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How Does John Proctor Tell The Truth In The Crucible

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Vladimir Lenin once said “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.” When we as human beings lie enough, we start to convince ourselves that the tale is true. Author Miller wrote a play called The Crucible where he introduces us to characters going through tribulations, intwining themselves in a web of lies. Many of them are bombarded with words that make them convict themselves of things they did not do. When asked “are you a witch” if the answer was not “yes sir, but I want to come to God now” then they were to be killed. Through out the story the author proves that the truth does not always bring freedom by showing us John Proctor, Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris and Mary Warren. In The Crucible, John Proctor discovers that the truth …show more content…

Reverend Parris was having a conversation with Abigail about what happened in the forest. He was very confused about the answers he was getting from Abigail, and if they were true why was Betty still asleep? Parris told her that if she did not tell the whole truth he could not go and disclaim the accusations of witchcraft if he did not have all of the truth. She replied by saying “We did dance, uncle, and when you leaped out of the bush so suddenly, Betty was frightened and then she fainted. And there’s the whole of it. ( I. 69-71). If she were to tell everything it would lead to death, and she knew if she just simply told half of the truth it would only end in a whipping. In conclusion, abigail had to lie to her uncle to protect herself from being thrown into jail. All throughout the story of the crucible Reverend Paris is so overly self-conscious about his reputation he only cares if his version of his truth sets him free. During the court he would always butt into conversations and push them into the direction that he wanted, by saying things like “They’ve come to overthrow the court, sir!” (III. 156) which would throw the whole court into a tizzy and direct any type of accusation towards him in a opposite direction. Parris needs has to always be on his toes and wonder if the lie he told is going to get him through the rough patch known as the salem

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This disgusting behavior seen today is also seen in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is the story of a young Puritan woman in 1692 Massachusetts who made false witchcraft accusations in an attempt to save her life and to end a rival’s life. While her actions are horrific and the cause of numerous deaths, the actions of the adults around her that enabled her lies to cost lives are despicable. Through his dishonest characters, specifically Reverend Parris, Judge Danforth, and John Proctor, Miller exposes the evils of lying to save one’s name and the destruction that inevitably ensues.

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A crucible can either be defined as a vessel of heat resisting material used for high temperature chemical reactions, or a test or trial of the most severe and decisive kind. In the Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem Witch Trials. Witchery is thought of as evil by the puritans living there. Witchery was believed to be linked with the devil, and bad luck. In the film version of the crucible, when someone was accused of witchery, by a group of girls who claimed to be able to see the devil with them, they were brought to court.

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Reverend Parris, worried for his own job, explains to Abigail that her “punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it.” Even the idea of witchcraft in Reverend Parris’s house could ruin his reputation in the town and therefore risk his job. By Betty being ‘afflicted’, she is holding power over her own father and his position in the town. She knows that the longer she is asleep, the more desperate her father is going to be blame someone for the witchcraft who is not her.

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Nothing that John Proctor does is enough to erase the sin that he has committed against his wife. His guilt causes him to fake affection for Elizabeth. He is trying to relieve his guilt with words but they are nothing when Elizabeth suggests that he goes to Salem to tell the court that the girls were faking, he cannot. “If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not the way to prove she’s a fraud” (Miller 51). John knows he will have to accuse Abigail the girl that he slept with, he knows the power that she has over him.

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In the Crucible there were a lot of conflicts with John Proctor and the rest of the town. What were the reasons for john proctor's decision to destroy his confession at the end of the crucible? consider the decision from multiple perspectives and defend your position while clearly defining the counterclaims. At the end of the crucible john proctor made a big decision by confessing his affair with Abigail because he sees that Abigail has gained control of the court, and the judges didn't believe mary warren's testimony. He felt forced to admit his affair with abigail in order to spare his friends wives friends. but john proctor holds information that can help his friend to not be executed.

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Reverend Parris was the only one in the room when his niece was afflicted and has not countered Abigail’s accusations. The only proof the court needed to question Elizabeth was Abigail’s testimony and the proof of her wounds. Also, Cheever continues on to say that Abigail “screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear”, using personification to show the severity of her wounds and the seriousness of the circumstances (74). These lines all connect back to the idea that superstition is growing in the town of Salem and anyone will blame an innocent person if it means they are not convicted or suspected. The church and the courts during this time period in Salem believed itself to be quite superior and consistently correct from both the factual and spiritual outlook.

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The end of the Crucible is very suspenseful when the protagonist, John Proctor, is faced with choosing between confessing to a lie or dying for the truth. At first, Proctor is hesitant and signs the papers, confessing himself to evil, but before the signed paper is collected by the court, he tears it apart and is sentenced to death. This was his best option, for it stopped him from living a remorseful life. His decision to tear apart the signed confession was the most correct not only for himself but for his family and the community as well.

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Abigail William’s age was raised in order to make the romantic relationship between John Proctor and Abigail practical. Similarly, John’s age was lowered to add to the emotional effect of his death. On the other hand, Reverend Samuel Parris’s character was not altered because the historical Parris already embodied the characteristics that Miller desired for the story. Overall, the changes Miller made to the characters helped to shape The Crucible and allowed the reader connect to its historically-based

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Reverend Parris had no intention of admitting witchcraft was performed in Salem until Reverend Hale arrived . When the doctor in Salem said that no natural cause was behind Betty’s illness, Reverend Parris said “There be no unnatural cause here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that,” which shows an ironic view of how hopeful Parris was that witchcraft was not in Salem (Miller,9). But when Reverend Hale arrive, he put the suggestion in quick-witted Abigail’s mind that witchcraft could be used as a scapegoat to get out of trouble. Hale prompted Abigail with questions such as “what sort of dancing were you doing with her in the forest?”

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Does your word mean anything to you? Does what you stand for as a person mean anything even when someone tries to take it away from you? A word John Proctor lived by, integrity, which stands for honest and moral. The religious background adds to more for their moral compass so they will go to heaven and not be sinful. The author of this play Therefore, to die for the truth is better than to live a lie.

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