Elizabeth's 'Guilt And Irony In The Crucible'

When John says that Elizabeth is still judging him because of the affair he had with Abigail, Elizabeth says this quote. She is comparing John's conscience to a judge. He feels that she has not forgiven him even though she said that she forgave him. She states that it is his own guilty conscious and heart that he is sensing. Her saying this means she's not very sympathetic for all of his problems.

Elizabeth Proctor’s ironic white lie demonstrates that a robust reputation is helpful, even necessary, for survival. After John Proctor confesses to adultery and admits that the affair was the reason for Abigail’s dismissal, he tells Judge Danforth to summon Elizabeth and confirm the statement as “she has never lied” (Miller 79). When Elizabeth enters the room, Danforth commands her to look only at him, ensuring that she does not refer to her husband for advice or assistance. Elizabeth denies the lechery saying, “My husband—is a goodly man, sir” (Miller 80). When Elizabeth denies John’s adultery, therefore

he mood and situtation that he was in. At the end (Act ]I[) John Proctor was

Irony is the expression of someone’s meaning by using language or actions that are the opposite. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a fictional story based on the events of the Salem Witch Trials and the action of the townspeople causing chaos within their society. The theme throughout the play is that the townspeople’s actions to stop witchcraft consequently lead to more deaths of innocents. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the townspeople of Salem were ironically doing the work of the Devil because they were believing the lying girls because of hysteria and they refused to believe any opposition to the girl’s claims.

When asked why he will not sign the confession, Proctor dramatically replies, “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!” (143, Act IV). John Proctor sees no good coming out of a false confession; even death would be preferable to it. He claims his name is more important than his life and even goes as far as to hold it in more favor than his soul. Proctor implies that his name is what gives him his humanity, “Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!” and his sense of self, “Because I cannot have another in my life!” Furthermore, he attests that, without his name, he would not be able to be a proper model for his sons, “I have three children—how may I teach them to walk like men in the world and I sold my friends?” (143, Act IV). Making a false confession would damage Proctor’s self-worth and integrity enough to make him an unfit father. Yet, as he refuses to betray himself, Proctor sees a glimmer of hope in his conscience, “I do see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” (144, Act IV). Proctors sacrifice does more than benefit Salem, it relives his burden of guilt and preserves his identity. That “shred of goodness” in him is enough to give him the principles to stand up to the unjust officials of the

Another inner quality that defines John Proctor is the value he holds to his good name. Proctor is a firm believer in the fact that one’s name is the only thing that remains after death, and what is done with it while living can affect one’s posterity for generations. This is the driving force behind his actions in the final act of the play. At first, he felt no shame in lying to the court about his accusation of witchcraft because he felt there was no more damage he could do to his reputation and that one more sin would not make any difference. His attitude changed when he realized his confession would mean blackening the name of those who already had died, and his sons would have to live with that mark on their names. He knew he could not teach his sons “. . . to walk like

Guilt is often one of the hardest emotions for a person to overcome. Guilt is one of the few emotions that can hurt someone long after their integrity was damaged. Lying about something or someone, majority of the time makes a person ask themselves “ Did I make the right choice.” However, guilt can be a blessing and a curse. Guilt can show someone the truth behind their actions and make them act upon it. In contrast of that sporadically it makes situations worse. For example in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible one of the main characters John Proctor feels as if he would feel too guilty if he signed his paper confessing his satanic works.He refuses to have this paper hanged on the church door, his emotions overtake him and he rips the document into two halves. Contradicting that statement, Abigail Williams a teenage girl, blames her use of witchcraft on a clueless slave named Tituba and she has no disregard for her actions. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller seems to prove that habitually people would rather hold other people accountable for their actions other than themselves.

This relates to The Crucible. Because at the end of the act two Mary Warren blamed Abigail for getting Elizabeth charged with witchcraft. Because of the doll that was planted by Abigail, Elizabeth was unfairly judged. Everyone has listened to “innocent” Abigail claims, while judging the rest of the people unfairly.

Logically, John is at fault for the affair, because nobody held a gun to his head and forced him to cheat on his wife, and middle-schoolers aren't really practiced seductresses. However, Arthur Miller was using the events of the Salem witch trials to make a point about contemporary society, so he leveled a certain amount of guilt Elizabeth's way (for not holding her husband properly) and Abigail's way (for being the source of all evil). The text gives you room to make any argument you choose. Truth won't hold all of them, but that's fiction for you…

We see a profound shift in Proctor’s idea of himself as he faces his death, claiming: “for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (Miller 144). With his final decision to not confess to a false accusation, he has redeemed himself by preserving his highly revered honesty, reducing his intense internal guilt, and ultimately restoring his personal honor. Despite being given the opportunity to escape this accusation, Proctor’s honor code compels him to give up his life, thus preventing the accusations against other members of his community from gaining any credibility.

John Proctor longs to protect his name. After being falsely accused of witchcraft, out of spite by Abigail Williams, Proctor could easily save himself at the mere price of his reputation by lying and admitting to committing the crime of witchcraft. John battles with himself between doing the honorable thing and hanging alongside his friends for a lie or saving himself from the gallows and living with the burden of knowing that he dishonored his fellow prisoners.Although Proctor does admit to witchcraft, he refuses to sign over his precious name on it. John explains,

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, delineates many acts of self-indulgence and animosity. With clever accusations on one another for witchery, each character is able to derive the conflict away from themselves and appear innocent. A jealous and manipulative girl, Abigail Williams, falsely accuses Elizabeth Proctor for the sole purpose of seeking revenge, so she could have Elizabeth’s husband John Proctor. She is able to withhold her reputation by making herself appear as the victim in the court. Not only was Abigail a model of self cruelty, but Thomas Putnam is also a befitting example. Being a very acquisitive man, he accuses George Jacob for witchcraft to simply gain the land neighboring him. Both characters strive to achieve their goals, but they do it through many acts of greed. In society overall,

As nice and innocent Proctor may seem, he is a sinner and in some ways so am I.

Imagine the year is 1692. In a small Massachusetts town a culture of highly religious folk live in peace. Salem. It´s late January and the reverendś young niece Abigail and only daughter begin to act strangely. Rumors of witchcraft fly through town and fear runs rampant.In around a year 200 people are unjustifiably accused and 20 sentenced to capital punishment. Who is next? The strange widow down the road? The Coreys? In a time of obscured justice, line were crossed and innocent lives lost. In his breakthrough play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller spins a tale not far from the truth.Letting his readers explore a gruesome tale of blind hatred. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Abigail Williams embodies the wrongdoings of the Salem Witch Trials.

Throughout American history, no matter what time period, humans have been categorized, discriminated against, and treated according to their class, financial status, and race. Many concrete and obvious examples of this have appeared throughout the years, ranging from the Salem witch trials in the late 1600’s, all the way to the recent civil rights movements in the 1950’s and 60’s. Social history uses personal stories to show how class/status and race played a part in the way people were treated in America.