Everyone is told from a young age to not let fear run their lives – maybe this is because they will lead a short and unhappy life, or maybe it’s because fear augments judgment and leads to poor outcomes. In Arthur Miller's, The Crucible, fear is shown to do the latter. The Salem witch trials were a time filled with fear and poor judgment, and the two go hand in hand. John Proctor and Abigail are the “poster people” for letting fear augment their decisions, and ultimately, seal their fates.
John Proctor is fearful of many things, and being called a liar is at the top of that list. Abigail tells him that the girls weren’t actually under a spell, rather were just sick, but because of the lack of evidence, no one will believe him if he goes to the court with that. “PROCTOR: with difficulty: I—I have no witness and cannot prove it except my word be taken. But I know the children's sickness had naught to do with witchcraft. HALE: stopped, struck: Naught to do—PROCTOR:…They were startled and took sick. HALE, suspiciously: Why—why did you keep this? PROCTOR: I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense. PROCTOR: I may wonder if my story will be credited in such a court. I may falter somewhat, Mister; I am no fool.” (64-65) Proctor is nervous about going in front of the court and defying everything that has been said about the matter previously. No one can blame him, even Hale, when told alone, doesn’t believe him. Another thing that John Proctor fears is his name being blackened with lies. When he is about to sign over his dignity and falsely
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The lesson to take from these characters and their lives is to not fall into the trap of letting your life be run by something that you can control, be it fear or another emotion, and that you are in control of your own fate, so make it