The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is one of the great American tragedies written in U.S. history. With the portrayal of John Proctor, a man who is both a sinner and innocent, finds himself making the difficult decision to tell the truth, no matter the consequences. Despite Proctor being known throughout Salem for his goodness and his courage, a single sin committed leads him and many others down the path of the Salem Witch Trials, an event that had many deaths and was very traumatic to many. While there are some that may argue that the play is not an American tragedy, it is, in fact, one that is not always recognized as such. Miller wrote this play at the time of the Red Scare, where people were accusing neighbors just to try and save themselves. Miller himself was arrested in this time, and took some of what he was going through and what others were going through to help him write this successful play. Although the Salem Witch Trials did happen, there are elements found in the play that are fiction, due to not all facts being completely transparent to those who have lived after the time of it. “In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly- and a Proctor is always marked for calumny therefore” (Act 1). He had an air about him that led people to know what was right and wrong, and what was sensible, and what one should know to do or not to do. He was wise, and the people of the town saw him for his individuality in a town of conformists and for his ability to make
Proctor takes great pride in having an admirable reputation and, like his name, longs to keep it respectable. It took Proctor his whole life to gain the trust of the people in Salem and build
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible focuses on the Salem Witch Trials along with the pointing of fingers that went along with it. Miller wrote this to reflect upon what was occurring during the Red Scare in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The Crucible is written in an ironic and cynical tone mocking the Red Scare.
about the fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that began in the mid-spring of
John Proctor uses his honesty and good moral values to withstand the chaos of the trial, however a tragic mistake he made a couple of months ago lead to his death.
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953. He wrote this because of his personal experiences with the Communist Witch Trials. Miller was known for always sharing his opinion out to the community. During this time Senator Joseph McCarthy play a major role in trying to prevent communism from spreading. Miller was an easy target for McCarthy and was accused of being a Communist. This caused Miller to become one of many victims of the Communist witch trials and her served time in jail. The Communist witch trials was what influenced Miller to write his play about the Salem witch trials in the 1600’s.The Crucible mimicked issues that both societies had. The play also exposed Senator Joseph McCarthy for abusing his political power. The play is mainly
He didn't just believe in everything he heard but used his best judgement to form his option. This connects to my life because I don't take what I hear from people without being able to back it up with
Self-rights had been the main key in his words of wisdom and lessons to those
The hysteria, craze, trials, and deaths, still rest an unsolved case. The theories of politics, rivalries, religion and the “circle girls” seem the most believable, in my eyes. However, as the happenings in Salem village still continue to mislead and amaze not only historians, but many others, the witch trials lie a great turning point for Salem, and the lives of many; let alone
John Proctor is a very friendly man. Everyone likes being his friend. He is open, kind, helpful, upright, blunt-spoken, and just a good, hard-working man. John has lots of faith in God but little in humans. He knows that mankind is good but he also knows that they are weak and imperfect. “Proctor: I’ve heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem”.
As well as, his fate is bigger than what he deserves, though he tried to fix or be forgiven of all the sins he made by confessing. He understands his downfall and is aware of his mistakes (Aristotle). He does try and hide his crime with Abigail. But when it is time to confess, he does not have the courage to be freed and be saved by a lie. All this happening to Proctor makes him a tragic hero, defined by Aristotle. Likewise, Proctor portrays as being a martyr, person who is killed for their beliefs, provided that he was willing to give up his life in order to clear his name so his family will not have to live with his lie, or “sin” as well. Giles Corey also represents this trait, when he does not say a word for his indictment and gets crushed with stones on his chest, asking for more weight. He only does this to “die Christian under the law” and for his sons to have his property (Miller 125). Their purposes were different but similarly, both were sentenced for being a wizard of such or having a deal with the Devil, withholding the lechery part from
John Proctor faces one of his many moral dilemmas to confess to witchcraft in order to stay alive. In making this decision he has to think about his
John Proctor a farmer and village commoner is similarly faced with an inner turmoil. He,
2016: Many works of literature contain a character who intentionally deceives others. The character’s dishonesty may be intended either to help or to hurt. Such a character, for example, may choose to mislead others for personal safety, to spare someone’s feelings, or to carry out a crime. Choose a novel or play in which a character deceives others. Then, in a well-written essay, analyze the motives for that character’s deception and discuss how the deception contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Despite his being an insignificant and non-status-holding member of society, John Proctor is a much-respected man in Salem. However, in determining his fate, he continues to make several critical and irreversible mistakes that harm his reputation. For fear of being exiled in a town where reputation plays such a large role in their daily lives, Proctor initially tries to hide his crime of adultery, but his affair with Abigail triggers a major series of events in Salem, where simple, unproven accusations escalate to a far larger issue: “Abby—you mean to cry out still others?” “If I live, if I am not murdered, I surely will, until the last hypocrite is dead” (Miller 150). In the end, Proctor decides that for the sake of his desperate circumstances, it would be better to admit to his affair, but by the time he decides to reveal his crime, it is too late to reverse all past actions. He is convicted of witchcraft and doomed to be hanged, later, when given a chance to live, he caves in and confesses to seeing the Devil, only to go back even on this last lie, because he does not have the heart to be freed and saved by a lie.
As we know, the pretext of the play is the aftermath of a war, so I