John Proctor Moral Analysis

John Proctor was a man with good reputation in Salem who wished to see justice in his town and was willing to make a compromise to see that justice, this is seen when Proctor is in the courtroom and says “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is. . . . She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance.” Proctor confesses his affair with Abigail, after attempting to expose her without revealing the truth about their relationship as he believes the truth would ruin his reputation. This scene, in the Salem courtroom, can be considered a turning point in the play, where Proctor’s thirst for justice finally outweighs his efforts to keep a good reputation. This allows Proctor to attempt to expose Abigail since he no longer has anything to hide. Although Proctor made a valid attempt to bring peace to Salem by compromising his reputation it came a little too late, instead of Abigail and the witch trials being exposed as a hoax, Proctor is called a liar and he is then accused of witchcraft by the court. Along with making compromises Proctor is able to bring justice by creating a common understanding of the issue at hand this is seen when Proctor says “If she is

Admirable: a word which is used to describe someone whose actions exceed society's moral standards. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, John Proctor is an honorable man whose sin of adultery troubles him, but still sacrifices his life to end the unreasonable prosecution of the people in Salem. He is the most admirable man in the play because he consistently holds his pride despite the litigations against him, which gives him the power to stand up for his beliefs and help others in need.

Proctor was a proud man who seemed to set himself apart from the community of Salem, Massachusetts. No one could have seen him as prideful, as John was a religious man, or so everyone thought. His pride caused him to cover who he really was--a man who struggled with sin. Elizabeth Proctor, his wife, wanted him to admit his sins and put an end to Abigail Williams' scheme that had brought about a witch hunt but John Proctor does not come clean until Elizabeth is among those accused and he feels guilt over his previous relationship with Abigail, the accuser. John Proctor’s pride put him into a painful situation that could have been avoided if he had been honest from the beginning. If he had told the truth about Abigail before the accusations of witchcraft began, he may have saved the lives of many innocent people.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

John Proctor is a noble, honorable man. After being falsely accused of being a witch, he refuses to rat out any of his other friends for compacting with the devil. “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it”. (Miller, 141). Proctor’s reasoning shows that he is an honorable man that has the decency to not betray his friends. According to the crucible, “Proctor, respected and even feared in the community” (Miller, 20). John Proctor has admiration from the townsfolk for not confessing to a lie, and speaking his mind about the witch trials and how the girls are frauds. Even though John is respected and loved in the community, he has flaws that we cannot ignore. A tragic hero must have a tragic flaw, and for John Proctor, some of his flaws are his pride, and lust. “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came near! Or did I dream that? It’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, you loved me then and you do now!” said Abigail (Miller, 22). I see both of John Proctor’s flaws in this quote from Abigail because he refusing to admit that he has any feelings for Abigail or even speak of their affair. “Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby” (Miller, 23). His lust leads him to his affair with Abigail and his pride in his good name is what makes him keep it a secret. Although keeping this secret will have costly consequences for John Proctor..

In court after his wife was accused of witchcraft John Proctor chose to admit his affair to everyone to prove that his wife was correct in accusing Abigail. “Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now (Miller, 189). In this scene the Proctor loses all credibility, he goes from being seen as a well respected and honest man to a liar and a lecher. He forfeited his social status and put himself in danger to protect his wife from being accused of

“If you will have it so, so I will tell it!” (Miller 142). Abigail is threatening him but all he cares about is freeing his wife and proving good to her. “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (Miller 132). John does not want to live if he is not fulfilling who he wanted to be as a man. He believes it is better for his family to remember him as an honorable man who died for them, rather than live knowing that he failed them and himself. He must lead by example. “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (Miller 133). Proctor knows what he decided is the right thing to do, and he feels at peace with himself now. He set an example to follow for not only his children, but the corrupted adults and leaders causing unneeded murders.

