John Proctor's Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

There has come a time in everyone’s life when their character was called into question, or someone accused them wrongly of something they did not do. This puts a person’s morality on the line and tests whether they will do what’s best for them or the masses. The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows the characters John Proctor, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Abigail Williams going through this same test. The play provides a narrative on how people choose to value their own reputation and honor over protecting the lives of themselves and others.

The Crucible provides many characters, such as John Proctor, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Abigail Williams who show themselves attempting to preserve their repute in the face of adversity. John Proctor works

John Proctor is seen during the finals moments of the play, giving up his life to save his name. In Act 4, when Danforth tries to hang his confession on the church door, John Proctor tears the paper apart, declaring that his name was sacred and without it being his own, he is not anyone at all. “PROCTOR: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life. 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!” (Miller 143). John Proctor is indignant towards the people of Salem and sacrifices himself to show that he’d rather die with honesty and the protection of his name rather than live with the weight of a lie. Both Danforth and Abigail selfishly put the lives of others at risk throughout the trials rather than their own, like John. Danforth realizes along with Reverend Hale in Act 4, that Abigail and the rest of the girls had fooled them into believing in the rumors of witchcraft. But so many were already sentenced to death by Danforth that suddenly stopping and letting the rest go would be questionable. “DANFORTH, conciliatory: You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just.” (Miller 119). Danforth is fully aware of the mistakes that he made sentencing the twelve innocent people to death in the height of the hysteria, but he refuses to try to mend the situation by pardoning John and the others. If he were to do so, it would put his place as a strong authority figure in jeopardy since he would be flipping his view on the trials. Even if Danforth’s actions are completely despicable, Abigail is the first character to selfishly sacrifice others to try to protect herself, and arguably the worst. At the end of the first act, when many of the characters