How Did Proctor Die In The Crucible

John Proctor’s Life or Death Situation

What does a name mean? To some it defines their personality and who they are; to others it's just a title. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, witchcraft is a big complication. Those who become accused of practicing witchcraft, regardless of the truth, are sent to be hanged right away with the town watching. John Proctor, one of the main characters, has held a lead position in the town with a clean slate and preserved that clean slate behind his name his whole life. Eventually, when he was accused, he agreed to it rather than confessing and living with a reputation of lying and possible witchcraft. John Proctor was not justified in dying to preserve his name because his name does not define who

However, they are not important enough to outweigh someone’s life. John Proctor had to decide whether to lie about being involved with witchcraft or make a confession that would result in his death. His decision would impact his wife, sons, unborn child, and his life. His reputation meant alot for him because it was something he valued too. It affected the town as well because it meant that he had a big influence on the town’s decisions and people’s opinions, which is why he decided to renege on his choice of lying about being a witch. John would rather die to save his name, rather than have his kids live with a father whose name is now considered not as righteous as the town presumed before he confessed. In his opinion, it was the best decision for everyone. Even though he believes it’s the right choice to follow principles by not lying, he affects more people dead rather than alive. While John was put on the spot to decide whether he was going to hand over the signed proof of his confession, he yells out, "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!"(Act 4, page 143). This quotation implies that he treasures his name because of what people may think and of the influence it has on everyone in the town. He uses a metaphor to emphasize the idea of giving the ministers and judges his word and name, which to him is his