What were the changes in John Proctor's character throughout the play "The Crucible"? ( Arthur Miller)

The first step for Proctor to regain his self-respect is when he goes to the court armed with three main weapons in order to free his wife, Abigail’s admission to him that there was no witchcraft, Mary Warren’s testimony and finally, Proctor is prepared to admit that he and Abigail had an affair. This would blacken Abigail’s now saintly reputation and discredit her in the eyes of the court. Even though Proctor’s goal of freeing Elizabeth and putting an end to the hysteria is not achieved, he takes significant steps towards regaining his self-respect. The first step being that he does not stop fighting the false accusations even after he finds out that Elizabeth is pregnant and therefore safe for the time being. He feels he owes a greater duty to the community and proceeds. The second step is that he has now just openly admitted his adulterous lechery; he is no longer a hypocrite. He has publicly embraced his sin.

Proctor has gone from a hot-headed adulterer into a person who truly seeks redemption and to make things right with his wife, Elizabeth. Proctor was not truthful in the beginning of the play, however towards the end of the play he relinquished his pride in order to maintain the truth. Proctor died for what he believes in, he went from a sinner to an empathic hero and finally he became a person with high morals and honesty. Miller is trying to convey through the character, John Proctor, that a person should always stand up for what you believe in, no matter the circumstances. Proctor ____ that outside forces can influence a person’s morals, however those influences do not control the person, you can change the affect influences have. John Proctor’s morals, honesty, and beliefs were questioned throughout the play, only to be strong as ever at the

At the moment, Proctor is content to sign a confession stating he is a witch, though he is not; but once judge Danforth explains that it will be put onto the door of the church Proctor refuses. He cares for his name so desperately and because of this he is okay with townspeople speculating about him, but he will not stand for tangible proof being accessible to the public. Steven R. Centola concludes that Proctor wishes for his name to “not be used to damage [his] reputation,” so that his name will remain clean in the ears of his children and family (Centola). These different displays of pridefulness demonstrate how his own character flaws bring about his downfall.

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

Early in the play, Proctor’s affair with Abigail deeply distresses him, However he becomes a tragic hero later when he displays his integrity and pride. Proctor’s

John Proctor was a truly honest man, as his personality continued to remain unwavering, even when confronted with the harshest situation. Honesty can be defined as the pursuit of vindicating the innocent and ending the Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller explores Proctor’s honesty and its consequences in his play The Crucible. Aggravated by his wife’s false condemnation for witchcraft, Proctor demonstrates his resolve to help her, which will cause the court to antagonize him. Additionally, his desire to stop Abigail’s rampage leads to his imprisonment for witchcraft. Guilty of lechery, Proctor embarks on his final path to redemption, which will lead him to his death. Ultimately, John Proctor’s honesty leads to his downfall.

Proctor has many character traits that contribute to him being so difficult to figure out. His crime of lechery against his wife and his willingness to save her both are intermixed in a tangle of

We see a profound shift in Proctor’s idea of himself as he faces his death, claiming: “for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (Miller 144). With his final decision to not confess to a false accusation, he has redeemed himself by preserving his highly revered honesty, reducing his intense internal guilt, and ultimately restoring his personal honor. Despite being given the opportunity to escape this accusation, Proctor’s honor code compels him to give up his life, thus preventing the accusations against other members of his community from gaining any credibility.

Proctors conflict stems back to his past. A while before the setting of the play, Abagail

When Proctor confessed to adultery to the judge to save his wife showed he was very honorable. “I thought of her softly. God, help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweet”(193, line 865-866)...”My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one.”(193, line 876-877). Even though John Proctor knew adultery was a big and very bad sin he still confessed. He knew it was wrong to let Elizabeth get into trouble when she had done nothing wrong. His actions

He could not see that he needed to be honest about Abigail’s accusations of witchcraft that continued to grow. Proctor's pride brought him sorrow when his wife was accused but it was a turning point to his decision to come clean about his adulterous affair with Abigail. He confessed soon after her accusation, “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name...My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one” (Miller 49)! At this point, John Proctor shows that he is honorable when he puts away his pride to defend his innocent wife. As a last effort to preserve some degree of pride he refuses to sign a confession that would forever taint his

Immediately, from the beginning of the story there’s a very mysterious vibe from John Proctor, he has a natural charisma. As most see him as confident or witty, they do not know anything about his hidden sinful past. Arthur writes, “ Proctor, respected and even feared in Salem, has come to regard himself as a kind kind of fraud.” (Miller 20-21). This quote tells that John does a good job of hiding his past and that know one knows of what he did. Although what he did still bothers him, we can tell that he tries his hardest to push it to the

Proctor is great guy with a great fault. His only fault is his past cheating incident with Abigail Williams, one of the girls in the town. This creates all guilt in the story. He feels incredibly guilty because he is truly in love with his wife. He is honestly trying his best to recover, “ I mean to please you, Elizabeth!’ as it is obviously shown. (Miller, II, 1052).

In this essay I will be comparing and contrasting the ideals of reputation, status, and determination between the characters John Proctor, Deputy Danforth, and Reverend

           During the beginning of the play, John Proctor is hesitant to admit to his affair with Abigail even though his feelings for her are no longer existent. He knows how substantial the consequences could be if Abigail reveals to the town of