Preview

Examples Of Strength In The Crucible

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
480 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Examples Of Strength In The Crucible
Have you ever put others first before yourself? In the play The Crucible, there are a variety of people who have inner strength. Inner strength is when you can keep certain things under control that others can't. In other words, inner strength could be addressed as courage. Having inner strength is when someone takes ascendancy of their own actions and feels good about themselves when they act on it. Elizabeth Proctor shows the most inner strength in The Crucible.

First to point out, John Proctor, Elizabeth's husband, had an affair with the reverend's daughter, Abigail. John confessed to the court that the committed adultery and calls in Elizabeth for reassurance. Elizabeth lies for her husband to save him. Evidently, "no." is not what the court wanted to hear. Since she lied, which is a sin, they took her back to the area she was at. Because of her lying to the court to save John, he has been convicted of being deceitful. Her committing a sin to save her husband shows that she had courage in putting her loved one before herself.
…show more content…
It shows that she truly loves John. At the end of the play, Reverend Hale tells Elizabeth to plead with john to save his life. John made up a lie and told the court that he had been seen with the devil. If he signed a contract to show that he was lying, he would've gotten off scott free. Instead he stuck with the original plan and said the lie was true. For that, john was sent to be hung. Reverend Hale exclaimed to Elizabeth to go after him, to plead to save him. But she said that John had his goodness now, and that's all that mattered. Knowing that she would lose her husband, she had courage to put out for him to be happy even if it left her

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Elizabeth Proctor is a kind, caring woman who loves God and has never strayed from the path of the lord. Abigail Williams is a girl who has disobeyed at least three of the Ten Commandments of the lord most notably thou shan’t lie and thou shan’t covet thy neighbor’s wife or husband. Goody Proctor is falsely accused of witchcraft whereas Abigail is the one going left and right accusing people of being a witch. What most people don’t realize is that Abigail wanted John Proctor for herself and would do anything to do so. Elizabeth has done nothing wrong in the town of Salem yet everyone believes the voice of a 12 year old girl. To summarize the story, John Proctor is a man of god.…

    • 235 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the play, Elizabeth has a tense, distant relationship with her husband because he had an affair with Abigail Williams, who is both the Proctors’ antagonist and uses pathos to cause strife between them. Elizabeth still had not been able to forgive John for this, causing their relationship to suffer. However, the accusations brought against them by Abigail force Elizabeth and John to pull together and unite against their accusers. She is able to move past John’s sin when saying, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself” (Miller 138). Elizabeth is able to let John know that she does not hold his sin against him anymore, and he should not as well. Elizabeth also changes from being an incredibly truthful person to one that is willing to lie to save her husband. When John is accused, he tells the court that he has committed adultery with Abigail, and this is why Abigail is accusing him. However, the court does not believe him, so John has Elizabeth brought out to prove to the court that her husband did indeed have an affair. Since Elizabeth has never lied before in her life,…

    • 849 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the proctors marriage it is obvious that John Proctor has committed the sin of Adultery with Abigail Williams and it is also obvious that Elizabeth is very aware of the fact that John has done this. Instead of deciding to make the John’s transgression public to the community, Elizabeth and John remain cordial toward each other. When John and Elizabeth are talking to each other in the prison, Elizabeth admits to John that it is mostly her fault that he committed adultery because she didn’t show John the affection that a good wife should, “Sexuality was regarded as an important part of marriage” (The Puritan…

