length: 891 words 2.5 double spaced pages the crucible john proctor, a man with pride john proctor plays the leading role in the crucible by arthur miller. A wise woman once said, do what you feel in your heart to be right for you'll be criticized anyway. When the play sets in to action, john has had a past affair with his servant abigail williams. His wife, elizabeth proctor is very forgiving of his sin, but john has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of ruining his good name, and reputation. The affair between john and abigail caused the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. Proctor realizes there is only one way to stop all the witch hysteria in salem, and that would be to confess his sin of adultery.

Also in the beginning reverend paris is new to town, and john insist continually that he is only speaking of hell, and hardly ever of god, as proctor goes on to say to parris, can you speak one minute without we land in hell again? i am sick of hell! miller 30. In the drama, mary warren places a needle in a poppet she gave to elizabeth john firmly demands that mary warren tell the courts that she really put the needle in the poppet that day. Furthermore, at the end of the play proctor is persistent by saying that no matter what anyone says to convince him differently, he would rather die an honest man and save his name. In the beginning john truthfully tells parris why he has not be at church recently, i have trouble enough without i come five mile to hear him preach only hellfire and bloody damnation. There are many others who stay away from church these days because you hardly ever mention god any more.

John realizes that he must confess his sin of adultery to the courts, only to stop the frenzy in salem. After he confesses, he encourages his wife to do the same, elizabeth, tell the truth! elizabeth, i have confessed it! miller113. He confesses his sin, and speaks those words, only because he is looking out for the good of the community, and others around him. Later, his honest shows again when he tells abigail his true feelings by saying that he would cut off his arm before reaching for her again. Proctor accepted the truth for what it was, not because he had to, but because speaking words of truth are actions of an honest and prideful man. The courts want him to sign a legal statement of his actions, to post on the church doors.

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The court feels that if the community sees that an honest man confessed, they will feel that it's all right to confess also. He knows that a false admission would not only dishonor him, but also strain his public reputation and his soul. He has high levels of integrity, by refusing to give up his personal integrity, he feels he will be rewarded eternal life in heaven. John would rather die knowing that he did not give in, and that he stood up for what he knew to be true. Proctor realizes that if he gives the names of innocent citizens they will be hanged.

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So instead he feels he has no choice, but to do the right thing, and die for the good cause. But it's hard to think so pious a woman be secretly a devil's bitch after seventy year of such good prayer. Proctor's decision is not an easy one to make as a famous man once said, the ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. John is saving others lives, saving his name, keeping his pride, and his integrity.

With those attributes, i am sure he was rewarded his prize in heaven 1. a crucible is defined as a severe test. What is the crucible within the play and how does it bring about change or reveal an individual's true character? 2. as a minister, reverend parris is supposed to devote himself to the spiritual welfare of the inhabitants of salem. Is he an effective minister? 3. write an essay discussing proctor's relationship with abigail. Why did proctor have an affair, and what prompted him to end his affair with abigail? 4. compare and contrast elizabeth proctor and abigail williams. What are their individual positive character traits? negative character traits? how do they feel about proctor? 5. elizabeth despises deception. What prompts her to lie? 6. write an essay discussing abigail's plan to get rid of elizabeth. Is the play a fulfillment of the spell she cast in the woods with tituba? 7. write an essay discussing the effects of the witch trials on salem.

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How do the trials affect the community? government and authority? the church? individuals? 8. in act iv, scene 4, proctor agrees to falsely confess in order to avoid death. What is the shred of goodness he discovers? previous full glossary for the crucible the crucible essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the crucible by arthur miller. Gradesaver provides access to 678 study guide pdfs and quizzes, 3587 literature essays, 1196 sample college application essays, 118 lesson plans, and ad free surfing in this premium content, ldquo members only rdquo section of the site! membership includes a 10% discount on all editing orders. The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.

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Joseph conrad the salem witchcraft trials illuminate a great human campaign to rid society of the wicked devil and his sinful. In arthur miller's powerful stage play the crucible, written in 1953 as a metaphor for the mccarthy hearings on communism in america, the idea of conscience is greatly emphasized in many of the main characters. When the crucible opened on january 22, 1953, audiences greeted it with lukewarm applause. What is now arguably the most influential allegorical play on the subject of communism written. The crucible is a fictional retelling of events in american history surrounding the salem witch trials of the seventeenth century. Yet, is as much a product of the time in which arthur miller wrote it the early 1950s as it is description of puritan society.

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The salem witch trials took place from june through september of 1692, during which time nineteen men and women were hanged at gallows hill near salem, while another man, giles corey. Hundreds of other persons faced accusations of witchcraft and dozens more languished in jail without trials. As the play describes, the witchcraft trials began because of the illness of betty parris. Before betty parris fell ill, cotton mather had published memorable providences, describing the suspected witchcraft of an irish washerwoman in boston, and betty parris 39 hysteria mirrored those of the suspected irish witch.

Other girls, including ruth putnam and mercy lewis also exhibited similar symptoms. The parris 39 slave, tituba who was likely a south american arawak indian and not african , immediately came under suspicion. As a form of counter magic, tituba was ordered to bake a rye cake with the urine of the afflicted victim and to feed the cake to a dog. This added to suspicions of witchcraft by tituba, and led to the slave becoming one of the first women accused, along with sarah good and sarah osburn.

Although most of the women first accused of witchcraft were considered disreputable, several reputable members of the community were soon executed, including rebecca nurse featured in the play , and in the most controversial execution, george burroughs, the former minister in salem. One of the most flamboyant of the women executed was bridget bishop, a woman who had been married several times and was known as the mistress of two salem taverns and had a reputation for dressing more 39 artistically 39 than the women of the village. Sir william phips, the governor of massachusetts, created a new court to oversee the witchcraft cases. The chief justice of this court was william stoughton, an avid witch hunter who permitted many questionable deviations from normal courtroom procedure including the admission of spectral evidence testimony by afflicted persons that they had been visited by a suspect 39 s specter and private conversations between accusers and judges. By the early autumn of 1692, the cries of witchcraft began to ebb and doubts began to develop concerning the validity of the charges.

Soon, the educated elite of the colony began efforts to end the witch hunting hysteria that had enveloped salem. Increase mather, the father of cotton, published cases of conscience, which argued that it were better that ten suspected witches should escape than one innocent person should be condemned. A period of atonement soon occurred in which samuel sewall, one of the judges, issued a public confession of guilt and apology, and reverend parris admitted errors in judgment.