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Argumentative Essay On The Crucible

706 Words3 Pages

Dolan Leman
Ms. Lyons
English 3B, Period 1
5 June 2023
Crucible Final Essay Have you ever been convicted of witchcraft even if it didn’t exist? In the end of “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, a local farmer in the play named John Proctor makes a full confession to witchcraft. However, he chooses to get hanged instead of saving his own life. But why would he do that and why would Miller want that to be the ending? I strongly believe that Arthur Miller wanted to express the cruelty of the United States back then. He also wanted to show who John Proctor really was and show the importance of doing the right thing. The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, during the spring of 1692 during the Salem witch …show more content…

He is a great man especially to his wife Elizabeth Proctor because during the beginning of the play, he sounded polite and kind. But at the same time, he was also having an affair with Abigail and cheating on his wife but everything was still going great between John and Elizabeth’s relationship. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby”. As the play goes on we start to see John showing signs that he is no longer in love with her. He dislikes her wife’s food and slowly stops talking to her. When Elizabeth was accused of witchcraft, John decides to admit that he was having an affair with Abigail. "I have gone tiptoe in this house all seven months since she is gone. I have not moved from there to there without I think to please you, and still an everlasting funeral marches round your …show more content…

All he had to do was to sign his name on the paper and name the people in Salem that were witches. But decided to refuse to name the people and sacrificed his life. “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 me my name!” He showed responsibility towards the end of the play. John Proctor also made this decision because he was guilty for what he did, which was having an affair with Abigail and he made up for it to save Elizabeth’s life. “I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such

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Proctor is a well respected upperclassman and him sacrificing his life led to his family living a greater life. To the court with great emotion proctor states “ 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 me my name!” (143).

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In this moment, he does not want the rest of the community to think poorly of his name. Proctor’s character continues to grow as the trials take over the small town of Salem. John Proctor then was forced to make an impossible decision about his fate and honor. In his grand act of selflessness, he made the choice to die rather than falsely confess to witchcraft. Before this display

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I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(1272). These words by John Proctor exemplify his character by making, in my opinion, not a very wise decision. In the play The Crucible, John Proctor’s unwillingness can be seen as selfish because others hung before he confessed his affair with Abigail but he redeemed himself by undoing his confession and refusing to sell the court other names, which Arthur Miller used to convey a message about a crucible being put through a fire/trial and coming out in its purest form, through the character of John

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The end of the Crucible is very suspenseful when the protagonist, John Proctor, is faced with choosing between confessing to a lie or dying for the truth. At first, Proctor is hesitant and signs the papers, confessing himself to evil, but before the signed paper is collected by the court, he tears it apart and is sentenced to death. This was his best option, for it stopped him from living a remorseful life. His decision to tear apart the signed confession was the most correct not only for himself but for his family and the community as well.

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Proctor's desire for redemption is fueled by his guilt and may be exemplified throughout several instances of him sacrificing his name, and in the end, his life, when going against the court. Miller writes, “Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang” (Miller 143). Through Proctor's comparison of his worth to dust, he means to show how guilty he feels that innocent people have been killed as a result of lies and he would be able to save himself with a lie in return, which would then be used to encourage more people to engage in the hysteria. Instead, Proctor stays strong to his name and redeems himself through this sacrifice. Around the same discussion in the novel Miller also states, “I have three children---how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?”

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His act of defiance resulted in death, but caused the people of Salem to question the court, which prevents any future deaths for suspected witchery. By refusing to lie, John Proctor preserved his name and held up his personal convictions. However, some may say that this was self-serving, because he left his family destitute, and his wife husbandless and his children fatherless. Nevertheless, “How can I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!...Because It is my name!

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John Proctor ends up being one of the many people of Salem falsely charged with witchcraft. The trial left him with only two choices: to confess to a lie and spare his life, or die holding his truth. Although this was a difficult decision, Proctor made the right choice when he ultimately decided he’d rather die than confess to something he didn’t do. Despite what Reverend Parris tells him, Proctor’s refusal to confess isn’t vanity but rather an act of pride, maintaining the goodness he still has left in him. Proctor’s final decision was not easily made, as he faced pressure from the court and himself on what was best to do.

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You will forever be associated with the words such as “witch”, “evil” and even “the devil” which is what Proctor realized in Act 4, hence, refusing to sign a confession paper and pleading “How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (Miller 143)! Proctor realized that if he confessed to witchery, then he and his family’s name would be tainted and plummet. Additionally, his kids would have to live with the fact that their father is vile. He did not want to curse his children with this life and decided to make the selfless sacrifice for the sake of his family’s reputation and futures.

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Shawn Jande Ms. Clancy American Literature B3 15 November 2015 The Crucible Analytical Essay Imagine, being accused of a crime you didn’t commit by your neighbors and friends out of jealousy, and desire. This is what many people in the town of Salem had to go through during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. People's motives such as: gaining and maintaining power, and aspirations for what other people had caused them to make irrational, and atrocious decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, desire and power drive characters to create chaos in the community.

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As written in The Crucible john proctor refuses as miller has stated, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my ,life! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” (Miller 1164). By saying this John Proctor has just realized and ends up trying to get the point across that he no longer wants to go through with his lie and feels guilty about the situation he is in.

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He cared greatly about his family and wife even though Elizabeth was often distant towards him. In the end of the play, Proctor chooses to die rather than sign his confession, ratting out his friends and ruining his good name in the town. He did this to protect the reputation of his children so they won’t have to grow up with a lying father. Lying went against Protctors’ views and that ideal is prevalent throughout the entire play. It is revealed that as soon as he had an affair with Abigail, he confessed to Elizabeth the next day because of the guilt he was carrying around.

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822 Words | 4 Pages

What the Audience learns from John Proctor throughout the Crucible is that John Proctor was a flawed character and the beginning of the play, but coming into conclusion of the play he regains himself because he chooses to act as a tragic hero by seeking justice for his wife, friends, and

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He doesn’t want to give them the only thing that makes him who his name. He doesn’t want to disgrace his family name and hurt them for generations to come. This is an example when it says in the definition “ He is then able to accept his death with honor.” In conclusion John Proctor is the perfect example of a tragic hero. He committed adultery and in a sense, ended up dying because of it.

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I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 153). This quote truly demonstrates Proctors character as a whole, as he is willing to be hung for the sake of proving his worth to the court. Specifically, Proctor knows he is truly innocent, and wants to make the courts aware of his innocence. His unwillingness to confess to witchcraft, is because of his personal beliefs regarding reputation.

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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).

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