John Proctor's Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
analytical Essay
746 words
How does your reputation define you and how do people look at you because of your name? Characters in the story The Crucible, are highly concerned regarding their reputation and name. John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Governor Danforth are all important characters who care about their name in the town of Salem. Each character in the story shows how, through the witchcraft trials, their name and reputation will follow them and even determine their fate. In the The Crucible, John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Danforth prove that reputation can define oneself. John Proctor is highly concerned with his reputation and name. “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God doesn’t need my name nailed upon the church” (1117)! This quote was said by Proctor and he expressed this when Danforth forced him to sign a paper that said he was legally confessing to being a witch. Proctor cared for his reputation, even at the end of his life …show more content…
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how john proctor, giles corey, and governor danforth in the crucible are concerned about their reputation and name in the town of salem.
- Analyzes how john proctor's reputation defined him and led to his death. he was convicted of witchcraft when danforth forced him to sign a paper.
- Analyzes how giles corey was a stubborn man who never let his good name tarnish.
- Analyzes how danforth is an authoritative figure who lets his reputation and title define him. the people of salem know he has a reputation to be deceived quite easily.
- Concludes that john proctor, giles corey, and danforth have a name and reputation that defines them.
Danforth states, “... And I should be confounded were called upon to defend these people” (1092)! Furthermore, this quote is important because it shows that as a person with power, Danforth is here on the sole purpose to defend people. However, the people of Salem know he has a reputation to be deceived quite easily and a reputation to be in Salem just to prosecute “witches”. “ I judge you not, sir. I am ready to hear your evidence” (1088). Danforth sounds very contradictory here because he never really believed anyone who was convicted. He only looked at the evidence of the girls and not the other side. In addition, this gives him a bad reputation in Salem because he is a one-sided man. Another way Danforth’s name is used poorly is when the girls see Mary’s spirit attacking them, they know that he will confine to their “Hard evidence” and convict Mary immediately. Danforth’s name and reputation helps the girls get exactly what they
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- The True Tragic Hero: The Crucible’s John Proctoranalytical essayThe true tragic hero: The Crucible’s John Proctor A tragic hero is a noble man who commits a fatal flaw. The hero’s downfall is a result of their choices which leads to a punishment that exceeds the crime. “The difference between Proctor and Willy Loman is enormous; the former is the rather typical tragic hero who is defiant to the end, the latter is trapped in submission and is living a lie” (McGill 4). John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible. he is married to Elizabeth Proctor and they live in Salem.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the character of john proctor to willy loman in arthur miller's the crucible. he is a well-respected man of noble stature, conflicted because of his fatal flaw, and his downfall is due to his own choices.
- Analyzes how john proctor is a well-known farmer in salem and his reputation is important to him in the crucible.
- Analyzes how john proctor commits a fatal flaw in the crucible. he is unfaithful to his wife, abigail, and is guilty of witchcraft.
- Analyzes how a tragic hero's downfall is caused by their own choices and the punishment far exceeds the crime.
- Analyzes how john proctor decides to give up his life to save his own life if he falsely confessed to witchcraft. every tragic hero's life ends with their own choices.
- Analyzes how john proctor, a well-respected man of noble stature, commits adultery with his former servant, abigail, which leads him to worry about tarnishing his good name.
- Cites bergeron, david m. "arthur miller's" the crucible" and nathaniel hawthorne: some parallels.
1040 wordsRead More - The Character of John Proctor in The Crucible:analytical essayJohn Proctor: “God in heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor”. John is a man of strong moral beliefs, concerned only for the safety of his family and personal welfare. He cares of nothing for the beliefs of any of the other people in the town and what his supervisor which is the Reverend, thinks either. After trying to avoid involvement in the witch trials he is later prosecuted for witchery and sentenced to hang. John trys to avoid any involvement in the Salem witch trials. His reason for doing so is to protect his image because he is afraid he will be committed of adultery with Abigail Williams. Following these events he trys to save everyone’s lives by admitting to this horrible offense adultery and ends up losing the trial along with his life. He did have a chance to live but instead of signing away his name and his soul to keep his life, he wanted to die honorably with his friends not without a name, a soul, and with guilt. “John Proctors decision to die is reasonable and believable”. Reverend Parris, the Salem minister and Proctors immediate supervisor, which says “ there is either obedience or the church will burn like hell is burning.” “The church in theocratic Salem is identical with the state and the community and will surely crumble if unquestioning obedience falters in the least.” Proctor, on the other hand, “has come to regard his self as a king of fraud,” as long as he remains obedient to an authority which he cannot respect.
