John Proctor Ethos In The Crucible

In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible preserving one’s reputation is a major theme. The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, revolving around witch trials in 1693. In the play there are two men, John Proctor and Giles Corey, whom of which both try to protect their good name and reputation. Throughout the play they portray the idea of protecting their reputations.

People’s true character is revealed through their actions. Their morals and ethics can be told from how they choose to act in a situation. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; the character of John Proctor is an honorable man despite having committed wrongful acts. He was able to redeem himself through acts that is considered courageous, such as when he refuses to contribute to the lie of witchcraft in Salem, when he fights for the people who were convicted of witchcraft and when he regrets being a dishonest man.

In the play “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller, demonstrates a them that is represented in each character in which they all treasure the most, and that is reputation. Abigail Williams is charged with participation in which craft, and tries save herself by confessing to the court all of the names of the girls she seen with the devil. Reverend Parris is worried about his status in Salem because he is worried that the rehearsal of witchcraft was in his home, and that it might ruin him. Lastly there’s Judge Danforth, and he wants to prove to all and others in the court that he knows how to do his job and he wants respect from the town of Salem. Reputation is a key theme in this play because reputations is important to human lives as well. We all want to be known for great successes and at times we feel that we want to be accepted in society, just like these characters.

Reputation is a social phenomenon for individuals in every society. Every one of us cares how we are viewed at some point, and everyone else provides that view. Reputation has transformed largely over the centuries, and we can see a large theme of it in Puritan-based literature such as Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In the Puritan lifestyle, reputation was among the utmost importance to citizens. Keeping a good name through correct moral conduct was a very critical social aspect for Puritans. In The Crucible there is a strong theme of the importance of reputation which directly applies to John Proctor, Abigail, and Reverend Parris.

The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Purist Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 suffered from a rapidly increasing phenomenon: witchcraft accusations and trials. The Crucible is a play that recounts the times of this incident. For the most part, it follows a man known as John Proctor. He is a sensible, honest, and hardworking man who made the mistake of succumbing to lust which sets off a chain of events that leads to the witch trials, and to his own demise. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible’s protagonist John Proctor proves to be a flawed human being who struggles to make sense of his past relationship with Abigail, his love for his wife, and his pride.

In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, the notable writer successfully argues that the people in Salem rely too much on their reputation by creating a connection to the audience in order to convey the message. He does this in hopes of informing the world that in times of hysteria, reputation means nothing. To prove the argument, Miller uses ethos by developing his credibility when he explains his very own knowledge of the historical situation. Also, the appeals of logos and pathos are evident when illustrating the value of reputation within the play through the characters’ tones.

Arthur Miller introduces a dynamic character, John Proctor, in his play The Crucible. John, known for his loyalty and detest of hypocrisy, is involved in the adulterous action of cheating on his wife Elizabeth with their housekeeper, Abigail. The question of if John Proctor is a tragic hero surfaces as his downfall is followed by the very truth of his hidden affair. In Miller’s essay, Tragedy and the Common Man, he challenges the basic definition of a tragic hero and explains how the common man could be in the category of a hero. Based on Miller’s arguments, it is apparent that John Proctor encounters the situations that makes someone a tragic hero, and therefore can be considered one.

In comparison to modern day terms john proctor was the “cool guy” of the town. He had

Many people cherish their reputation, what other people think and believe about someone is crucial in today’s society. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is centered around the theme of reputation. One’s name is tremendously important in Salem, where someone’s social standing reflects their ability to follow religious rules and obligations. In Salem, reputation far surpasses the truth. Majority of the characters in The Crucible would rather die than risk damaging their “good” name. When witchcraft accusations start spreading through the town, one’s fate is determined by their reputation. John Proctor and Abigail Williams are both perfect examples of this, both risking everything in attempt to protect their tarnishing reputations.

The word “crucible” is also used to describe a severe test or a hard trial. In the town of Salem, Massachusetts chaos erupted with witchcraft. Many were accused, hanged, and jailed by this phenomenon. Unfortunately, various people faced difficult trials throughout this episode, one of them being John Proctor. John, a married Salem-born Puritan who owned his own piece of land, encountered many tragic events during the witch trials. He faced the internal conflict of remorse due to his dishonorable crime. Not only did he face an internal conflict in the play The Crucible, he faced a variety of external conflicts, such as the continuous reminder of his sin directed by his wife; also, John experienced the religious disagreement with the minister of Salem.

Despite outspoken personality and qualities as a critical thinker, John Proctor is far from being a perfect human being. In his notes, Arthur Miller describes him as a sinner, "a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct." (P.20) Similar to Jesus who was tempted in the desert and taunted by the pharisees, Proctor's journey is riddled with hardships. He strives to overcome them and to follow his moral compass over the course of the novel. When Abigail Morris seeks him out after being fired, he has the courage to overcome his lust and to end their relationship. He boldly claims: "I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again" (P.22) Moreover, he spends months trying to regain

In The Crucible, John Proctor the protagonist, becomes a victim of the witch trials when his wife Elizabeth, is accused of witchcraft. In order to free his wife, Proctor must convince Judge Danforth of his wife’s innocence. Judge Danforth does not sign condemnations lightly and takes meticulous inspection of his cases to determine the guilty party. It is because of Danforth’s dedication to the law and the truth that Proctor utilizes ethos and logos to persuade him. However, due to the nature of witchcraft, ethos and logos are not effective arguments and Proctor eventually resorts to pathos to convince Danforth to free his wife.

In this play The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist, faces several inner conflicts also called Crucibles’. This is created by the events of the story, but much of the play's drama springs directly from Proctor's moral anguish and in his conflicted faith. Now Proctor is a farmer in his thirties, well known in the Salem community, full of integrity and an honest man. He is full of pride and never wants to go to Hell. As seen in Act 1 when Reverend Parris is new to town, John insist continually that he is only speaking of hell, and hardly ever of God, he tells Parris, "Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!" (Miller 30).

“Character is like a tree, and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing,” Abraham Lincoln. A good reputation is accompanied with many perks, but in seventeenth century Salem, reputation was what allocated a person their rights. The Crucible, written by the critically acclaimed playwright Arthur Miller, focuses on the importance of a good name, and the dire consequences of a bad reputation. Miller effectively uses the protagonist John Proctor, and the antagonist Abigail Williams, to convey the impact of reputation during the Salem witch trials. He positions his audience to understand his ideas about reputation through the gender roles, relationships, and symbols in the play.