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Pride In The Crucible

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Pride leads to the downfall of Salem

A crucible is a laboratory instrument used to heat off any excess water. In the same sense, when “heat” is applied to the Protestant society in Salem, Massachusetts, the readers are able to see the true characters of the townspeople. The readers see whether characters are motivated by greed, by pride, by integrity, or by other impulses. Most people are motivated by pride in one form or another. In the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, prides of John Proctor, Abigail William, and Judge Danforth leads to the complete downfall of Salem, Massachusetts.
In The Crucible, pride motivates people to break up their own and other's families. John Proctor’s pride and his refusal to dirty his name eventually leads to his …show more content…

When Judge Danforth asks Proctor to give his honest (false) confession, Proctor refuses to confess because of the “shred of goodness in [himself]” (Miller 144). John Proctor decides to confess at first because he thinks his honesty has already broken, and he has nothing to lose by confessing. He thinks it’s more beneficial to make a false confession so that he can stay alive for the sake of his wife and children. However, when Proctor finds out the court wants a written confession that would be publicly announced, he reconsiders his action. John Proctor says the court will not “use [him]” to influence public opinion or condemn other innocent people to death (Miller 142). He finds his goodness that and has concerns about whether his sons can “walk like men in the world” when he himself has “sold [his] friends”, so he refuses to confess (Miller 143). Elizabeth praises John for not confessing until very late, but he says that he hasn’t confessed out of “spite” and that it is “hard to give a lie to dogs” (136). John Proctor cries of his whole soul: “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 143). At this point in the play, John Proctor has lost nearly

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Introduction: In Miller play “The Crucible, “ many characters are obligated to decide whether they should confess to witch craft and ruin their name or to be hanged for dealing with something that doesn’t exists. Our main character which is John Proctor was admitted to doing witch craft and chose to keep his name instead of sacrificing him self over a tarnished name Argument: John proctor last act in the play was an act of excessive pride. His actions throughout the play were foolish REASON1, AND EVIDENCE 1: John Procter figured a display of his signature would take away his pride. Proctor says “I have three children – how may I teach them to walk like men in the ...”

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John Proctor here is reinstating that he wants to continue if he has his name and if Danforth and the court cannot provide that to him he does not know how he could possibly go on. Based on the quote John’s quality of life would eventually prove to be dreary if he did confess as he would feel like he no longer had a soul. Although John knew it would be a risk for him to confess his wife helped convince him that life was worth living, but it’s his own choice. Elizabeth sorrowfully states to John “Do what you will. But let none be your judge.

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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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Knowing if he would’ve confessed, it would have ruined his children's lives. They would have been known as the sons of a witch who sold out his friends. John later rescinds his confession, and he feels great for the first time in a long time because he feels like him doing this good deed wiped away all the sins from the past. John Proctor is a selfless man because he is not only thinking about himself but about the future of his loved

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His reputation was more important that his wife and unborn child. In Act 4 John Proctor states “I have given you my soul, leave me my name (Act 4). John expresses that he cares about his reputation and he wants his name to be respected after he is dead. Knowing that he is still a good person, despite committing adultery, he sacrificed his life.

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There is nothing wrong with pride, but there is something wrong with letting pride destroy relationships. John Proctor, from the Crucible (Arthur Miller), is a character of many words. Whether he be proud, stubborn, foolish, or noble, the decision has been laid out and the calculations completed. In the end, he saves his soul, but his life is lost forever. Pride has lead John to the court, but a change in thought leads him to nobles actions which result in horrible consequences.

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In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, John Proctor’s act of tearing up his confession is believable. Many see John Proctor as a good and noble Christian. Proctor is the definition of what a good Christian man should be and, in the end he will go down fighting for what he believes in. When John Proctor tears up his confession at the end of the play he does it because he is a good and loyal friend.

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The Crucible was a fictional story about the Salem Witch Trials that took place in the Province of Massachusetts, written by Arthur Miller. A conflict Miller writes about is that many of the characters are motivated by jealousy. Jealousy is a terrible emotion; it brings out the worst in people just because they aren’t getting what they want. Like when Abigail is jealous of Elizabeth because she is married to John Proctor, another example is how Thomas Putnam is jealous of people who have land, and then Ann Putnam is jealous of Goody Nurse for having so many kids when she has none. Abigail Williams let jealousy get the best of her when she lusted after John Proctor.

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Citizens in both Salem and the United States refused to stand up for themselves and their neighbors. The strict Puritan society, swayed by fear, fell into a madness as people began accusing each other. Accusations sharply increased and Reverend Hale, “signed seventy-two death warrants” (Miller, The Crucible 99) by the end of the trial. Noteworthy citizens like John Proctor allowed their pride and reputation take precedence over their public obligation to protect the innocent. Miller makes Proctor’s affair the central conflict of the play and uses this creative license to argue the need for social responsibility in both Salem and the United States.

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In Arthur Miller’s Play, The Crucible, Miller demonstrated that it was Abigale Williams’ flaws, flaws such as lust, Vengefulness, and Jealousy. The book the crucible is based off of a town called Salem in Massachusetts. The town is well known because of their witch hunts they had in the 17th century. The witch hunts were mostly based off of suspicion, or because someone blamed someone of being a witch because he or she disliked this person. If you were accused of being a witch then your public image was ruined or put to death.

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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.

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Arthur Miller, in his play "The Crucible", reveals the important truth that John Proctor had an affair with the manipulative Abigail Williams during Act III in the dramatic courtroom scene. This truth is a vital contribution to the play as it provides the evidence that the witch-hunts with which the whole play is about are in fact a result of Abigail's plan to remove Elizabeth Proctor from John's life and take her place. It is as John says, a "whore's vengeance" despite the fact that he fails to prove it. The revelation of this truth is significant to our understanding of the character John Proctor - his individual crisis and conscience and his love for Elizabeth. Miller develops the idea that the revelation of the truth of John Proctor's affair could end all of the accusations of witchcraft in Salem and bring the town back to order thus making it important.

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Proctor is used to show how one’s goodness can still remain intact after faltering and doing what is wrong. Before the events of the play, Proctor lusts and commits adultery with the antagonist, Abigail Williams, and this burden weighs over him during most of the play. However, he realises that he must do what is right when he proclaims “[a] man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything… it is a whore’s vengeance”(110). Here, John is understanding that it is more important to his honour that confess and attempt to put an end to the hysteria that Abigail has ensued because of her affection for John as opposed to maintaining the secrecy of their relationship, which would be betraying his wife and acting in cowardice. When he does this, John leaves his integrity intact but has sacrificed his reputation as a moral man for the sake of honour.

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Reputation in the town of Salem in 1692 was a major role in daily lives. The society was Puritan that required for everyone to follow the Ten Commandments. These Commandments were taught through church led by Reverend Parris, who wanted all the gold and resources. Throughout The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, many characters gained their reputations through their actions, which become threatened. Certain people in this town lose control of consequences their choices brought upon them.

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