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In the short play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller The character John Proctor also known as Goody Proctor is both a husband and father and a mild aged farmer in his thirties. He is the protagonist of Arthur Miller 's play. The play is set in the puritanical town of Salem and expectations of their cultural background which is Christianity. Proctor’s main motivation is to protect his wife and family after committing adultery to Abigail and to prove his wife not guilty of witchcraft. He isn’t overly religious but he is a stubborn outspoken man.
The Crucible People that are challenged by fear usually go into a fight or flight method. Some will either stay in the situation to fight or will either flee from being apart of the whole situation. The Salem Witch Trials began in February 1692 and went until May 1693. More than two hundred people were accused of practicing witchcraft. At least twenty people were executed for not pleading guilty to being a witch.
There has come a time in everyone’s life when their character was called into question, or someone accused them wrongly of something they did not do. This puts a person’s morality on the line and tests whether they will do what’s best for them or the masses. The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows the characters John Proctor, Deputy Governor Danforth, and Abigail Williams going through this same test. The play provides a narrative on how people choose to value their own reputation and honor over protecting the lives of themselves and others.
You can see that John Proctor is a good man, he tries to help everyone and he does not meddle in the lives of others, he is considered an upstanding member of the community. John Proctor is a hardworking middle aged farmer, husband, and father. People love and respect him although they know he is not without human failing. For example with Mary, when the Counsel take Proctor’s wife, He starts to scream at her and almost hits her. I understand that he doesn’t want to lose his wife but, he can be gentler with her or when he has an affair with their teenage servant Abigail Williams, a girl that tells lies, manipulates her friends and the entire town, and eventually sends innocent people to their deaths.
Calvin Coolidge once said “No person was ever honored for what he received. Honor has been the reward for what he gave.” Honor has always been a questionable and controversial topic. An example of that being The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The main character of the play, John Proctor, is often seen as extremely honorable for his actions throughout the play.
[Proctor, his eyes full of tears:] I can… for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs” (1164). Proctor faces an internal struggle throughout The Crucible in that he believes himself to be irredeemably sinful. He and Elizabeth both know of his affair with Abigail. Meanwhile, Proctor also chooses not to go to church on Sundays because he dislikes Parris and his ways.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is accused of performing witchcraft and contracting with the Devil. He is faced with the decision to either confess to or deny the accusations. Ultimately, Proctor chooses to deny the accusations and dies a martyr. Proctor’s decision to sacrifice himself is justified because he protected the reputation of those who died and risked being arrested to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor’s death is justified because he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the reputation of others.
In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", John Proctor is our passive protagonist as he tries to save his wife and others that were accused of witchcraft. Unfortunately, his attempt was in vain and his evidence had backfired. His knowledge did not stop the witch trials because of his self-respect, and the children's high reputations, and Abigail's tactful nature. John Proctor valued his self-respect because it made him confident and helped him stand up for what he believed in. John proctor's name was synonymous with honor and integrity and was most respected in Salem.
In the beginning of the play he is shown to be an influential character and stands up against what he believes is incorrect. Proctor always had a dislike towards Parris due to his mercenary acts as a man of God, Parris: “Mr. Corey, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year! I am not used to this poverty; I left a thrifty business in the Barbados to serve the Lord. I do not fathom it, why am I persecuted here? I cannot offer one proposition but there be a howling riot of argument.
He refused to attend weekly Church meetings because he believed that Rev. Parris was an unsuitable puritan minister. Proctor knew that the puritans were supposed to be abstemious, yet “[Parris] preached nothin’ but golden candlesticks”(page 65). Afterwards, by claiming, “I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door,” Proctor proved his piety by implying that building a Church is an honorable deed. Clearly, Proctor managed to show both pride and honor simultaneously, illustrating the distinct characteristics of each in separate events. However, when conflicts arose, he had to choose between the
Is John Proctor a good man? From the very beginning of The Crucible, he has shown himself to be a charismatic and powerful man who is not afraid to state what is on his mind. These traits would make him out to be a righteous man to question the motives of those who accuse others of witchcraft. But his affair with the young Abigail Williams taints him because of the facts that he is hypocritical over the same sin he committed. However, in the end, John Proctor proves to be a good man with pure intentions...
John Proctor is a good man despite anything others may say about him. He displays three very noble qualities throughout the witch trials which are bravery, honesty, and an overall goal to save lives even to the point where he sacrificed his. While many argue John is a bad man because he committed adultery they are entirely mistaken. Just because he had one bad sin gives no right to anybody to call him a bad person when clearly the good side of him is shown more than the bad. John Proctor is a good man who displays the characteristics of a hero and could be seen as one for giving his life for his friends.
In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.
John Proctor: Good or Bad? In The Crucible by Author Miller protagonist, John Proctor is a man who makes bad decisions. However, his good deeds outweigh his bad decisions. John is a good man with a good heart.
However, this does not hide that fact that John Proctor regularly skips church and leads people to question his devoutness to the Puritan lifestyle. Proctor dislikes Parris because he is only self interested in that all he cares about is his money and his well being. Although others see this as well, they also believe that Proctor is not a devout puritan. John Proctor does not like Reverend Parris. One reason for this is that he only seems to care about his money and himself.
