John Proctors Pride and Reputation in The Crucible Essay -- Arthur Mi

Pride and ReputationPurist Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 suffered from a rapidly increasing phenomenon witchcraft accusations and trials. The crucible is a play that recounts the times of this incident. For the most part, it follows a man known as John monitor. He is a sensible, honest, and hardworking man who made the defect of succumbing to lust which sets off a chain of events that leads to the witch trials, and to his own demise. Arthur Millers The Crucibles protagonist John Proctor proves to be a flawed human being who struggles to make sense of his past relationship with Abigail, his love for his wife, and his pride. In the previous winter, Johns wife Elizabeth had become genuinely ill. John Proctor had an affair during this time with Abigail Williams, the niece of the Reverend Parris, who worked in their household. Elizabeth found out about the affair, and fired Abigail. This left Abigail jealous of Elizabeth, and seeking revenge against her and her husband. Her vindictiv eness expressed itself through witch hysteria, setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to the death of many innocent people. He need non have been a partisan of any fraction in the town, alone there is evidence to suggest that he had a sharp and biting modal value with hypocrites. (Miller 20)Being a Christian man, John Proctor struggles with the criminality of exercising the seventh commandment, Thou shall not commit adultery. How can he be a Christian if he had committed an act against God? He would be a hypocrite, a quality he detested in others. Although John Proctor had an affair, he still cared deeply for his wife Elizabeth. Abigails whole purpose for the witch trials was to have Elizabeth convicted and killed so she coul... ...e confession is a true religious and individualized stand. This protest not only redeems John Proctor, but also leads him and six other condemned prisoners to the gallows, to die with dignity. John Proctor, like every creat ure, is imperfect and struggles internally with the guilt of an affair, the love of his wife, and his reputation in Arthur Millers The Crucible. Even though Proctor was a Christian and loved his wife, he committed an adulterous act, but felt genuinely guilty thus illustrating Millers resistance to creating a wholly good or wholly evil character. He was a man who made a mistake, a mistake that influenced Salems witch trials and resulted in numerous murders and imprisonments. One may ask, does Proctors rejection of a false confession atone for his sin? Works CitedMiller, Arthur. The Crucible. 1953. New York Penguin Books, 1976.