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John Proctor Guilty Conscience The Crucible

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Arguably, one of the most important characters of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is protagonist John Proctor. In Salem’s community, he stands with a level head as a progressive, strong-willed and passionate man. However, Proctor plays a large role in the inaction of the witch hunt because of his affair with Abigail who is still in love with him when he no longer reciprocates her love. As an act of revenge, Abigail attempts to take away what Proctor loves, including Elizabeth who she frames for an attempted murder through witchcraft. He mimics that of a tragic hero archetype because he struggles with a guilty conscience of the affair with Abigail and beings to lose what loves. Due to Proctor’s guiltiness and desperate need to repent, he becomes aggressive and rash when he was once a steady and strong-willed man. …show more content…

His forgetfulness insinuates to Elizabeth her suspicion of Proctor’s sin against her and God to be true because it implies guilt. The stage direction indicates that Proctor realizes Elizabeth knows the truth as it states, “PROCTOR, as though a secret arrow had pained his heart”. In the scene where Proctor and Elizabeth are speaking to Hale, Proctor’s nervousness is made apparent with stuttering and stage directions and it is the first time he is caught off guard and thinking unintentionally

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Proctor’s Opposition to His Society In the book, The Crucible, Arthur Miller introduces us to John Proctor. Proctor is married and simple, yet he's argumentative toward his town for the persecution of “witches.” Proctor faces conflict throughout the town, his morals are challenged and his view on ethical implication are changing.

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His infidelity is a flaw in the religion that they are taught and he knows this but he chooses not to act on this flaw for the reason that he does not want to threaten the commonwealth of the society of which he lives. According to Kohlberg, a person who has a concern for themselves or have to ask themselves “Will I get into trouble for doing (or not doing) it?” is associated with avoiding punishment. It is clear that Proctor's responses and actions places him in that category on Kohlberg’s

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The Evolution of Elizabeth Proctor Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a compelling look at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. Elizabeth Proctor began as doubtful of her husband, John Proctor, but ends up having faith in him in the end. She still believed her husband was still in love with Abigail but Proctor soon proved his love for Elizabeth throughout the play. Elizabeth evolves from a woman who doubts her husband, but then evolves into a woman who risks her life to save her husband. Elizabeth continues to question her husband's faith causing an argument between the two.

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3rd, Meyer, Cyrus Proctor’s Journey John Proctor, one of the main characters in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, defines the perception of a sinned man. The play explains an outbreak in a village in which a Puritan society using a theocracy government convicts hundreds on the word of a few girls, falsely accusing townspeople of witchcraft, therefore bringing havoc to the town and John seeks to end the lies of the main antagonist, Abigail. Through the play, Proctor gets introduced to many different situations showing the reader changes of Proctor’s character such as being depicted as a corrupted, sinned man in the beginning of the play to a righteous character near the end. In the second act, John Proctor acts very aggressive towards others and commits cruel acts in the name of his Puritan village showing a lack of good moral values as well as respect for others.

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When people are accused of a crime they didn’t commit, it often has lasting effects on them and their loved ones. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he explores the Salem Witch trials with characters that are accused of a crime they clearly didn’t commit, and are sent to their death. In a similar fashion, the five adolescents who were accused and found guilty of a heinous crime in New York City were ultimately found innocent after they served years and had eliminated a chance of restoring their youth. In the Central Park Five court case that occurred in New York City during the late 1980’s, the idea that a hero is someone valiant is proven by Antron Mccray. In the play, the Crucible by Arthur Miller, it displays that a hero is honest based on

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In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.

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In some way’s Reverend Hale’s return to Salem was to save the accused starting with John Proctor. In Author Miller’s Crucible, Reverend Hale believes if he can get Mr. Proctor to confess others who are accused will follow in his footsteps. Hale uses Elizabeth, Mr. Proctors wife to accomplish the convincing. John brings the matter to Elizabeth before she gets the chance to bring up the subject of matter. Sickening with fear, but faith inside her Elizabeth tells John to as he wishes.

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In The Crucible, Miller fully displays how the actions of John Proctor really affected the lives of the people around him. His affair with Abigail reveals to be potent to the people around him. Because of Abigail’s desires for Proctor to leave Elizabeth because she questions “how such a strong man may let such a sickly [woman] be [his wife]”(Miller 23). She insults Proctor’s wife as a way to blacken the image of Elizabeth in Proctor’s mind but it seems to have the opposite effect as Proctor yells that [She’ll] speak nothin’ of Elizabeth!(Miller 23).

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In "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is the play's protagonist, he faces injustice and inner struggles against his own guilt creating a compelling vision of a character torn between societal demands and his own moral conscience. Arthur Miller explores John Proctors' guilt through his moral conscience and actions, emphasizing that guilt is both a burden and a drive for personal growth and redemption. Firstly, Proctor's affair put his relationship with Elizabeth to the test, causing mistrust and tension between them. You will not judge me, Elizabeth.

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JOHN PROCTOR: TRAGIC HERO Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a greatly revered work, and it reflected the times of America in the days of McCarthyism. Perhaps the character that connected to the audience most was John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. He reflects the mistakes that we have made in our lives, and the struggle that some of have while trying to take the blindfold off of other people. He should be considered a hero because he feels guilt, and therefore tries to make up for the fact that he once had an affair.

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He is quickly framed by the guilt of betraying his wife and community, setting off a chain of events that leads to his execution. Proctor’s guilt spreads as he tries to uncover the truth about the witch trials and Abigail’s motives. At first, he fears that his news will damage his reputation, but he later confesses the affair and accuses Abigail of the witch trials to get revenge. Although the truth is later revealed, Proctor’s guilt and complicated moral decisions lead to his tragic end.

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John Proctor’s words towards Elizabeth signal irritation and annoyance. John Proctor, the main character of The Crucible, has an affair with a much younger girl, Abigail Williams, breaking his wife, Elizabeth’s trust in him. Her suspicion of him rises when he tells her he was in a room alone with Abigail. Elizabeth’s growing mistrust begins to aggravate John, which is revealed when he says, “I’ll not have your suspicion any more” (489). Elizabeth is doubtful after learning about John’s affair with Abigail and her lack of trust in her husband begins to anger him.

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1031 Words | 5 Pages

He denounces the corrupt system and reclaims his integrity by rejecting the fake confession. Proctor's peripeteia represents his transformation and his choice to give his life in order to reveal the truth and combat the injustice that permeates

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872 Words | 4 Pages

Proctor his ability to think rationally due to the stigma he feels, the choices he makes, and how it affects his

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1067 Words | 5 Pages

“The human body is the best work of art.” ― Jess C. Scott This is a quote John Proctor sure would have approved of. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible depicts the last days of the life of John Proctor. In this short time, John Proctor goes through many changes that support Miller’s theme that love is more enduring that lust.

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