Due to paranoia, the once quiet town of Salem, Massachusetts has erupted with accusations, rumors, revenge, and in the end, death. The one thing that makes or breaks these characters is reputation. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, goes back to the year 1692 when witchcraft took over Salem. Neighbors are now seen as enemies and no one can be trusted. Over 15 people died in this true, American event because of false, witchcraft accusations. Abigail Williams,a young woman is spreading lies about local townspeople alongside her friends. John Proctor, a questionable farmer, and Abigail 's lover, is now in rough territory. The one piece of evidence protecting John and his wife Elizabeth from mockery is their maid, Mary Warren. Salem …show more content…
With accusations of witchery and his guilt of lechery, Mr. Proctor feels he has a duty to save his name for his children. He can 't stand the idea of his family suffering for the mistakes he has made now and in the past. John 's initial reaction to his wife being accused based off the lust Abigail has, he says, "My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me!" (Miller 80) John knows he 's done wrong and will do anything to save Elizabeth 's reputation. Now that Mary has accused him as well, he must either confess and live with the whole town thinking such, or he may deny it and be hanged. With the encouragement from Reverend Hale, John decides to confess, but finds out that his name must be publicly written for all to see. When Judge Danforth questions his hesitation on his name going public, John says, "Because it is my name! I cannot have another in my life! How may I live without my name! I have given you my soul; leave my name!" (Miller 143) Because John wants his name clean for his family and because he refuses to ruin his reputation with lies of witchery, John chooses the only thing he can do. John rips the signed confession and is sentenced to hang. John cared about his reputation so much that he was
When the judge asked John to give him the paper, John refused and said, “Damn the village! I confess to God, and God has seen my name on this! It is enough!” (Miller 132).Towards the end of the argument and still refusing to sign the paper that tells the townspeople he has succomb to the wicked ways he shouts. His words could be heard by all in attendance, “Because it is my name!
Later he is accused of witchery when Mary Warren succumbs to peer pressure and betrays him. Any person accused of witchery can live if they confess to the crimes they didn’t commit. John refuses not because he is pure godly, but to save his reputation that he has built in the town. John
(Miller 211) The court advises that John would be able to save himself if he signed the confession acknowledging his use of witchcraft for all to see. His honor and his dignity for what he believed to be his respect for his family name kept him from signing the document which led to his death. How can his children hold their head high if their father signs a document that lessens their family name? He states that he has given his “soul” by admitting to performing witchcraft because he knows it is a lie in itself, but if he were to sign his name to it, it will always be remembered.
After John signed his confession he states “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name?
He finds his goodness that and has concerns about whether his sons can “walk like men in the world” when he himself has “sold [his] friends”, so he refuses to confess (Miller 143). Elizabeth praises John for not confessing until very late, but he says that he hasn’t confessed out of “spite” and that it is “hard to give a lie to dogs” (136). John Proctor cries of his whole soul: “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 143). At this point in the play, John Proctor has lost nearly
Proctor’s guilt is present when he, attempts to pay for his sins by giving his wife materialistic objects, hesitates to obey his wife's suggestion to accuse Abigail of false bewitchment, and breaks out in anger for not wanting to be judged any longer. The romantic relationship between the Proctor’s is undoubtedly extinguished, but even casual engagement cannot exist without tension since everything John Proctor says to Elizabeth is a symbol of repentance. He offers Elizabeth the possession of a cow and expresses “with a grin” that all he
He then rips the paper, changing his mind about confessing to a false accusation. This angers everyone else, but John doesn’t care. He knows what is right and tries his best to do
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.
He was given the choice to either confess to being apart of witchcraft and be spared or not confess and get hanged. He is allowed to talk this over with his wife and at first they decide it would be better to confess even though they know he didn’t do anything! At this point in the play John realizes that it is not the right thing to do. He says “ How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul now give me your 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.
I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 140). At the end of the play The Crucible John is confused weather or not if he should admit
Although everyone had a piece to have fueled the flame of this mass hysteria. Abigail Williams was the reason this whole thing got started. She was the spark that started it all. Into the story, John Proctor and Abigail Williams have a conversation, which is very reveling and odd. In this conversation between them, it comes out and states that Proctor- a married man in his early thirties and Abigail which is seventeen years old had a secrete relationship many months ago.
If he did confess, he would ruin his and his family’s reputation. John Proctor was very conflicted. He came to his wife looking insight. Elizabeth was untrusting of John because of his affair with Abigail. She said, “John, you are not open with me.
John Proctor never settles for keeping his opinion or what he thinks is right to himself. He knows telling Danforth that he is guilty for adultery won’t help his cause but it shows his desperation to win the case in order protect his wife, Elizabeth. John Proctor was sick and tired of watching Abigail win with a lie, in this case he spoke the truth knowing his consequences. John states, “Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave!
The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, in the 1950. The story setting begins in a small town called Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Two of the characters that played important roles in this story were John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor. These two characters were a married couple who lived on the outskirts of Salem, Massachusetts. John Proctor displayed himself as an honest hard working man, who had only one secret.