The Life of John Proctor in The Crucible
In The Crucible, Proctor represents all who remained true to themselves and their morals.
It was clear during the years of the Salem witch trials that the Puritan authorities had abandoned all reason and logic. It was a time of complete chaos, and many innocent lives were taken. Among them, an honest, dignified, and accountable farmer named John Proctor. In the novel, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Proctor represents all who remained true to themselves and their morals.
Throughout the play, John Proctor remains honest to his wife and neighbors. Although he has an affair with Abigail Williams, he does reveal his secret to his wife. His emotions caused him to act in a way he did with Abigail, but his guilt forced him to expose the truth to his beloved wife, Elizabeth. Proctor also tells his fellow neighbors about his ashamed affair with the teenage girl. Even though they do not believe him, he does reveal the truth to his town. Also, Proctor remains true to his neighbors by exposing his true feelings toward the church in Salem. He does not go to Church every Sunday, but he does not favor the Devil. He is against the ideas and actions of Reverend Parris. For this reason he does not always attend Church. Proctor expresses the way he speaks towards people when he says, ?I may speak my heart, I think? (30)! He always spoke the truth even when he knew it would get himself into trouble. He constantly remained honest to himself and everyone else in his life.
John Proctor is a very dignified man because of his honesty. He remains honest to himself, which leads him to expose his true feelings towards the issues that plague the town of Salem. He is one of the bravest men in the play, because he speaks out against the views of the authorities. When everyone went to Church because they felt it was an obligation, Proctor stayed home demonstrating his dignity. He did not believe in witchcraft and did not feel that it was so wrong to talk about Hell. In the play, he remains a man of his word. He would not be pressured into something that he did not support. Proctor is never manipulated into believing something that he did not believe. He would never give up his name to live a lie.
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 that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name. (143)
When Proctor was given the chance to live if he would only give up his morals, he would not even consider. He died a loyal man holding onto his name and principles.
Every character holds a certain flaw that eventually makes him or her a better person. In Proctor?s case, he was held accountable for his affair with Abigail Williams. He did expose his secret to everyone, but he would always remain guilty of adultery. Elizabeth expresses her feelings towards the situation when she states, ?John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not? (54). Elizabeth forgives John for having the affair, but she would always be hurt inside by her husband?s actions. He learns that his wife loves him dearly and would lie to save his life as she does when she is asked about his affair. John Proctor was accountable because of the affair, but overall he was a good man who remained devoted to Elizabeth.
John Proctor was a man who was never pressured into supporting something that he did not believe. He lived his life following his own morals and he would not let anyone influence his own beliefs. Arthur Miller portrayed John Proctor as the tragic hero in The Crucible. He was a common man whose innocent life was taken for the wrong reasons. His honesty towards himself and his wife makes him a good man who held good morals. He did make some mistakes, including his affair with Abigail, but everyone makes mistakes. His dignity makes him the tragic hero. He would not allow anyone or anything influence his values. Proctor?s dignity leads to his death. He would not give in to the authorities by admitting he was a witch. Instead, he gave up his life for his beliefs. Throughout The Crucible, John Proctor remains true to himself and dies for the common good, making him the tragic hero of the play.
