Ms. Bazinet

Honors English III

Due date: 10/03/08

The Crucible Essay

            In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, John Proctor is portrayed as a mysterious, secretive man who mostly keeps to himself and his family. John does not attend church often, which the people of Salem look down upon. John Proctor, however, is not one to be concerned with how others view him. He does not follow the crowd and says what is on his mind and stands for what he believes in even if it means standing alone. Some view this trait of independency as honorable, while others, for example the towns people of Salem, dislike Proctor’s rebellious attitude.

            Although Mr. Proctor may seem a burly, strong man, he also has many weaknesses despite his harsh demeanor. One weakness being Abigail, a young woman of the village whom Proctor had relations with. John’s betrayal towards his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, demonstrates his inner weakness. Proctor’s affair with Abigail went on for some time until finally he realized what he was doing was wrong and his guilt overwhelmed him. John’s maturity in ending his relationship with Abigail is the first appearance of John’s inner strength.

            John is also a strong-willed man who is filled with pride. Some view his pride as arrogance, which may hurt him in some cases. With John being so strong-minded, he does not attend church often solely because of his abhorrence of Reverend Parris. John also did not have his youngest child baptized merely because he, “…like it not that Mr. Parris should lay a hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it.” This quote demonstrates both John’s extreme sense of pride and his disgust towards Reverend Parris. Both of which exhibit Proctor’s inner weaknesses which prove to be difficult to overcome later on.

            John took on a sort of disobedient and enigmatic reputation as he grew older within Salem. Since most do not see him often, even at church, suspicions grow rapidly especially during the beginning of the witch trials. John remains rebellious by not being afraid to defend himself or go against the current. For example, he does not believe the Devil is in Salem and refuses to go along with the girl’s idiotic accusations even though then rest of the town is. John could easily join the town by going to the trials and pointing fingers at innocent people, but he remains adamant with his beliefs and refuses to take part in it. John’s adamancy demonstrates that he may be frowned upon in Salem, but continues to fight for what he believes in and does not cave into his fellow townspeople.

            John exhibits courage and inner strength by ceasing his relationship with Abigail and fighting for his wife while she is being wrongly accused of witch craft. He supplies evidence to the court and stands by Elizabeth’s side even when the future seems hopeless. Proctor is also a reliable friend to Giles and the other men whose wives are wrongly accused by fighting for them as well. Despite the fact that it is not his responsibility and even though he knows he has to sacrifice his name and possibly his life, John Proctor never falters. For example, he admits to committing lechery with Abigail Williams in order to save his wife and the other wrongly accused from being hanged. John confessed in order to show the courts that Abigail is a liar even if it means he has to go to jail for it. Mr. Proctor’s courage, reliability, determination, strength, and kindness demonstrate that even though he has not always lived up to the standards of society, he is still a decent man with the right intentions.