Preview

What Role Does John Proctor Play In The Crucible

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
403 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Role Does John Proctor Play In The Crucible
The meaning of the word “Crucible” has a huge role in the personality of the characters in the story. A crucible is defined as a severe test or trial. It applies to each character throughout the story, but mostly to John Proctor.. In many ways, the crucible that John faces change his character enormously.

After John Proctor has an affair with Abigail Williams, he is filled with guilt and he does not have the self-respect to forgive himself for what he had done. He is bothered with his disgrace, only because he knows in his heart the one day he will have to confess to his sins and ruin his reputation. There was a trial in court for all the witchcraft going on in Salem. His wife (Elizabeth) is being tried for witchcraft. She was accused by

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    John Proctor is a tormented individual. He believes his affair with Abigail irreparably damaged him in the eyes of God, his wife Elizabeth, and himself. True, Proctor did succumb to sin and commit adultery; however, he lacks the capacity to forgive himself. Unsurprisingly, his relationship with Elizabeth remains strained throughout the majority of the play. He resents Elizabeth because she cannot forgive him and trust him again, but he is guilty of the same thing. In fact, his own inability to forgive himself merely intensifies his reaction to Elizabeth's lack of forgiveness.…

    • 318 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When the play sets into 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. After the affair, Abigail became horribly jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. 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. Although he knows he should, he continues to be determined not to confess. Reverend Parris 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!" 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. Proctor says to her, "You're coming to the court with me, Mary. You will tell it in the court." 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. John Proctor took pride in his thoughts, feelings, values, and his name. It took persistency to make his intent clear to others.…

    • 763 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A tragic hero is somewhere around the lines between things like honor, commitment, and nobleness. In the crucible, John Proctor resembles just what a tragic hero is, he fulfills all the expectations a tragic hero would follow. He had a tragic flaw that follows him along the way which was Abigail, the girl he had an affair with.…

    • 235 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor is the tragic hero of The Crucible. Although he can be cast as the hero, John Proctor causes his tragic face by the end of the play. He had risked his life for others. Caring for others and he had risked his life for someone really important then him. Even his wife, Elizabeth Proctor.…

    • 322 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a hysteria of witchcraft that sweeps across Massachusetts changes the citizens of Salem, transforming some into monsters and helping others to realize their mistakes. Miller’s description of the character John Proctor at the start of The Crucible seems to describe another person as his change becomes more prevalent throughout the play. Proctor is at first consumed with guilt and despair, but he comes to find pride in his name, and he will hold on to the meaning he has finally found in his life for the short time he can.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor in The Crucible is seen as a respectable upstanding man in the town of salem, a farmer who has a respectable wife and kids. Also a faithful man who states in the play that he was one of the men that helped to build the church. Seen as respectable by those in the town throughout the whole play. Parris proves Proctor’s respectability in act four when Proctor is confessing to witchcraft and he says to Judge Danforth “It is a weighty name; it will strike the village that Proctor confess.”(Miller 184) Proving that John Proctor hereby has a noble birth because he is seen as a good puritan man in a great social position in Salem. Though he is greatly respected he is a tragic hero with a tragic flaw and that flaw was lust. Abigail Williams was the proctor’s servant until she was fired by, Elizabeth Proctor, the wife of John Proctor, for being a harlet. John lusted for the young girl Abigail, who thinks that the two of them are in love, and had a short affair with her. John has the affair and after Abigail is fired he tries to avoid AbiGail's affectionate touch beginning in act one.Such a flaw would be considered hamartia, and how he acts after he was caught by his wife would be considered…

    • 1307 Words
    • 6 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
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Crucible, a container that resists hear or the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace. However its connotations include melting pot, in the symbolic sense, and the bearing of a cross. Elizabeth, John Proctor's wife; a cold, childless woman who is an upright character who cannot forgive her husband's adultery until just before he died: she is accused of being a witch. Reverend Hale, a self-proclaimed expert on witchcraft; at the play's end tries to save the accused. John Proctor, a good man with human failures and a hidden secret, a affair with Abigail, he is often the voice of reason in the play; accused of witchcraft.<br><br>"I do not judge you. The magistrate that sits in your heart judges you." This is where Elizabeth suspects that John has committed adultery, but knows how good of man he is…

    • 564 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The many meanings of the word, “crucible” all symbolize the obstacles John has faced in his life. One of the definitions include: a place or occasion of severe test or trial. John Proctor’s life perfectly describes the title of the play. He has experienced a severe test in life including having to admit his affair to the court, his peers, and to his wife who otherwise was oblivious. He also had to admit to the charge of witchcraft in order to save his life, but ruin his name.…

    • 738 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor appears to be an authentic, honorable, and candid man. In act one, Proctor exuberates love for authority and exercises his power to the best of his ability. Readers see through Proctor’s witty persona and analyze his fatal sin that fills him with guilt, his affair with Abigail Williams. In the midst of the play, John Proctor undergoes a plethora of self-torment and guilt. Meanwhile, the witch trials continue to be investigated. Only John can free innocent men and women tried for practicing witchcraft, but in the process will ruin his reputation. Proctor later confesses to his act of lechery and rests in the gallows with his neighbors. By doing so, John is perceived as a…

    • 509 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor's Death

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In the play, John Proctor is an ordinary farmer, who has proven himself a hardworking man, with a good name around the village of Salem. John is the type of man who often says what he believes and he does what his heart tells him to. In his past he has done a lot of good and bad deeds, but he is a human and humans do make mistakes for example, he had committed the crime of lechery with Abigail Williams. Abigail used to work at his house as a servant for him and his wife Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail is a two-faced 18 year old who causes a lot of mischief and she is in love with John and will do anything to separate him and his wife, just to take her place. John clearly regrets the mistake he had made in his life, and does his best to pick himself up and attempts to change things in his life. He is a smart man who is somewhat foolish, because from what I have observed, John puts more importance on the present than he does on the future. He is a kind man who is loyal to his wife and friends; he even blackens his own name for the sake of their lives. He is devoted to stop the hangings, and save the people who are accused.…

    • 1298 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible is a classic tragedy. John Proctor is the tragic hero in the play by Arthur Miller. These events happen in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. There are many pivotal characters in the play but the most significant is John Proctor. He values his reputation and stays true to himself throughout the whole play, is a man of integrity, and is the most relatable character in the story. We love to have someone in every story, play, or even movies and books to love and hate and we love to love John Proctor.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John’s pride and dishonesty is what ultimately bring about his downfall. “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth: I am no good man.” (1352). John’s decision to keep his adultery a secret in order to save his reputation ended up hanging him in the long run. He thought telling the court would put a stop to the witch trials, but it ended up making him look like a liar under oath, which was a hangable crime. These choices due to his excessive pride are what complete the tragic hero that is John Proctor.…

    • 441 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Trials In The Crucible

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    According to the Encarta® World English Dictionary, a definition for the word crucible is a place or set of circumstances where people or things are subjected to forces that test them and often make them change. In the drama The Crucible by Arthur Miller, various citizens of Salem, Massachusetts face the witch trials. Victims were tried and convicted based on only spectral evidence. John Proctor, Giles Corey, and Reverend Hale were a few among the many that went through these severe tests, hardships and trials.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A crucible is a severe test as of patience or belief, a trial. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible is a journey through the trials of many townspeople caused by suspicions of witchcraft. As the story progresses, people’s words and actions cause Reverend John Hale to change his views on whether the people prosecuted were guilty or innocent of witchcraft. As numerous events and their consequences unfold, they cause Hale to rethink his initial views on witchcraft and to be persuaded of the innocence of those convicted in Salem.…

    • 994 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays