Pride In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

One sin that can be linked to the downfall in both The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter is pride. In Miller’s play, the theme of pride influences the character of John Proctor dramatically. While he wishes to save the lives of his friends and wife, Proctor refuses to confess to conspiring with the Devil. When he confesses to his crimes, Proctor is told that it will hang on the doors of the church, which he responds: “I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (Miller 294)! Proctor is risking his life on his reputation by not confessing to his sin of witchcraft. When Miller wrote “I have given you my soul”, He is using Proctor to further elaborate on the severity of the situation at hand. The court is depending on his confession in order to

The result of pride leading to the downfall of a well-respected man is also present in the character of Arthur Dimmesdale. Unlike John Proctor, Dimmesdale wants to confess to his sins. Unfortunately, due to his high ranking position, he cannot bring himself to blacken his own name, slowly torturing himself with the unknowing help of Roger Chillingworth. In the Student’s Encyclopedia of Great American Writers, further elaboration on Dimmesdale's pride is discussed, stating that: “[...] the tormented preacher cannot make himself admit his affair with Hester publicly” (Student’s Encyclopedia of Great American Writers 271). Although it is not stated in the text, Dimmesdale, similar to which is further elaborated on by Mary Diorio. She discusses the issues that Dimmesdale faces, such as how being a preacher and a man of God is pulling him down. Diorio demonstrates the challenge Dimmesdale must face, ultimately deciding that “His fear of losing his good reputation is greater than his love for Hester. (Diorio

wrath fuels the motives of Nathaniel Hawthorne's character Roger Chillingworth. He is infuriated by the fact that Hester had a child that did not follow his bloodline. Mary Diorio summarizes the wrath of Chillingworth by explaining how “[Hester] asks Chillingworth to stop tormenting the sick minister. True to his cruel nature, he refuses” (Diorio 49). Chillingworth refuses to conform to Hester’s wishes. He torments her family by slowly killing off the man she loves, along with being in the town, keeping a close eye on the minister in order to prevent further conception and any communication Hester and Dimmesdale may have had in the past before his arrival. Chillingworth believes that if he cannot have Hester, then no one can. Similar to how Chillingworth thinks, Abigail Williams exhibits the same behavior. Abigail is in love with John Proctor. She wishes for his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, to be dead in order for her to marry him. Abigail, who is one of the children who sparked the conspiracy of working with the Devil and witchcraft, she furthers the accusation of witchcraft by accusing Elizabeth of sticking a needle into Abigail’s stomach with the use of a poppet, elaborated on by Cheever when he states “stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly he draw a needle out [...][Abigail] testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in” (Miller 70). Abigail is adding fuel to the fire by accusing