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Denial In The Crucible

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Buddy Al-Aydi Ms.Healy English 9 CP 14th October 20141 The Crucible Essay The Crucible was a novel written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s. It was written in a format of the play, portraying an allegory of the Salem Witch-Hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The book is well known for its inexplicable plot. This plot is advanced by multiple characters in the book in order to ensure that the reader stays interested with the material that is being read. The farmer, John Proctor, is best known for advancing the plot in this masterpiece of writing. John Proctor has a gift of sticking close to the theme like tape for each Act. For example, in Act I, denial is a major theme used in order to reveal what a character may hide, or will not …show more content…

An example of this is stated in Act I. “Proctor: I have trouble enough without I come five mile to hear him preach only hellfire an bloody damnation. Take it to heart, Mr. Parris. There are may others who stay away from church these days because you hardly ever mention God any more”(Miller 27). This quote shows that John Proctor is speaking the truth in a rather angry tone, showing that his temper can be quite an issue. In Act II, John Proctor’s temper was so great, that he ripped his wife’s warrant because of how upset he was due to her arrest. In Act III, he takes his temper to a much larger scale, when Mary Warren declares that Proctor is working with the Devil. “Proctor: You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!”(Miller 111). This quote shows his reaction when being taken to jail, acting sort of childish as well as with a bad temper. One may conclude that it could have been the Devil’s work that caused him to do things as such. Although, past history of John Proctor’s actions have proven this not to be true. For example, he ripped Elizabeth’s warrant in order to protect her, which was out of his own temper. John Proctor’s bad temper plays a key role in advancing the plot of the …show more content…

For example, in Act I, it was hidden to the reader that John Proctor had an affair with Abigail. This was mentioned in Act I, but was later confirmed in Act II, when Elizabeth confronted John about this information. This information will help shine light on Abigail’s on John’s questionable relationship. It would reveal what had really happened between them, and how their love is secret, yet definite for each other. In addition, Act II revealed that John was not a dedicated Christian. According to Reverend Hale, he rarely attended church, only had two out of three children baptized, and did not know all of his commandments. A devoted Christian would be capable of knowing their commandments like it is the back of their hand. Thirdly, in Act III, John Proctor is revealed to be, “the Devil’s man” according to Mary Warren. This would mean that the Devil is close to John Proctor, or a sign of witchcraft. This big secret will cause the people of Salem to think negatively of John, and blacken his name in the village. Although, one might claim that John’s secrets have no effect on the plot of the play. However, the knowledge of the secrets cause tension between other characters. For example, John is re for calling Hale a, “broken minister” and his wife is not satisfied with the fact that Abigail and John are having an affair. The revealing of the secrets cause tension between characters, and

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