The Crucible John Proctor Guilt Analysis

“Guilt is perhaps the most painful companion of death” (Coco Chanel). In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor experiences guilt that eats him up and cannot forgive himself for what he’s done. Throughout the play, John goes through an internal battle with guilt for cheating on his wife. John will end up forgiving himself after enduring so much. In Act 1 John’s guilt begins to develop as we learn of his affair and see the beginning affects. Act 1 begins with the telling of what happened in the woods with Abigail drinking the charm to kill John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth. This shows the jealousy that Abigail has of Elizabeth because she wants John to herself. Then towards the middle of Act 1 John and Abigail come face to face for the first time in the play. At first John is flirting with Abigail by saying things like “What’s this mischief here?”(20). This shows John's flirtation because he says with a smug look trying to get …show more content…
Act 2 starts with John and Elizabeth talking about things such as, Mary Warren, crops, and more. They begin to argue about John’s affair and how Elizabeth is being judgemental when really John is judging himself. Elizabeth ends up calling out John for being the judgemental and how the guilt is making him think that there is no good in him as seen in this quote, “I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you. I never thought you a good man, John” (52). This shows that Elizabeth still sees good in John,but for him to forgive himself he must see the good. Act 3 shows how John’s guilt is causing him to be vengeful and trying to get Abigail to be proved wrong when in the end he just gets up accused of witchcraft. “You are pulling Heaven down and raising up a whore!” (111) This quote is John’s last try to get Abigail taken down as he calls her a whore and says that by siding her they are pulling down