"I would say that John Proctor is both flawed and honorable. Proctor had an affair with Abigail when she was a servant in his house. His wife has been unable to forgive him for this, and their marriage is unhappy until his wife, Elizabeth, is accused of being a witch by Abigail. Abigail even tells Proctor what really happened on the night the girls were discovered in the woods, but Proctor doesn't share this news with anyone until it's too late. Once Proctor is arrested for witchcraft, he's willing to admit to the charge, eveon though it's false, in order to save his life. These are all examples of Proctor's flawed character.

In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, Miller introduces a society that values its reputation. The honest, upright, and highly respected character, John Proctor, faces a difficult choice between retaining his good name and confessing his sin of lechery with Abigail Williams. Then he must decide between lying about his guilt in order to save his life and dying an honest man. His honesty, along with his innocence, shows the audience that the judicial system in Salem is corrupted and serves injustice. Proctor is willing to tell the truth even when it is clearly going to ruin his reputation and name in the village.

John Proctor is one of the main characters in this play, he is a noble and honest man who places great pride and emphasis on his reputation. Proctor is a good man with one secret fatal flaw, his past lust for Abigail Williams, which lead to an affair. Throughout the play John never fails to speak his mind or stand up for what he believes in, seen through his belief that his wife is innocent, is belief that his name is worth more than his life and his belief that he has done wrong in his past and Elizabeth is the one he truly loves. John so strongly believes that Elizabeth is innocent that he condemns himself to the court saying that he committed adultery with Abigail in order to prove it. He was willing to risk his own life to save the one he loves, Elizabeth. He stood for what he believed in, which was the innocence of his beloved wife. John also strongly believes that his name is worth more than his life no matter the consequences and when Hale tells him that if he falsely confesses he could live another day all he had to do was sign his name away he could not. He would not let the court have a signed document saying that he was affiliated with witchcraft; he was morally uncomfortable with it, saying, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot

Proctor is a “good” man, who is a religious, law-abiding citizen; hard working and who’s integrity is one of his best attributes. However In act 1, we find out that Proctor has committed adultery with a young woman named Abigail Williams, a servant in the Proctor household. This is the first glimpse that we see of Proctor, and it’s not a favorable one. According to Proctors religious beliefs, having broken his marriage vow’s, he has become a sinner and considered to be “evil”. When Abigail tries to convince Proctor to continue their affair, saying “Give me a word, John.

To begin with, when Proctor confesses to his affair with Abigail while in court, he does so because his sense of integrity demands it. His wife has been sentenced to die. Proctor has a choice to make either maintain

John Proctor is continuously changing throughout the book. In the beginning of the Crucible, John Proctor is very caring and helpful toward Abigail Williams. He does not want to get her in trouble for the affair that they had anymore then he wants to. In Act one John said to Elizabeth Proctor his wife, “I am only wondering how i may prove what she told me Elizabeth…”(Miller 53), this is John standing up for her in a way that won't get Elizabeth hurt by saying that he cannot tell what actually happened between them two. This is him saying how he doesn't want to tell anyone about it because he does not want to get her in trouble and there is no proof of them talking in private so he could end up getting himself in trouble and not Abby. Then,

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. Unsurprisingly, his relationship with Elizabeth remains strained throughout the majority of the play. Also, while they were together, Abigail told John Proctor what happened in the forest, still John does not tell anyone about it until it is too late. Moreover, Mr. Proctor was arrested for witchcraft. He was willing to admit to the charge, even though it is false. Yet, John has been a fair man plus hardworking, he is also an honest man who regrets breaking his marriage vows with wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Ultimately, John Proctor is just a fine guy that made uncommonly poor decisions.

The character John Proctor is a proud man, but a flawed one, and contributes to the ultimate tragedy in The Crucible. John Proctor has a variety of heroic qualities, weaknesses, and compares in different ways with other tragic heroes in the world of literature. He embodies someone who is rooted in good values, but has made big mistakes along the road that has defined him as a character.