Pride And Honor In The Crucible

In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist, symbolized truth and justice by displaying honor and pride in his name. The change in balance between those two attributes acted as a catalyst in defining moments of the play. In the beginning, Proctor equally reflected both pride and honor in separate events. However, when forced to make a decision, he chose honor over pride. Ultimately, both his honor and pride pushed him to commit the ultimate sacrifice.

At the beginning of the play, John Proctor is depicted both as a proud man who kept his affair a secret from the public to protect his name, and an honorable man who built the Salem church. Before Elizabeth Proctor was accused, John Proctor tried to distance

He refused to attend weekly Church meetings because he believed that Rev. Parris was an unsuitable puritan minister. Proctor knew that the puritans were supposed to be abstemious, yet “[Parris] preached nothin’ but golden candlesticks”(page 65). Afterwards, by claiming, “I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door,” Proctor proved his piety by implying that building a Church is an honorable deed. Clearly, Proctor managed to show both pride and honor simultaneously, illustrating the distinct characteristics of each in separate events. However, when conflicts arose, he had to choose between the

Proctor refused to let the paper he signed be hung on the wall, shouting, “I have confessed myself!... God does not need my name nailed upon the church!... God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!" He implied that by falsely confessing to witchcraft he would be dishonorable to his friends and family, and it would encumber him for the rest of his life. Moreover, he would be justifying the existence of witches, which would further galvanize future spurious accusations. In addition, Proctor claimed, “I have three children - how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” This quote insinuates that if he were to lie to his kids, they would not admire him as a role model and instead feel ashamed of him. Clearly, Proctor’s honor contributed to the ultimate decision of ripping up the signed