Between one million and nine million Europeans were executed for practicing witchcraft in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. John Proctor was one of them. Justice was important to some, while reputation was important to others. However, honor was important to all men in that time period, especially Proctor. They did not want to live without it. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the characterization of John Proctor through dialogue and stage directions is used to convey the message that it is better for one to die honorably than live dishonorably.
The characterization of John Proctor through dialogue is used to show how he is more willing to die with honor than live without it. As John and Elizabeth quarrel about John’s affair, he says,
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Because John cannot seem to remember his ten commandments while Hale is questioning him, “he is stuck. He counts back on his fingers, knowing one is missing” (67). Proctor is purposely trying to stall because he does not want to state the commandment about committing adultery. Nevertheless, John did have an affair with Abigail, but he does not want Hale to know because he fears he will be seen as a bad man. The seemingly amiable, Christian man does not want to have his honorable reputation taken away. He knows he made the mistake and believes he deserves proper justice for his mistakes. Also, when Elizabeth and John talk about the new court, Elizabeth mentions that they have put fourteen people in jail already, and “Proctor simply looks at her unable to grasp it” (52). He does not understand nor think it is reasonable for these people to be thrown into jail since they have not been given a fair trial yet. Proctor believes in honor and the right to justice. If these people do not get a chance to defend themselves and come up with a believable confession, they will be killed and have all honor and signs of a perfect reputation taken away. Proctor knows that this is not fair to anyone. The use of stage directions show that John Proctor is more willing to die than continue to live a life of dishonor and lack of justice.
Many people in the sixteen hundreds
Julius Caesar once said, “I love the name of honor, more than I fear death”. When Caesar said that, he stated that there may be moments in a person's life where their honor is questioned, but in the end, only the person who would die to preserve their good name are truly worth honoring. Arthur Miller use The Crucible to portray John Proctor as an honorable man who made a few mistakes to have people question his honor. In The Crucible, John Proctor is shown to be a respectable, honest, and kind hearted man.
Then, John was accused of witchcraft. He was given the choice to tell the truth and be prosecuted or confess to a crime he didn’t commit and be set free. He chose to tell the truth and got sent to jail. During this time, he said “... what is John Proctor? I think it is honest” (page 138).
In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", John Proctor is our passive protagonist as he tries to save his wife and others that were accused of witchcraft. Unfortunately, his attempt was in vain and his evidence had backfired. His knowledge did not stop the witch trials because of his self-respect, and the children's high reputations, and Abigail's tactful nature. John Proctor valued his self-respect because it made him confident and helped him stand up for what he believed in. John proctor's name was synonymous with honor and integrity and was most respected in Salem.
The reason Proctor gives is that he wants to be remembered as a man who is honest and royal to his wife, and gets annoyed when the judge asks for a signature for confession. He insists what he has said is enough, and even so they would not let him off the hook (A. Miller). John Proctor, in fact, is strong willed enough to ignore herd mentality that pressures him to his last moments, but even his decision wavers between confess and not to confess, showing how powerful herd mentality is. That is from those who are accused, there are also the by-standers, like the judges, villagers, and etcetera. Nobody stands up for the accused directly in the entire play, even if they feel really guilty about all the people dying, they still did not step up and say something (Sundstrand).
John Proctor was a man of honor and had a well respected name in the town of Salem. Sadly he died tragically but as a hero. He was hanged because he was accused of doing the devil’s work. He was given the chance to save his life if he admitted on a piece of paper that he was working with the devil but he refused to tell that lie. He wanted his sons to be able to walk the streets without being shunned from the world because they deserved better.
The speaker John Proctor, in the playwright The Crucible by Arthur Miller, is portrayed as a noble, and well respected Puritan man. However, it is later revealed that he had an affair with Abigail Williams, as she turns the whole town to chaos to be with him. When Elizabeth Proctor is accused of witchcraft by Abigail, Proctor uses logos to convince the court especially Danforth, that his wife is innocent and the girls were lying about their accusations. Yet, the mass hysteria has engulfed the court, making any use of logic useless. So, he uses pathos to appeal the court, tarnishing his name.
John Proctor here is reinstating that he wants to continue if he has his name and if Danforth and the court cannot provide that to him he does not know how he could possibly go on. Based on the quote John’s quality of life would eventually prove to be dreary if he did confess as he would feel like he no longer had a soul. Although John knew it would be a risk for him to confess his wife helped convince him that life was worth living, but it’s his own choice. Elizabeth sorrowfully states to John “Do what you will. But let none be your judge.
Proctor says “ You are the high court, your word is good enough! tell them i confessed myself; say proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman, but my name cannot!”. In the quote John Proctor does not want written proof that he was a witch because he wants to protect his friends and not throw them under the bus. This means he cares for his friends and is truly a good man. Proctor says; “ let them that near dead now take their souls, it is pretence to me.”
His death benefitted the future Salem’s people, because they suspected that the court was fraud and overthrew the court, preventing further executions for suspected witchery. John Proctor’s choice of good connects to Arthur Miller’s purpose, because both people chose to defy a strong system that was against their beliefs, and accepted a punishment that would affect themselves and their loved ones forever. Both Arthur Miller and John Proctor were suspected of doing wrong, and both accepted the consequence in order to preserve their name and
He cared greatly about his family and wife even though Elizabeth was often distant towards him. In the end of the play, Proctor chooses to die rather than sign his confession, ratting out his friends and ruining his good name in the town. He did this to protect the reputation of his children so they won’t have to grow up with a lying father. Lying went against Protctors’ views and that ideal is prevalent throughout the entire play. It is revealed that as soon as he had an affair with Abigail, he confessed to Elizabeth the next day because of the guilt he was carrying around.
In The Crucible, the protagonist John Proctor was. In the town of Salem, in 1692, a group of young ladies by the names of Betty Williams, Abigail Williams and Tituba were found dancing in the forest naked by Reverend Parris, Abigail’s’ uncle. Reverend Parris assumed that they were participating in witchcraft. This idea of witchcraft spread through the city of Salem and the citizens began accusing each other of being witches. This started a series of court cases known as the Salem Witch Trials.
John Proctor's main flaw was his excessive pride which sealed his fate. I myself felt his death transformed Salem’s ways of thinking and increased their own knowledge. Proctor's life completely started going downhill when Abigail accused John’s loved ones who then were sent to jail, or executed. John Proctor was a man of goodness and pride which cleansed his soul after he suffered a tragic death, and became a symbol of purity and greatness for others to
In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is accused of performing witchcraft and contracting with the Devil. He is faced with the decision to either confess to or deny the accusations. Ultimately, Proctor chooses to deny the accusations and dies a martyr. Proctor’s decision to sacrifice himself is justified because he protected the reputation of those who died and risked being arrested to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor’s death is justified because he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the reputation of others.
John has the conscience of an honest man even though he has committed a severe sin, which he hides, adultery. Because of this his name is tainted, making the reader doubt the goodness in him. When Proctor reveals the truth in court, we are surprised because he has confessed knowing it will blacken his name, and he has done this in order to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Because of this we are able to see that Proctor bears responsibility for what has occurred. However when he confesses, Abigail turns against him and accuses Proctor of being a witch.