The Transformation Of John Proctor In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Conformity is the thief of individuality and human curiosity. It blinds us from seeing the truth right before our own eyes, ruins our judgment and in the end makes us unrecognizable. What saves us is redemption; being honest, true to ourselves, and realizing our wrong doings. This idea is explored in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, where he tells the story of a superstitious, puritan town in Salem, Massachusetts, where the residents get entangled in a witch hunt which sets off false accusations, hysteria and ultimately death. Through the use of character actions, dialogue, and direct characterization, Arthur Miller uses the transformation of John Proctor to demonstrate that preserving one’s integrity and beliefs is more important than

John Proctor's character actions demonstrate the start of his descent into his transformation. In act one, John Proctor visits Reverend Parris's house where commotion is in play, Abigail attempts to converse with him but he sets “her firmly out of his path”, this is because Abigail, the niece of Reverend Parris, was John Proctor’s mistress seven months ago. The reader knows that Proctor and his wife Elizabeth have been going through problems in their marriage due to Proctor’s infidelity. This adulterous sin of Proctors is reason enough for him to change his ways and start on his path of honesty to not only find forgiveness within his relationship, but also find forgiveness within himself. He no longer wishes to betray his wife or feel the weight of the guilt. This action illustrates his step into moral righteousness as a result of his affair, dismissing Abigail and improving his marriage. Following act

After Elizabeth Proctor gets accused of witchcraft by Abigail and arrested due to the claims, Proctor goes to the courthouse in hopes to clear his wife's name. He uses Mary Warren, who knows of Abigail's schemes, to testify against the treacherous lies the teenagers in the village have stirred up. As the pressure gets to Mary, and she ends up no longer being able to testify in front of the court, Mary says, almost collapsing “Let me go, Mr. Proctor, I cannot, I cannot-” (Miller 109). Enraged by this whole ordeal no longer progressing forward, John Proctor decides to reveal his lecherous sin. He knew of the possibility of him having to announce his sin in order to prove Abigail's ulterior motives for accusing his wife. In abrupt agony, John Proctor shouts out loud calling Abigail a whore, she immediately denies this accusation. Although Danforth is doubtful, Proctor continues to announce in front of the entirety of the court trembling, “I have known her, sir. I have known her” (Miller 110). John Proctor uses this euphemism to embarrassingly confess to the men in the court that he has had an adulterous affair with Abigail, he is also publicly emphasizing that Abigail is not the pure, innocent and changed woman she is trying to portray, but rather an impure woman you cannot trust. The dialogue exhibits his loyalty to his wife, as he has given up his good name and reputation