Explore the Way Miller Presents the Emotions of John and Elizabeth Proctor on the Pages 120-121
Explore the way Miller presents the emotions of John and Elizabeth Proctor on the pages 120-121
Page 120
Miller conveys Proctor’s need to be judged by his wife and to have her opinion. He is accused of making a pact with the devil and wants the right judgements to be made.
This is demonstrated when Proctor says :
"I want my life."
Elizabeth responds: " I cannot judge you, John, I cannot!"
Then later on Proctor shouts: "Then who will judge me ?"
This dialogue between John and Elizabeth shows how Proctor is lost and doesn’t know what to do. He thinks he should confess but he is not too sure. He is hoping Elizabeth will share her opinions with him but she simply denies his demands. She wants him to do what he thinks is the right thing to do. However, she knows in her heart that if her beloved husband confesses, he will never forgive himself, as the most important thing for him is his reputation and his good name.
Finally, as we compare the relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth in Act Two to the actual relationship, we realise it is conflicting: in Act Two, John does not want to speak to his wife, however in Act Four, John is begging his wife to tell him what she thinks.
page 121
Now that John Proctor knows he has no guidance from his wife about what he should do, he decides for himself to simply save his life: In another words, he decides to lie to prevent himself from being hanged.
Danforth then asks him questions concerning who he had seen with the devil.
Here is an example of the dialogue between Danforth and Proctor:
Danforth: "Did you see the Devil ?"
John:" I did"
This dialogue confirms perfectly Proctors confession. He accepts without discussion all the questions asked by Danforth in an attempt to save his life. He is doing what he think his wife and his company, Hale, want him to do. However with his short answers and replies, we still sense the confusion inside him that he has perhaps made the wrong
Page 120
Miller conveys Proctor’s need to be judged by his wife and to have her opinion. He is accused of making a pact with the devil and wants the right judgements to be made.
This is demonstrated when Proctor says :
"I want my life."
Elizabeth responds: " I cannot judge you, John, I cannot!"
Then later on Proctor shouts: "Then who will judge me ?"
This dialogue between John and Elizabeth shows how Proctor is lost and doesn’t know what to do. He thinks he should confess but he is not too sure. He is hoping Elizabeth will share her opinions with him but she simply denies his demands. She wants him to do what he thinks is the right thing to do. However, she knows in her heart that if her beloved husband confesses, he will never forgive himself, as the most important thing for him is his reputation and his good name.
Finally, as we compare the relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth in Act Two to the actual relationship, we realise it is conflicting: in Act Two, John does not want to speak to his wife, however in Act Four, John is begging his wife to tell him what she thinks.
page 121
Now that John Proctor knows he has no guidance from his wife about what he should do, he decides for himself to simply save his life: In another words, he decides to lie to prevent himself from being hanged.
Danforth then asks him questions concerning who he had seen with the devil.
Here is an example of the dialogue between Danforth and Proctor:
Danforth: "Did you see the Devil ?"
John:" I did"
This dialogue confirms perfectly Proctors confession. He accepts without discussion all the questions asked by Danforth in an attempt to save his life. He is doing what he think his wife and his company, Hale, want him to do. However with his short answers and replies, we still sense the confusion inside him that he has perhaps made the wrong