John Proctor's Trial

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.

Still at the Proctors’ house, two officers of the Court arrive to arrest Elizabeth.  They search the house and find the poppet, which contains a needle, and Elizabeth learns that Abigail has charged Elizabeth with attempted murder. Poppet’s were seen to be an act of witchcraft, like a voodoo doll in today’s time. Abigail has been stabbed with a needle whilst in the Parris’ house. Proctor pleads with Mary to testify against Abigail in Court because Mary was the person to make the poppet.  Mary is reluctant to do this because it would make her at odds with the other girls.  She is aware of Proctor’s affair with Abigail but again Proctor again does not wish to face up to his responsibilities and thinks he can make Mary appear in Court against Abigail, but she warns him that Abigail will accuse him of lechery. All too slowly, Proctor has come to the realisation of Abigail’s obsession with him, and this may cost the life of his wife, who is completely innocent. He is angry at his wife’s arrest, and accuses Hale of being like Pontius Pilate, but what he fails to realise is that he too has been like Pontius Pilate, trying to escape involvement in the affair by persuading others to act for him. It is only now that he comes to the conclusion that he will have

I believe that John Proctor from the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller should have been proven innocent. John Proctor (March 30, 1632 – August 19, 1692) was a farmer and tavern keeper in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was the son of John Proctor, Sr. and Martha Harper. He was hung to death on August 19, 1692 in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony during the Salem Witch Trials after being accused and convicted for witchcraft. (John_Proctor_(Salem_witch_trials).

While in court one day, she sews a poppet for Elizabeth and leaves her needle in there. Abigail sees this and later at dinner, she stabs herself with a needle and accuses Elizabeth of doing so. This results into the police going to the Proctor household and questioning Mary about the doll. “Why, I meant no harm by it, sir.” Mary admits that the doll is hers, and tells Cheever that the cries of witchery are all pretense. This all leads to John convincing her to tell the truth. Mary tries to take responsibility, to help, but nobody believed her. Even though she did take responsibility for her actions, Mary had to lie in the end to save herself.

When she sees Marry Warren sewing a poppet at court, she seizes the opportunity to persuade more villagers and later pretends she is stabbed by Goody Proctor's familiar spirit. At the Proctor's house, Cheever tells John Proctor and his wife, "And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out." This quote describes a moment in the play when the other characters, particularly John Proctor and his wife, realize just how successful Abigail Williams has been in deceiving the other villagers. Even though Abigail is barely present in Act II, Miller uses quotes like this to show how Abigail covers her deceit with partial-truths so that it appears more realistic and palatable to a bystander. When John Proctor demands that Marry Warren tell the court where the poppet came from and how Mary, and not his wife, stuck a needle in it, Marry Warren cries, "She'll kill me for sayin' that! Abby'll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!" This quote once again shows Abigail's influence in the court and the power she holds over many people. Even the thought of going against Abigail, a girl who Mary Warren was friends with, scares Mary Warren because she knows that Abigail will easily deny the charges as she has come up with an diabolically clever

Abigail on the other hand wants John to love her as he loves his wife and wants Elizabeth gone. “With bitter anger; Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be-” (Act 1, 23). Abigail felt distraught and angry at John when said that he will never see her again as she continues to talk about his wife so John feels guilty among himself. Abigail as well made a poppet in church for Mary Warren to give to Elizabeth as a “gift” although she had stuck a needle in the bottom of the dress by the belly. Abigail earlier that morning had been seen having a needle shoved in the exact same location. “She'll kill me for sayin that! Proctor continues toward her. Abigail charged lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!” (Act 2, 80).Handing Elizabeth with a poppet inserted with a needle was the most clever way for Abigail to charged Elizabeth of imposing with craft upon her. Knowing Mary Warren is afraid of her she took advantage of it to steal John Proctor from his wife.

Because of Abigail's twisted plot of sticking a needle in herself to signify Elizabeth's "familiar spirit" pushing it in, and Cheever finding a poppet in the Proctor's house, Elizabeth is charged with murder. Proctor realises what Abigail is trying to do, and feels remorse, as he is partly at fault for his relationship with Abigail. "I'll not give my wife to vengeance."

