The Crucible: Principles Worth More Than A Person's Life

919 Words2 Pages

Principles worth More than a Person’s Life Is there any idea worth more than a human life? In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor decides that he has nothing left to live for, and therefore becomes a martyr. The question for him or one in his position would be whether or not there exist causes worth dying for and if his position is one such case. There is no principle worth more than a person’s life and therefore principles worth dying for, only principles worth living for. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale sees that he has made a huge mistake by running the Salem witch trials. Soon after, he attempts to prevent a situation in which he would be responsible for the death of an innocent man. Hale goes to Proctor’s wife and begs her to tell her husband that he must not be hanged, by saying “life, woman, is god’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, can justify taking it” (Miller). Here, Rev. Hale is stating that John Proctor should not get himself killed and justify his own hanging with a glorious principle. By stating this, Rev. Hale is …show more content…

In the first book, the main character and his father – who does not know the identity of his father– are walking and discussing his course of action, if his enemies capture him. The father states, “So the question becomes, If you are ever faced with this choice are you willing to die for what you believe in…It 's a difficult question and not one you can answer until you 're faced with it. Keep in mind that many people have died for their beliefs; it 's actually quite common. The real courage is in living and suffering for what you believe” (Paolini, Eragon). Here, the father states that the ultimate decision is whether his son is brave enough to live through whatever suffering his captors may put him through if captured. As the father clearly states, the real courage is living and suffering for what you believe

More about The Crucible: Principles Worth More Than A Person's Life

Open Document