...John Proctor is faced with obstacles that he must overcome to develop his character in The Crucible. John Proctor’s change in his character is an important part of the theme of The Crucible. John Proctor is a farmer that inherited the family tradition. He is married to Elizabeth Proctor and has three young boys. John Proctor dislikes hypocrites and does not trust the authority in Salem. John Proctor committed an affair with a seventeen-year-old girl named Abigail Williams. Throughout the story he is challenged with the guilt of committing adultery. John Proctor’s personal integrity is challenged in multiple parts of The Crucible. Proctor is challenged by the affair with Abigail, Hale questioning him about his relationship with God, giving up...
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...Unconditional John Proctor, the protagonist of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, risks everything due to loving two different women. As the play starts readers find out that John is having an affair with the town tart, Abigail Williams. He does not believe in the idea of witchcraft. Proctor is very selfish about the affair with Abigail and states to judge Danforth “A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that.” Many things motivate John to change throughout The Crucible such as Abigail charging his wife with witchcraft and Elizabeth becoming pregnant. John ends up risking everything to save his family. John Proctor’s change was motivated by the love for his wife and family. At first, John was not going to admit to having an...
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...others in the short and long term effects of individual horrors most characters go through. In this essay I will be evaluating the struggles to do what is right through Mary Warren and John Proctor, I will also evaluate other factors causing struggle such as relationships both old and young and other characters that affect struggle. Throughout the play Miller presents Proctor as a character who is constantly guilty for his sins, the most prominent sin being his affair with Abigail. The audience is made aware of Proctor’s lingering feelings when he admits “I may have looked”, the use of the hedging “may” amplifies how Proctor’s guilt does not only come from the destruction of his marriage with Elizabeth but also because of his constant feelings for Abigail. These feelings are further reinforced from Abigail’s “and you must”, the use of the stronger, more imposing word “must” then enforces how Abigail is willing to give herself to Proctor no matter what the consequences. The ever so slight “and you must” likewise presents to the audience that Abigail has taken hold of her sexual prowess in order to use it to manipulate people, such as John, to comply with what she personally wants which is power in a restrictive society. This is further presented towards the audience when Abigail states that John “sweated like a stallion” for her, the use of the simile “sweated like a stallion”, the use of the word “stallion” portrays Proctor as being much more majestic and powerful, it also...
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...John Proctor’s Outstanding Personality The Crucible was a play in 1962 about the Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts. The trials began after girls started accusing many people of witchcraft. John Proctor and Abigail Williams which is the leader of the girls had an affair. Abigail wanted John’s wife dead so she could be with him, and she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. John Proctor's honest, selfless, and vulnerable ways are revealed in The Crucible. John Proctor is an honest man. For example in the book Proctor states “Mr. Parris discovered them sportin’ in the woods. They were startled and took sick” (Miller 33). John is honest in this quote by telling Reverend Hale about the girls being in the woods doing witchcraft, he was...
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...Divya Kumar Mr. Kirley ENG3U1-05 November.11.2015. The Crucible: Is John Proctor truly a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a person with admirable qualities yet they have a tragic flaw that leads them to their downfall. In Miller’s play “The Crucible,” the protagonist, John Proctor, is a tragic hero known for his good reputation yet commits adultery with Abigail thus making it a tragic flaw that leads to his death. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is a well-mannered person that has a good reputation. John strongly believes in Elizabeth’s good morals by proving his honesty and bond towards Elizabeth and speaks up for her as he tries to get her and his friends’ wives out of jail. He tells Danforth...
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...only appearance wise but, with different personalities. Many characters in this play thought differently from one and other. That is why this book had a few "twists and turns" to the story. In my profiles, I will display many different characters and their different mentality. First I will start with Mr. John Proctor, a.k.a. "shoulder checker". John Proctor had always things on his mind. People were always on his mind. John Proctor was always looking out for his mistakes or errors, not because he was picky, but his enemies and competition were. John Proctor was always think out the final result of a situation, like when Betty was "spiritually reposed" early in the book (Act I, pages 6-12). John Proctor did not care about as Betty as much as the final opinion that the town would have on Proctor's "white and pure" name. Much can be said about Proctor's giving and understanding, but I don't want to waste that line. Proctor's caring and willing to give people thanks was not his best feature. Proctor was always thing about him, himself and no one else, except the final outcome of the whole situation. Take for example the fellow that wanted to get some tree off Proctor's land. Even though Proctor had probably no knowledge of the trees on his land, he still wanted a piece of the pie. Proctor wanted always money. He was money hungry and cheap. Basically Proctor was a would be if he could be. Proctor was always trying to fit into the high class crowd. He would flash his power...
