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Who Is John Proctor A Persuasive Essay On The Crucible

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The Crucible Essay Prompt 2: John Proctor
Written in 1952, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, follows the puritan people living in the town of Salem, Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. During the Salem Witch Trials, many people were hung and persecuted as they were believed to be involved with witchcraft and the Devil himself. John Proctor, a man seen differently by the people in the community, somehow became accountable for all acts of witchcraft in the puritan town of Salem.
After John Proctor confessed to adultery with a 17 year old girl, he was considered sinful, yet he continued to stand up for what he believed in and remained strong and selfless even at his worst. In the puritan religion, adultery was looked down …show more content…

Proctor is seen as an honorable man as he cherished his name and was willing to take the most extreme measures, even death, if it meant keeping his good name. After being accused of witchcraft, Proctor is brought into the courthouse. He verbally confessed to practicing witchcraft, but when asked by Deputy Danforth to sign a document confirming his confession, he refuses. When questioned about his refusal he says “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" (133). Proctor does not want his family to know him for this sinful act as he believes a man’s good name is all he has to give to his children. As Proctor continues to refuse the signing of the paper, Deputy Danforth gives him the option to save his life by naming others of the town who practice witchcraft. Knowing that he has already sinned and confessed to adultery, Proctor chooses not to name the people in the town and is hung. Proctor dies an honest, modest, and selfless

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He gave his life for his family name making sure that the people who are going to kill know not to say anything bad about his name. Proctors option of getting hung over telling everyone, which was a act of honor. It was a act of honor because he decided to get hung over letting the whole town know, and see what he had to do to keep his name good and not bad. Proctor did do some bad things, and did try and blame things on people which they did not do because

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John Proctor is seen during the finals moments of the play, giving up his life to save his name. In Act 4, when Danforth tries to hang his confession on the church door, John Proctor tears the paper apart, declaring that his name was sacred and without it being his own, he is not anyone at all. “PROCTOR: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life. Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!

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Either you confess to being a witch and soil your name and disgrace your family, or you plead not guilty and hang for your alleged crimes. So knowing which ever position he held they would both hold life altering affects from there on out, he chose what he thought was right and showed everyone to stay true to yourself in life. Proctor says he could not sign his name away because it would show a bad example for his children “I have three children--how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends” (Miller 143)? Proctor was caught in a catch 22 scenario where either he lives with his kids knowing he was convicted of witchcraft and sold out his friends, or he dies and leaves his children without a father completely. But John Proctor does not take his whole family down with him and decides that just he should suffer the consequences of his own mess.

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The court wanted John Proctor to confess to witchcraft; this was vital for the court, as it would help their case in many ways. For example, it would bring an end to the plots against the court. As a result of giving his name, The court will spare Proctor’s life, but it came with a cost: he must sign a document as written proof of his confession of witchcraft and hang it in the church for everyone to see. He cannot follow through with the greedy desires of Danforth and the others because he “cannot have another name in [his] life” (Miller 207). Proctor does not want people to remember him for what he is not; by giving his name, he tarnishes the truth about himself as a respectable and upstanding citizen, as well as the everlasting effect it will have on his prosperity.

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Proctor's final act of strength comes when he tears up his signed confession, electing to die with dignity rather than sacrifice his name and honor. In an instance of defiance against the repressive forces of the court, Proctor declares, "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life." Miller 143. This bitter statement encapsulates Proctor's unchanging commitment to maintaining his integrity and refusing to defer to the demands of a corrupt

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Proctor is a well respected upperclassman and him sacrificing his life led to his family living a greater life. To the court with great emotion proctor states “ Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143).

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Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”

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How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”. Proctor understands his reputation is at stake. Proctor also knows that it's not just his reputation that is at stake, it is also the lives of his kids, because if he confesses he will lose his land and lose a home for his children. Proctor must make the difficult decision of confessing and living but destroying his reputation or dying with dignity and being remembered as a good man.

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Once again Proctor goes above and beyond to prove his wife is innocent, despite his good name being stepped on. Proctor: “ I have made a bell of my honor. I have rung the doom of my good name- you will believe me, Mr. Danforth!” (Miller 111) By Proctor confessing his sins, his reputation goes down the drain.

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For John Proctor to not give Danforth his name and being hung would give him a sense of moral freedom. Proctor felt as though that through his decision of not pleading guilty, he would be able to die as a guilt-free noble Christian man. With Proctor not giving Danforth his name, Proctor was able to maintain his sense of dignity of his name and would be able to die with the assumption that his children could grow up knowing their father did not succumb to the pressure of their society and that he had died with a charitable Christian name, “I do think I see some shed of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs” (Miller 144). Through Proctor’s success in keeping his name pure, Proctor, along with his wife Elizabeth, were able to realise that Proctor not signing his name to save his life would be more successful in his

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I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (133). Signing the confession would’ve saved Mr. Proctors life but Proctors name means too much to him. He will be remembered as the man who committed adultery if his confession is posted on the church door. Rather than sign away his name to lies and a mistake, he dies to keep the truth and good within his name.

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When he comes to the court about his affair with her, Proctor puts his own name in jeopardy; as a result, he is thrown into prison and accused of witchcraft. After rotting in prison for quite a while, John Proctor concludes that in order to save his life he must confess; however, when he goes to confess Judge Danforth declares that his confession will be made public, Proctor responds in the following manner, “You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me!”

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It Proctor values his reputation, albeit in a positive way (unlike characters such as Abigail) when he says"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name?

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I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 153). This quote truly demonstrates Proctors character as a whole, as he is willing to be hung for the sake of proving his worth to the court. Specifically, Proctor knows he is truly innocent, and wants to make the courts aware of his innocence. His unwillingness to confess to witchcraft, is because of his personal beliefs regarding reputation.

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Proctor even told them he is not something to be used to help them, “you will not use me” (4, 699). Proctor will not allow the town to use his name to save themselves for killing all the innocent people before him. Proctor even pleads with them, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (4, 730). Proctor is saying how the integrity he has is only left in his name since his soul has been sinned.

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