How Did Proctor Lie In The Crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller tells the story of a witch hunt in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690s. The witch hunt is sparked when girls in Salem are caught dancing and singing in the woods. Because of their fear of punishment, the girls begin to accuse people in the town of witchcraft. Miller’s story features many characters that allow fear to rule their lives: Reverend Parris, Judge Hathorne, and Abigail Williams all respond to their fears with actions that negatively affect the community of Salem. Similarly to these other characters, John Proctor responds to his initial fear of word of his affair getting out and ruining his reputation by lying; however, by the end of the play Proctor responds to the fear for the life of his wife by sacrificing his reputation. The effect of Proctor’s lying is the continuation of the witch trials, and the effect of his honesty at the end of the play is his death. Proctor initially fears his reputation being ruined people learn about his affair with Abigail Williams. In response to this,

Proctor refuses to admit that he knows the truth about Abigail, so the girls continue to make false accusations and more people are charged with witchcraft. Proctor asks Mary Warren, “Is it true? There be fourteen women arrested? No, sir. There be thirty-nine now.” Even women with good reputations in the town are accused, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey are both charged. “My wife [Rebecca Nurse] is the very brick and mortar of the church, Mr. Hale and Martha Corey, there cannot be a woman closer yet to God than Martha.” Even Hale is taken aback by the charge of Rebecca Nurse. If Proctor had told the court about Abigail’s confession earlier, he could have prevented the accusations of many. Because of his fear of ruining his reputation, he does not tell anyone about his affair and the truth about the