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Changes In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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A person can change in many ways. Sometimes it is radical, drastic, and unpredictable, others may go through a more gradual and subtle change; nevertheless, all are important and shape a person into who they are. Throughout The Crucible many characters go through life altering experiences that change the way they react in certain situations. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller that portrays these changes in different ways for different characters. For some it is very obvious they have changed and others go through a quieter change over time. All characters are affected by the situation going on in Salem; considering hanging people for a crime they did not commit is a serious matter. Miller shows the change of character different …show more content…

Throughout the play, John is haunted by one of his bad decisions in the past and decides that lies will keep him safe. He makes sure that no one will ever know his secret and intends to keep it that way until Abby threatens to tell the court about their affair. Initially, John tells her, “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.”. She responds to him with “Aye, but we did.” he says “Aye, but we did not.” (Miller, 24). This conversation shows how deeply he regrets his decisions and hopes that he can cover it up so that no one will ever find out. Once Abby is angry she threatens to tell the entire community of Salem in order to get what she wants. This is when he realizes that no one will believe him unless he tells the full truth. He cannot hide this secret anymore and he must tell the court himself. Danforth says to Proctor, “You will prove this! This will not pass!” Proctor replies, (trembling, his life collapsing about him.) “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” Danforth, “You-you are a leacher?” (Miller, 115). This is the turning point, he goes on to tell them about his affair and let it all go. He realizes only the truth will set him free and he tries to keep it that way for the rest of the play. This kind of a change is only brought about by desperate measures, Proctor, in his eyes, ruins his life with his own actions. This is the self-pride and high morals of John

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a phenomenal play containing wide varieties of static and dynamic characters. A few main characters are very dynamic and change immensely throughout the play completely shifting former beliefs and ideas. John Proctor is one of these characters that go through this metamorphosis. In the beginning of The Crucible, John Proctor is a man burdened by his sins, but throughout the play his morals and true nature are tested and brought into light, and by the end he learns to accept forgiveness and truly finds the goodness he had been seeking in himself.

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History has proven many people choose themselves over the truth. In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, shows the effect of this exact problem in Deputy Governor Danforth. Danforth impacts many conflicts which relies on his political motivation. His decisions, even with many new discovery, highlights his own career making himself look more powerful. Danforth discovers many internal and external conflicts throughout The Crucible.

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Many aspects of one's life can change over time, people’s attitude, opinions, thoughts, the way they look, etc. There are times where people don't change. In literature and media most characters change and learn from their mistakes. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible like many plays and media, characters learn from the events that happen and change based on what happened. Reverend Parris, a character in the book, does not change, despite what events happened in Salem.

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The Crucible is a piece of literature that can be attributed to a few other situations in history, not simply just the Salem Witch Trials. People throughout history have turned on each other in fear, and have use irrational thinking to justify what they have done. Though the story portrays the Witch Trials, it is able to connect with other events in history due to how the themes can connect with the reader and resonate with how people can feel under certain stress at these moments. Arthur Miller writes in the way that the story can live on in other situations to make points on how we treat each other during these times, the rhetorical appeals he uses becoming important as to why this story is still important to our history in more than one event. As spoken before, The Crucible is set in a certain time period, but advances its meaning into other aspects of history; written in the 50’s, it can be traced back to a connection with McCarthyism, the story an allegory for this period.

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John, who before the play started had committed adultery with one of the accusers, comes to the acknowledgment that in order to save his wife, he must willing to give up his name and reputation by confessing his transgression before the court. When Proctor, alongside Giles Corey and Francis Nurse, goes to the court to draw back the curtains on the accusers and reveal how the children truly are, he admits “I have known her, sir”(Act III, pg. 230). By admitting to the infidelity, John is trying to demonstrate how the accuser, Abigail, is not as pure and innocence as she has made herself out to be. In doing as so, he willing relinquished his good reputation by putting the lives of his wife and friends before his own. It was a daring demonstration to challenge the court at first, but it took a tremendous amount of courage to put those in jeopardy ahead of himself, knowing the full consequences of his actions

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Whilst trying to prove Abigail and the other girls were pretending, John confesses, “I have known her [Abigail], sir” (3.110). The fact that he is willing to confess such a heavy sin for this purpose is a huge deal. He willingly, albeit reluctantly, soils his name and reputation to bring the truth to light. In the end, Proctor refuses to give a false confession that would condemn the others who were falsely accused. He decided what he felt was right and refused to stray from it.

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Abby said "She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a—" to John and the court. Abby was lying though because she really did have an affair with John.

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Proctor and Abigail have a conversation, and John tells her how he sometimes thinks of her but he can’t ever have a relationship with her. “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” (Miller 177). This shows how Proctor regrets what he has done and cuts all ties with Abby, but is still too afraid to let the truth be known.

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One Choice Can Change Lives Who knew one seemingly innocent lie could cause 19 deaths and pit an entire town against itself? That’s exactly what happens in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Authors often use similar plot devices, and their favorite one is having their characters face a test. In a small town called Salem in early America, something terrible is happening.

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When people think of the play, “The Crucible”, they usually picture the witch trials and women being hanged, but Arthur Miller depicts the witch trials in a completely new light. He shows through a story that the witch trials were much more than just people calling others witches. There was deceit, pain, greed, and more. Through the play, we follow the character, Abigail, observe her actions and their consequences. We witness the lives of people she impacts, what happens to them, and how many times she lies to get her way.

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The Crucible: How Fear Changes People During his first Inaugural Address, Franklin D. Roosevelt once announced, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”. Fear manipulates a persons rationality resulting in them behaving in ways they normally would not, especially in the story The Crucible written by Arthur Miller. The characters in The Crucible allow fear to manipulate their beliefs and actions. They all know what is right, but fear alters their mindset causing them to act differently.

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In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.

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This is demonstrated in this excerpt, “Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” (Miller 143). This quote shows the audience he thinks he is worth nothing. Proctor undergoes a transformation where he retrieves his dignity and respect for himself.

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