To Confess or Not to Confess? In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Miller portrays how the village is pretentious by witchcraft. In a puritan town, in Salem, Massachusetts (1692), a man named John Proctor is accused of witchcraft. When taken to the courtroom, he was given the option to confess to witchcraft and get his confession posted on the church door, or he would be hanged to die with his pride. Although lying helped him to live, protect his family, fight for the others that are/were accused, and he knows he is innocent because even Reverend Hale believes he is; If he tells the truth and lives, he gets to die a honest man, give the others that are accused hope, and gets to set an example of uprightness for his children. …show more content…
Even Reverend Hale believes that he is innocent, Hale thinks that John Proctor should confess because “Life is God’s most precious gift” (1104). But Proctor cannot handle the shame of having his confession nailed to the church door. He believes that nailing his confession to the church door shows a disloyalty to everyone who refuses to confess. “I have confessed myself!” is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church!” (1110). This public confession would insult and disgust those who choose to die and uphold their honor. The church is supposed to defend veracity, so his confession being nailed to the church is disrespectful . This confession would strip him from his pride and dignity. He would lose his name and be nothing but a shattered man. Proctor’s decision to rip apart the confession shows his commitment to truth and his inability to abide a