In this essay, the author
- Describes john proctor as a man of strong moral beliefs, concerned only for the safety of his family and personal welfare. he is later prosecuted for witchery and sentenced to hang.
- Analyzes how john proctor is caught in a web of moral dilemmas involving not only his own fate but the entire salem community.
- Opines that john proctor is a threat to the community and will be considered as being aligned with the devil. he must show the people of salem that he is committed to society before it started to become corrupt.
- Analyzes how john's decision to die was a choice to commit himself to his friends and die honorable, and as an honest man.
1089 wordsRead More - The Crucible Lechery Quotesanalytical essayThe Crucible, a play written in the 1950’s by American playwright, Arthur Miller, is based on the chaotic witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1600’s. Abigail, a sinful protagonist in the play, is the root to the myriad problems that conspire throughout the play. She is to blame for the executions of innocent citizens, and for acts of lechery between marriages. An important reappearing theme throughout the play is one’s reputation and the extremes the characters would take in order to preserve their name. The characters in The Crucible, particularly, Parris, John Proctor, and Judge Danforth, use the sanctity of their names to prioritize how they will look in the public eye, rather than what is beneficial to them individually.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how arthur miller's the crucible is based on the chaotic witch hysteria in salem, massachusetts during the 1600s. abigail, a sinful protagonist, is the root to the myriad problems that conspire throughout the play.
- Analyzes how parris prioritizes his name over the wellness of his child and innocent citizens living in salem.
- Analyzes how john proctor prioritizes his reputation over his own life in act iv. he is guilty of having a relationship with 17-year-old abigail while his wife, elizabeth, was sick.
- Analyzes how judge danforth prioritizes his name over the dozens of innocent citizens he sentenced to be hanged.
- Analyzes how reputation, an important reappearing theme in the crucible, is prioritized over what would be beneficial to parris, proctor, and danforth individually.
1136 wordsRead More - There are many sides to John Proctor and they occur at different stages of the play, John is a complex character and is very well respected even though he has done wrong things. Arthur Miller was in the same situation as John Proctor in 1956-57 because he refused to give names of people he saw at communist meetings. There was the same trial system. If you confessed you would stay alive assuming you had turned from the communist meetings, however if you denied that you were seen at communist meeting you would have been hanged because there would be no evidence to show you weren’t there. You get the impression that the character of John Proctor was based on the real life character of Miller.
In this essay, the author
- 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.
2068 wordsRead More - Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Milleranalytical essayReputation is a very important thing in life. You would like to keep a good reputation for the things you do in life, because if you have a bad reputation then people may not like you for all the bad things you have done. In the Crucible, reputation seemed like it was a really huge deal. Everybody didn’t want to have a reputation of being a witch or an evil person.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that reputation is a very important thing in life. people may not like you for all the bad things you have done.
- Analyzes the character of john proctor in the crucible who tries to keep a good reputation. he believes in god and built up respect for his beliefs.
- Analyzes how paris wanted to have a good reputation, and he was known for being religious. he didn't want to say that some people were not guilty because that would ruin his image.
- Describes judge danforth as a hard-core judge who always does what's right. he wanted to maintain an image.
245 wordsRead More - The Importance Of Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Milleranalytical essayMiller, in The Crucible, illustrates through all of the characters simply how important your reputation, or keeping your good name is. The community of Salem and everyone of it’s members fell under this ideology that what other people think about you is one of the most important pieces of your existence and legacy. From Parris, the towns minister, he demonstrates how hard it is to obtain a good name and then becomes inflamed for the potential loss of it, “PARRIS, studies her, then nods, half convinced: Abigail, I have fought here
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how arthur miller explores the community of 1692 salem, massachusetts' people's reputation defines everything about them in the crucible.
