeth proctor and him are very restricted.
- Opines that when abigail says'soft word' she means a kiss. this is the first point where you start thinking there might have been something between them.
- Explains that they may think of you softly from time to time, but they will cut off their hand before reaching for you again.
- Analyzes how proctor's inner weakness comes from his relationship with abigail.
- Compares the love relationship between john and elizabeth proctor to that between abigail and john.
- Analyzes how miller used the simplicity of a husband and wife not trusting each other, but extended the fact that they are tense around each
- Analyzes how even when john proctor is angry, he still manages to have a sense of humour and dignity.
- Explains that john proctor is a puritan, but he takes his responsibilities lightly. he has to have all of his children christened and attend church, and reverend hale asks him why all children haven't been baptized.
- Analyzes how john proctor does not attend church regularly because he doesn't like the ideas and doings of reverend parris.
- Analyzes how john proctor threatens mary warren at the end of act 2. he tells her that all the witchery was pretence.
- Analyzes how mary warren and john proctor turn on mary and make the court believe that she is the devil. elizabeth lies to save her husband's name, which pushes her deeper into problems.
- Explains that proctor knows he has done wrong and feels very guilty. he can never feel good about himself again.
- Analyzes how proctor and elizabeth have trouble starting off the conversation and start asking each other more personal questions to make sure the other is okay.
- Analyzes how elizabeth's reply to john shows that she is not judging him as much as she was.
- Concludes that although john proctor has committed adultery, he is a good father and cares for people.
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