    • 686 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He becomes selfless and sacrifices his reputation and his life to save everyone else in the court by the end of the Crucible. John Proctor said "You will not judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail. And I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge your own husband anymore. I have forget Abigail" (pg. 918.) In the beginning of the book, he knew he was going to hurt his neighbors from hiding what he did with Abigail, but he was so afraid about the citizens of Salem find out about his affair. John was afraid to tell the judges about his affair with Abigail because Abigail is going to ruin his reputation by charge lechery. John proctor said " I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another." (Pg. 968.) John Proctor tried to speak his own sins, confess he saw the witches to survive, and ask forgiveness for Elizabeth because it will save the others. John Proctor signed a written confession that will be hung on the courthouse door. He knew that will ruin his name and reputation in the society, but he sacrificed himself to save people who are in the prison.…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Act 2 Elizabeth is arguing with Proctor and confesses some concerns she has about Abigail. “Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now—and I am sure she does—and thinks to kill me then to take my place” (Miller Act 2). Here Elizabeth is warily expressing what she fears Abigail stands to gain by implicating her as witch since she’s realized that Abigail is desperate to get what she wants by any means possible. Abigail is well aware of the amount of sway she holds the trials and aspires to put it in good use. This sense of power overtakes her and makes her want for more, whether that is through accusing more people—just because she can—or removing Elizabeth. But Abigail reasons that once she has removed Abigail from the equation she’s essentially won and gained the highest power of all, being by Proctor’s side. This intense focus on Proctor only serves to push him even further away and pushes her closer to the downfall of losing him and herself in the…

    • 697 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Proctor’s hubris caused the problem in the first place and this led to his tragic flaw. Proctor believed that he was untouchable; he believed that he could have an affair, but as long as he apologized afterwards, everything would be all right again. But as the play unfolded he soon found out that his life with Elizabeth and life in the village would never be the same again. Proctor’s affair drove Abigail to plot to get Proctor’s wife Elizabeth out of the picture, so that she could take her place. But she was intelligent enough to realize that if she excused the wife of a well-respected man of the village of conspiring with the devil, no one would believe he and she would be thrown in jail for lying to the court. For she has broken the commandment “Thou shalt not bear false witness” and this was as serious a sin as murder. Because of this Abigail decided that if she filled the jails with people not so respected such as tramps no one would notice one more person passing through the courts. Abigail did all this because Proctor had slept with her. This caused her to believe that he made a promise to her by doing so; she believed that if Proctor did not have Elizabeth he would then love her instead. Because Proctor slept with Abigail he did not just cause his own downfall, but also the downfall of others. One thing Abigail did not think would happen and ruined her conspiracy was for Proctor to stand up in court, blacken his name in the village, risk being hanged, and expose her as a harlot she was. Proctor’s proof of this was his statement of “I have known her.” By doing this he ruined his reputation in the village, but Proctor realizes that his reputation was caused by the illusions people had of him and that he was a really a fake. This was one of the noblest things he done during the play when he tired to save others by destroying himself and was one of the turning points in the play. This also meant that…

    • 1495 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Elizabeth is charged and arrested for “witchcraft”, the dynamic between John and Elizabeth Proctor changes; as well as Elizabeth herself. She grows stronger and confident for herself and her family. She says to John, “When the children wake, speak nothing of witchcraft- it will frighten them”(Miller,37). She is motivated by the love she shares with John to continue and go through the witch trials. Consequently, her love for him makes the situation worse in the long run. Elizabeth lies about knowing the affair between John and Abigail think she was protecting him and his reputation. Elizabeth says to Danforth, “No, sir”(Miller, 50); she lies about the affair to the court thinking she is protecting her husband. John knows she is trying…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.”-Albert Einstein Einstein’s thougts are also found in the play by Arthur Miller, The Crucible. In The Crucible, many characters are asked to compromise their integrity in exchange for their lives. John Proctor was one such character, but he refused to give up his integrity. He wanted to die with a good name in the eyes of the other villiagers. Another of he main characters, Abigail Williams, displays a complete lack of integrity. She lies and cheats so that she can get exactly what she wants with no regard for the safety of the other characters.…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the play, John Proctor in known to have a relationship not only with Elizabeth (his wife) but also his house maid Abigail. Proctor has the power to stop the Salem witch trials at the very beginning by telling everyone that he is an adulterer, but is concerned about his reputation being bad in the society. He does not want to be looked down upon. This shows how society's outlook of people affect the decisions that Proctor makes. Elizabeth knows that her husband was an adulterer but does not tell anyone about this. She thinks that people will look down upon her for not being as attractive as Abigail; she also does not want to ruin the reputation of her husband because her husband’s reputation is her reputation and her family's. Even in court, Elizabeth Proctor does not confess. In addition to that, people had also accused Proctor of being a witch. Proctor would have to lie and say that he was with the devil and name some people that are still with the devil. The court wanted Proctor to sign his name so they could post it on the church door and in reaction 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!” (Miller 143). This…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor Sacrifice