Additionally, Proctor demonstrates characteristics which lead to his moral downfall as he attempts to use every possible avenue to circumvent the consequences of his adultery. Proctor manipulates Mary Warren into accusing Abigail of pretending to be afflicted by witchcraft. Proctor informs Judge Danforth that “[Mary] has signed a deposition [stating] that [the girls’ actions] were pretense” and therefore Abigail cannot be trusted (Miller 82). This signifies the reality of Proctor’s moral downfall because he further involves innocent Mary Warren in the trials. Resulting from Proctor’s insistence that Mary speak her mind about Abigail, Mary experiences a series of painful and humiliating events.

Mary resorted to self- preservation because of the ear instilled by Abigail. Mary wanted to confess to faking and tell the truth. Mary was a loyal worker for the Proctors and when Elizabeth Proctor was accused of being a witch Mary’s conscience weighed upon her heavily.When one of the girls that was caught dancing, Betty, fell ill Mary felt guilty, “MARY WARREN: Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery's a hangin' error, a hangin' like they done in Boston two year ago! We must tell the truth, Abby! You'll only be whipped for dancin', and the other things!” (Act 1, p.144-147). Mary Warren felt the blood of the hangings on her hands and wanted to come forward and tell the truth. Abigail would not let that happen because she was too concerned about the repercussions and her reputation getting ruined. Mary was stuck between John Proctor begging her to confess and Abigail threatening her life if she did. Marry ended up taking Abigail’s side in order to save herself in the end by incriminating John Proctor, “MARY WARREN, hysterically, pointing at proctor, fearful of him: My name, he wants my name. “I’ll murder you,” he says, “if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court,” he says!””(Act 3, p. 110). At this point Mary was so confused by the violence in the situation she cracked under the pressure. Then, Mary Warren turned and accused John Proctor of threatening murder, twisting the truth in order to save herself. By saving

Mary Warren’s behavior foreshadow about her testimony in court by giving Elizabeth a doll she made, “a popper,” which later leads to her arrest. They found a needle inside the doll, in the same spot Abigail was stabbed in. She seems to be manipulated by Abigail, due to the fact that she feared to have to testify against her in court. “She’ll kill me for sayin’ that! Abby’ll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!” Mary kept saying over and over again that she cannot, which also indicates that she knows that Abigail will do something terrible to her.

Who do you think was one of the major people who ended the Salem Witch Trials? John Proctor was a star character in the salem witch trials and I think that John Proctor was the Person who proved that the trials were bogus. Proctor had a positive impact on the Puritan Salem because his execution ended the salem witch trials.

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

People lie constantly so they can get what they want. As Mr. Cheever enters the Proctor house to prove that they have a poppet with a needle in its stomach. Elizabeth Proctor is under arrest due to the proof that Mr. Cheever found. Hale educates the town that “Abigail were stabbed” and “[there were] a needle stuck into her belly” (Miller 76). Abigail uses the needle and the poppet to get Goody Proctor in trouble. She uses this to be hurtful and vengeful to Goody Proctor. She is so jealous that John Proctor is choosing Goody Proctor; she does everything she can to make herself happy.

Proctor wants her to go to the court and tell them the girls are lying about their accusation against Elizabeth. She is so scared of what Abigail might do to her if she told on them that she just

A wise philosopher named  Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “even today a crude sort of persecution is all that is required to create an honorable name for any sect, no matter how indifferent in itself.” People who are guilty of nothing spend their entire lives trying to uphold an honorable name, but depending on the circumstances they may have to sacrifice their life in order to do so.  In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people in the town of Salem, Massachusetts are put through severe trials to see if they are guilty of practicing witchcraft. Many people are falsely accused, but decide to confess to something that they never did to save their own lives. By confessing, they are throwing away their name and reputation. John Proctor is among the many who are wrongfully accused. He must make a challenging decision whether to die honorably or to live with a slandered name that would affect his children’s future. John Proctor’s great dilemma changes throughout the course of the play because he faces having to appeal to Abigail, his wife, and the court all while attempting to uphold his respectable reputation.