The act of bravery is the ability to stand up for what you think is right even when other people disagree or influence you to do other things. In the play, “The Crucible", by Arthur Miller, the main protagonist named John Proctor shows great bravery when he goes against the whole town and stands up for what is right. During the first act of the play, John Proctor approaches Paris to confront him about making quick assumptions of witchcraft taking over Salem. John confronts the reverend of the town to question him which displays true bravery. As the plot thickens, John forces Mary Warren to admit the corruption of the girls' claims in front of the court. This bravery of John's character is shown when he is challenging the powerful court. At the end of the play, John is …show more content…
At the beginning of the play, Paris quickly blurts out how witchcraft could be taking over the town and calls Hale. This causes John to quickly respond, “Did you consult the wardens before you called the minister to look for the devils?” (Miller 1048). This evidence illustrates that Proctor has the bravery to question the reverend of what he has done. The reverend is the leader of Salem and he has the power to do what he wants in the town. John does not care how powerful he is or the reputation he has, so John questions his actions of bringing witchcraft right into a simple problem of girls dancing in the woods. Proctor is unafraid of the fact that he could get in trouble by questioning Paris and he is the first man that decides to question the correctness of the corrupted officials. The thought of being punished by Parris does not cross his mind and he only thinks of the logical and right ideas. Only a brave man would be able to question the authorities as John did. John Proctor demonstrates true bravery when questioning the decision of the reverend of
His guilt is what is driving him to prove himself good. This leads her to decide she is not in a place to judge his actions or control his future, so she says to John, “Do what you will. But let none be your judge. There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is!” (137).
There is nothing wrong with pride, but there is something wrong with letting pride destroy relationships. John Proctor, from the Crucible (Arthur Miller), is a character of many words. Whether he be proud, stubborn, foolish, or noble, the decision has been laid out and the calculations completed. In the end, he saves his soul, but his life is lost forever. Pride has lead John to the court, but a change in thought leads him to nobles actions which result in horrible consequences.
Self preservation is one of mankind's base instincts and is ever present in everyone. This animalistic instinct can cause a person to do things seen as morally wrong by others or some will go to the most extreme lengths to keep themselves alive. Within the story The Crucible by Arthur Miller onse such character displays a very evident sense of self preservation and that character is none other than Mary Warren. Within the story Mary Warren is very guilty of raising hysteria amongst the town because of her actions due to self preservation.
Salem: The Village of Courage, Weakness, and Truth Courage, weakness, and truth are all three things that everyone can relate to. Everyone has experienced all three at some point in their life, so they understand what they are like. Arthur Miller in The Crucible uses courage, weakness, and truth to help the reader relate to Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, and John Proctor. Elizabeth shows courage, Abigail shows weakness, and John shows truth. Elizabeth shows immense courage when she tries to save her husband's name.
Truth is something that is true. The crucible has many examples of courage. There are a few men in the play who show extreme amounts of bravery. John Proctor is an astounding example of a man who shows courage many times through the play.
It is well known that John Proctor does not see Parris to be a godly man. He disagrees with his teachings and his candlesticks and is not shy in admitting that he possesses “no love for Mr. Parris”(90). Parris no doubt sees this and relishes in the idea that he can use witchcraft to discredit Proctor so that there will be no displeasure from anyone in the town toward him and his teachings. In the court, he does everything possible to discredit John Proctor’s argument by influencing Danforth’s view of him in a negative manner. The reverend argues that Proctor is “such a Christian that will not come to church but once in a month” (90).
Everyone knows it's hard to tell the truth, but how many would if faced with death? Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, starts with one bad deed that ultimately effects everyone and leads to their death. Throughout the story, John Proctor shows courage by confessing to his wife, trying to convince people the girls are liars , and decides not to sign his confession paper for dignity. Although it's often hard, Arthur Miller uses The Crucible to show it takes courage to tell the truth. Opening up to his wife,
Examples of his pride are strewn all throughout the play. In the beginning, John did not want to confess his sin of adultery solely because he did not want to destroy his good name, and respect from everyone in the town. In Act III, John finally admits to being a lecher. When Francis and Danforth begin having doubts about John’s honesty, it shows how much of a disbelief this confession comes across as telling the reader just how respected John is. To prove himself, John says “... A man will not cast away his good name” (Miller, 1206).
Then, John was accused of witchcraft. He was given the choice to tell the truth and be prosecuted or confess to a crime he didn’t commit and be set free. He chose to tell the truth and got sent to jail. During this time, he said “... what is John Proctor? I think it is honest” (page 138).
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is afflicted with hysteria, intolerance, and accusations that lead to death. According to philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw, excessive pride, and an inevitable downfall. Protagonist John Proctor illustrates a tragic hero because he is presented as happy, powerful, and privileged, which later leads him to suffer because of his own actions. First of all, John Proctor possesses a fatal flaw, pride, which is a characteristic of a tragic hero. Proctor’s fatal flaws includes honesty and pride.
The Crucible was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller, the play delivers many messages and carries many themes throughout. Nearly every character in the play is put to the test to display an act of courage, weakness, or truth. Some characters lack these traits and never learn to have courage or display honesty. However, most characters are very courageous and demonstrate these acts throughout the whole play. Overall the theme of the The Crucible boils down to being about honesty, weakness, and courage.
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John showcases his goodness, by having a strong conscience, and firm principled beliefs. Although, John demonstrates great moral character, there are very few people in present-day society that showcase his great valour and bravery. In modern society, people are constantly made conscious of their wealth and status as a measure of their nobility and goodness. However, many societies do not realize that goodness can only come from within, when an individual is willing to face their truths and
The witches are on the hunt for the innocent souls of Salem with Hale stating, “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 1251). Hale is determined to use God’s mighty hand against the “evil witches”. This shows that Hale is faithful to Abigail’s accusations against the common people of Salem. At first, Reverend Hale is eager to prosecute, but as more innocent people are condemned, his compliance turns into distaste. His dissatisfaction eventually turns into rage when Hale shouts, “I denounce these proceedings!”
The first impressive characteristic of John Proctor is his bravery. Speaking out against the “afflicted” girls in the way he did could cause serious question of him as a person. From the court’s standpoint John could be seen as directly opposing the court, which would have him jailed, or could even have him be accused of witchcraft. Also, he would have had to have known that Abigail Williams would have immediately accused him of being a witch once he spoke out against them. However, that did not stop him from delivering the truth to the court.
In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist, symbolized truth and justice by displaying honor and pride in his name. The change in balance between those two attributes acted as a catalyst in defining moments of the play. In the beginning, Proctor equally reflected both pride and honor in separate events. However, when forced to make a decision, he chose honor over pride. Ultimately, both his honor and pride pushed him to commit the ultimate sacrifice.