In the book, The Crucible, the entire community turns on each other, and almost all of the citizens are accused of using witchcraft. The book is an iconic example of betrayal that displays how far people will go to get what they want. In this book, that wanted thing was a man Abby liked and Abby's innocence. Not only does the book show how characters turn on each other in fear, it also shows how far characters go to attempt to fix it. This book in particular also has several characters sacrifice themselves for the greater good, and in this book, John Proctor is admirable in that respect. In comparing these two dynamics, we see how John Proctor challenges existing power structure, even sacrificing himself, when in contrast, Abby betrays societal …show more content…
Proctor had gotten in trouble earlier in the book because he lied to Elizabeth about his relationship with Abby. He had told Elizabeth he was in a room with Abby alone when she had told him something, however this was different than what he had told her in the past. Elizabeth says, expressing her dissatisfaction in John’s lies, “Why, them, it is not as you told me” and a stage note follows, “she has suddenly lost all faith in him” (51). Elizabeth was fed up with his lies and this led John to a point where he felt like he had disappointed her. After lying, he never again disappointed her and instead, he focused on her happiness and safety. A very strong piece of evidence displaying how far he would go to protect her was when he ripped the warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest. John grabs the warrant and yells at Cheever two times saying, “Out with you!” (72) before finally ripping the warrant, temporarily protecting her in his head. He challenges society not only because he wants to protect his wife, but he also wants to reduce the power of Abby. To protect his wife, he needs to directly or indirectly reduce the power of Abby because she doesn’t like