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...women stereotype, people assume they are witches. In Salem, the local authority is almost equal to the sovereignty of God, and women as inferior to men. Women are portrayed positively as faithful and good, but also negatively, illustrating the inability for them to obtain power without manipulation, and as weak, inferior human beings needing to adhere to gender norms. Women in the play are faithful and caring, doing whatever it takes to keep the family together and standing firmstrong in their beliefs. Even though Proctor commits adultery with Abigail, Elizabeth remains loyal and stays by his side. One reason a man would commit adultery was if his wife was not good enough for him, and Elizabeth blames herself for Proctor’s cheating. “I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery… It were a cold house I kept! (Miller 1162). Highlighting the stereotypical wife of the 17th century, Elizabeth loves her husband even when it hurts to save their marriage. Being the epitome of a loving, devoted wife. Elizabeth blames herself for Proctor’s adultery. By not actively showing love towards him, Elizabeth asserts that he went to find that love someplace else, but would never expose of his wrongdoings others. A wife would always obey her husband, and if she fell out of line the male would misbehave. Women in the 17th century did not marry for love, but for the sake of reproduction. Rebecca Nurse is a firm believer in integrity and when it is revealed that she is a...
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...portray how people solve or fail to solve moral problems? A crucible refers to a container made of a substance that can resist great heat, for melting. In “The Crucible” the author uses characters that have moral problems that they either solve or fail to solve. John Proctor, Abigail, and Reverend Hale are considered the main characters in “The Crucible”. Abigail’s moral problem is lying. Abigail failed to solve her moral problem by choosing to lie to get out of various situations. Abigail did not like that Goody Proctor is the reason for her and Proctor’s failed relationship. Abigail chose to use Tituba’s voodoo skills to kill Proctor’s wife, Goody Proctor. Abigail is jealous of Goody Proctor because she has feelings for her husband John Proctor, after their affair. In the text Abigail stated to Proctor, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart! I never knew what pretense Salem was, I never knew the lying lessons I was taught by all these Christian women and their covenanted men! And now you bid me tear the light out of my eyes? I will not, I cannot! You loved me, John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” In this piece of text Abigail confesses her love to Proctor and she spoke of the affair between them. Abigail said if Elizabeth was no longer in the picture Proctor would be hers. (Include evidence from where Abigail was in the woods and she drank blood + explain) In Salem, Massachusetts, witchcraft is illegal...
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...In Arthur Miller’s drama the Crucible, the main character John Proctor proves to show a copious amount of positive personality traits but is sinful to one fatal flaw, committing adultery with Abigail Williams that he can’t allow himself to be forgave for. Though Proctor believes this sin has damaged God’s view of him, the character has proven to show throughout the play he is capable of reclaiming his goodness. Ultimately, in the words of Hannah Montana, “Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.” Proctor realizes he doesn’t have to be a saint to be good. To understand how John Proctor reclaimed his goodness, the story needs to be set to when the reader is first aware of Proctor’s lost sense of goodness. The play introduced Proctor as a man repleted with guilt. Known for being highly respected in the town of Salem, he is struggling with his self image and sense of goodness, rightfully so. Following the event of Proctor...
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...displayed through the allegations that Abigail Williams makes against John and Elizabeth Proctor, and their servant Mary Warren, as well as through the Putnams’ willingness to implicate their neighbors. Abigail Williams is a narcissistic and manipulative character that is driven by her obsession with John Proctor. Henceforth, she tries to get...