- Analyzes how miller illustrates through all of the characters simply how important your reputation, or keeping your good name, is. parris, the towns minister, demonstrates how hard it is to build a reputation and keep it.
- Analyzes how parris and danforth had been questioning proctor on his dedication to god.
598 wordsRead More - John Proctor’s Moral Dilemma in The Crucible by Arthur Milleranalytical essayIn The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the madness of the Salem witch trials is explored in great detail. Arthur Miller was an American playwright, who was born in 1915. He grew up in a Jewish family in New York City. While attending the University of Michigan in the mid 1930’s, he began to characterize himself as a distinguished writer. His first plays were Honors at Dawn and No Villain. The Death of a Salesman, which he wrote in 1949, won him the Pulitzer Prize for literature.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that arthur miller's the crucible explores the madness of the salem witch trials in great detail.
- Analyzes how miller's the crucible takes place in salem, massachusetts, during the 17th century, when jealousy and suspicion poisoned the thinking of an entire town.
- Explains that john proctor faces many decisions in response to his moral dilemma to try to save his life.
- Analyzes how john decides not to reveal to the court that abigail has admitted to him in private that they were just sporting in the woods.
- Analyzes how john decides to give the supreme court a false confession to save his life, but his standing and reputation in the community is ruined.
- Analyzes how john must decide whether to die an honest man, true to himself or to give in and confess to witchcraft in order to save his life.
713 wordsRead More - Proctor as an Admirable Character in MIller's The Crucible During the play, there are many things revealed about the character of John Proctor. It appears, overall, that he is admirable, as the question suggests, but Proctor displays a good deal of qualities and shows signs of weakness and anger. He seems a very passionate man, though occasionally his admirable actions could be misinterpreted as him being stubborn. For example at the end of the play when, Proctor refuses to sign his confession. Arthur miller creates depth in Proctor's character by building him up slowly.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that proctor is to be admired for the way he handles this.
- Narrates how abby said, "no, no, that's done with."
- Opines that it is to be admired that his love for his wife is so.
- Explains that it is already spoiled by other sins he has committed in the past.
950 wordsRead More - Proctor's Reputation In The Crucibleanalytical essayNot only does Proctor give off the incorrect messages to young Abigail, he consistently lies to his wife, Elizabeth, just to save himself from ruining his reputation. While Proctor is obviously guilty of such a horrendous sin as adultery (that too with a seventeen year old yikes), he goes to add more fuel to the fire by denying the fact that he committed this sin in front of none other than his beloved wife, Elizabeth. After constant coercion from Elizabeth, Proctor finally confesses, however he claims to have “wilted like a Christian” (Miller 52). Proctor describing himself as “wilted” portrays possible comparison to a plant or tree. After surviving months of harsh winters and withstanding extreme heat, a plant would finally wilt and give
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how proctor lies to his wife, elizabeth, to save himself from ruining his reputation.
159 wordsRead More - John Proctor's Choice of Truth in The Crucible by Arthur Milleranalytical essayThe Crucible: John Proctor's Choice of Truth Throughout history, the most credible source of information has been documented on paper. From treaties resulting in international peace to The Declaration of Independence, paper has provided a concrete, timeless resource for recording ideas, events and decisions. What makes these documents valid, are the signatures of those supporting the writings. By signing something, one shows that he recognizes what is written and wishes to show support for what it represents.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the significance of signed paper in arthur miller's the crucible. proctor refused to sign so he could leave his sons with a good name and die an honest man.
- Narrates how proctor chose life to live with a lie or die with the truth. he chose death because publicity was unnecessary and he didn't want to blacken his name.
- Analyzes how proctor realized that he held an influential position in salem and that, by admitting to witchery, would supply reason to believe that the entire trial was indeed valid.
- Analyzes how john proctor decided to die an honest man rather than live a life which would only be made possible by publicized lies.
- Analyzes how john proctor dies along with 18 other innocent men and women. he is content with his decision to support the truth, knowing that he left his sons with a clear name and the town with speculation
645 wordsRead More