In the Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the characterization of Elizabeth Proctor to portray that once a person’s trust is broken, it can never be gained back fully. For example, when John Proctor came home to his wife, Elizabeth, he “gets up, goes to her, kisses her. She receives it.” (48) Miller uses this as indirect characterization, as Elizabeth only receives his kiss instead of kissing her husband back. She knows that he had an affair with Abigail, so Elizabeth still does not trust him completely. Elizabeth’s lack of trust in Proctor creates tension in the marriage and they no longer engage in conversation, they just argue with each other. It’s like when you physically break something and it can no longer be put back together, once the