Identity is a controlling factor in the many choices an individual makes in their life. While many strive for success to avoid suffering, these circumstances are useless for moulding desirable characteristics. However, even though it is uncomfortable and correlated with failure, disaster is a necessary evil in the pursuit of growth. In his play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller demonstrates that when an individual faces adversity, it forces them to make a choice that will positively develop their identity, which otherwise would remain dormant in prosperous situations. John Proctor, the protagonist, is an independent and respectable farmer in a struggling marriage because he was unfaithful to his wife. Unfortunately, this mistake haunts him when he tries to distance himself from his past lover, who grows uncontrollably envious. This causes the creation of the witch trials - the very center of John’s afflictions and the sculptor of his disposition.
Choosing to persevere through them all, John suffers multiple conflicts with society and relationships which reveal and develop his independent character. Living in a theocratic society, John struggles to conform to the thinking that Salem demands of him. Because he induces disunity within the village,
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Although John’s many conflicts with his culture and relationships afflict him, he chooses to persevere, allowing it to unveil and mould his character. This resolution contributes to his hardships sculpting selflessness and integrity into his independent nature. Discovering this, John is able to resolve his internal strife and redeem his good reputation because of his suffering. Because he endures through every catastrophe, John’s identity is capable of evolving and he fixes his broken marriage. While misfortune is something people do everything humanly possible to avoid, there is no hope of cultivating one’s temperament without