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The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Decent Essays

In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the citizens of Salem are accusing each other of witchcraft. The whole crisis begins as an effect of John Proctor 's affair with his servant Abigail Williams. After the affair, Abigail, who is jealous of Elizabeth Proctor, wants to get Elizabeth out of the way so that she can be with John. John Proctor realizes that it is up to him to stop the hysteria and save innocent people. Yet John Proctor waits to confess. John Proctor 's moral lapses propel his search for redemption, a decision that ultimately cost a man of integrity his life. After the affair with Abigail, John Proctor is afraid that his secret will be let out. He is a proud man and he knows that if his secret is let out his honor in the eyes of the town will be lost. In addition to the fear he is also filled with remorse for his actions. His guilt shows that he truly knows what he did was wrong, nevertheless he still lapsed in his integrity. During act one, Abigail and John have a very significant interaction that shows that the sin that they committed on John 's part was a lapse. In a moment of weakness he sinned. When they are alone he tells her, "I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I 'll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind." (Miller 1140). John Proctor does not have feelings for Abigail. His quote shows that he was torn between his physical desires and his emotional desires. This could potentially stem from a lack

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