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...court system was off someone’s word. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, he talks about a time in Salem, Massachusetts, where a young woman named Abigail Williams is stirring up trouble in the town. Abigail and a bunch of other girls from the town gets caught dancing in the woods by Reverend Parris, she wants John Proctor back, and is trying to get his wife Goody Proctor out the way. Abigail was once Goody and John Proctor’s housekeeper. Goody started sensing that Abigail was trying to go after John so she made the decision to kick her out the house. Abigail didn’t like that and she thought that Goody Proctor was talking about her to the town’s people: “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is cold, shiveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a” (Miller 22). Abigail is saying that she thinks Goody Proctor is out to get and feels threatened. After that whole situation happened, Abigail started telling lies about the town’s people. She started telling people how she saw them with the devil and how she was ready to turn her life around and serve God. “I want to open myself! I want the light of God; I want the sweet love of Jesus!” (Miller 45). Abigail is lying to Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale to keep herself out of trouble. She and all the other guys started saying how they saw all these people from the town with the devil. “I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! I saw George Jacobs with...
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...status with no faults? When does the power given begin to become too much for an individual to regulate? An individual with a lot of power over a certain group or person may misuse their authority in negative ways. Many figures of authority misuse their powerful influence over other individuals which can negatively impact the lives of others or even themselves. A number of people with authority tend to misuse their powerful influence over a group of individuals, as seen in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Many characters with power try to maintain their respectable reputations but along the way end up dissipating the authority they have. Other characters misuse their positions of power over certain individuals for personal gain such as love and for wealth and land. Individuals with respectable authority tend to misuse their power in hopes of maintaining their idea of a perfect reputation. Reverend Parris is known as the town reverend, a title with power and high expectations. He has power over the town due to his title but he misuses the power he has over his slave from Barbados, Tituba. Once Parris discovered that Tituba was present in the woods with the girls dancing, he felt as though she were responsible. He used his power, as her boss, to threaten Tituba into giving information as he asks her “who? Who? Their names, their names” (Miller, 47). Parris then asks Tituba if she saw “Sarah Good” with the devil which starts the chaos of arbitrary accusations. Parris forces Tituba...
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...Many might believe that John Proctor's actions make him a globetrotter, others might not think that. They might believe that his actions make him look like a gutless fool or even a coward. How would you describe John Proctor? A hero? A coward? Or neither of these things? First of all, John Proctor is not a hero, but more of a gutless fool. His actions do not make him a hero. The actions he takes are not out of honor nor pride in any way. If anything his actions are out of pity and sorrow. He believes that his affair with Abigail has damaged him in the eyes of God and that he will never forgive him for his wrong doings. His relationship with Elizabeth was strained and he knew she would never be able to forgive him nor trust him again. After...
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...The Crucible , John Proctor is the tragic hero of the play because his sin has refrained him from, speaking upon against what is wrong, when he does speak up it is too late, then finally his pride is so strong that it leads to his downfall, and his dedication to his family makes him decide to do the wrong thing. Proctor has many flaws, but even with them he is truly a good person, he showed nonconformity by not doing something he doesn't believe in, An example is when Hale asked him why he wasn't going to church he said,”I think, sometimes, the man dreams cathedrals, not clapboard meetin' houses.”(Act2 pg.65). This implying that he feels that Parris cares more about wealth and reputation he gains from it rather than Christian morals.Proctor also doesn't support that Parris views himself as a nobleman, who doesn't need to conform to Parris warped view of Christianity and Puritan belief.He also portrays brilliant characteristics for his children to look up to because he put up a fight for his family until his last breath. John Proctor’s dedication and trust in people make him a tragic hero because if John didn’t truly believe that Abigail would spare him and his family he probably would have stayed quiet.Proctor believes at the...
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... tendency to turn to revenge, and human weakness. Firstly, the theme of hypocrisy is found amongst the town of Salem as a whole, especially those who support the witch trials. They are supposed to have strong Christian values, yet they are extremely vindictive. More specifically, Mary Warren says that she is doing the Lord’s work, when in fact she is contributing to the deaths of people who know and love God. “I must tell you, sir, I will be gone every day now. I am amazed you do not see what weighty work we do,” (56) she says in act II. Another example is the hypocrisy within the Salem court system. Judge Danforth claims that his court reveals all truth when he says, “We burn a hot fire here:...
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