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages

    When Elizabeth found out, she kicked Abigail out and there were great tension between John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor. John was ashamed and because of the affair so he try to make it up but Elizabeth did not forgive him. She says “ I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.” She telling him instead of asking for forgiveness, he should forgive himself. That his own conscience is troubling him in his mind and heart. Yet John Proctor is still a strong man and will fight for his will, for his name and Elizabeth know that he would because she see some good in him still. This shows that the quote is true because John Proctor is not in his comfort zone, yet he struggles to earn Elizabeth trust and will try to do his…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    If a reader looks close enough, there are many examples of courage throughout The Crucible. Courage is not the first word that comes to mind when analyzing most of the characters. However, there are several characters that display an amazing amount of courage. Rebecca Nurse is a perfect example of a character with an exceptional amount of courage. Nurse is an elderly lady who is highly respected in the Salem community. She is a victim of the countless people accused of witchcraft. She was accused of killing Mrs. Putman’s seven unborn children. If she confesses to her crime, she will not be hanged. She is a…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Proctor’s subsequent praise to his wife to please Elizabeth in every way. “Proctor tastes the stew and compliments her, saying, "It's well seasoned", and she responds with obvious pleasure, "I took great care.” Elizabeth catches Proctor in a lie about being alone with Abigail "...If the girl's a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she's fraud, and the town gone so silly. She told it to me in a room alone, I have no proof for it." Proctor’s affair with Abigail made Elizabeth not forgive him and not trust Proctor again, which he is guilty of the same thing. Proctor dreads revealing his sin because guilt and regret already overwhelm him. "I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched." Proctor confessing because people he admires aren’t, but feels he should be hanged because he is a sinner. 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…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In act three of the story Abigail tells everyone how her and John Proctor had sexuall relations, so Danfourth questions Elizabeth to see if she knows anything about it. Before the questioning John told Elizabeth about him and Abigail and he told her to tell the truth and to admit it to the jury that he had committed the crime of lechery. When the day of questioning finally comes Danforth asks if John Proctor has ‘committed the crime of lechery?” and Elizabeth simply replied “no,sir” (Miller 11). Elizabeth lied for her husband even though he told her not to because she did not want to spoil his name to the whole town of Salem . She knew that he could not “live without [his ]name(Miller…

    • 922 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Pride in the Crucible

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Elizabeth Proctor is first founds singing to her children in her kitchen in the opening of act two. This is in contrasts with frenzy at the end of act one. Elizabeth is trying to make her husband turn in Abigail as a witch. She seems sly about it and this exposes her pride. She has pride that she is able to punish Abigail for hurting her. Not this is an unjustifiable pride, but Elizabeth picks on john to do her dirty work to the point John says, "You will not judge me more, Elizabeth….Let you look to your own improvement before you judge your husband anymore"(act 2). The act of the accusation will prove to Elizabeth the affair is over. Elizabeth has a strong sense that she is the only one safe in the issue, for she has done no wrong, who is to accuse her or anything? But Elizabeth's immunity to the trials cause her to get taken to court for owning poppets, which in fact, are owned by her servant, Mary Warren.…

    • 676 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Liar, Liar Pants of Fire

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor is John Proctor's pious wife she is reserved, dutiful and hurt after knowing about John's affair with Abigail. In the play the only sin committed by Elizabeth is lying in court when Judge Danforth asks her “...has John Proctor ever commited the crime of lechery?” and elizabeth replies “No, sir” with pure intentions. Elizabeth only lies in an attempt to protect her husband from being hanged but her only lie leads to the unfortunate death of her husband. This is ironic because compared to Abigail who constantly lies and the result of Abigail's lies are almost equal to this one lie Elizabeth told.…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays