John Proctor a Powerful yet Powerless Man
Is a life in which everything is predestined for failure in spite of any effort to change it worth living at all? This is the question raised when reading the story “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. This is the story of the quiet town of Salem during the colonial period. The town is quickly thrown into uproar due to wild claims of dancing and witchcraft, and the situation quickly spirals out of control. In this story it seems as if every step the main protagonist, John Proctor, takes to clear the name of himself, his friends, and his family has already been damned to failure despite his most earnest effort. John tries time and time again to be “good” and to save his wife’s life, but every single one …show more content…
John proctor was known throughout the town as a man of good moral standing, and had a reputation of being just. All this seemed to be for naught when Mary Warren baselessly accuses John of being a witch by screaming, “You’re the devils man!” and “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” (Miller 1314). In this scene the very person he asked to clear his name accuses John of being a witch. This goes beyond anything John could’ve prepared for, and leaves him at the mercy of the courts, which at this point in time is a horrible place to be. In the same scene John expresses how distraught he is about his vulnerability in this situation. In a final display of defiance to the injustice that is running rampant in the town John shouts, “I say—I say—God is dead!” (Miller 1315). This shows just how powerless John now realizes he is now that he has been accused of witchery. To the towns folk it seems as if the single most just member of the town has now fallen to witchcraft, and if he is powerless to resist injustice, then who …show more content…
The first way that John is different is in his interpretation of religion. John feels that if he is presented with reasonable evidence to distrust Reverend Parris, then he has no obligation to attend every Sunday service, or have the Reverend baptize his sons. This is shown by the quote: “I’ll like it not that Parris should lay a hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it” (Miller 1277). In this scene John is answering to Reverend Hale who is going from house to house to determine the quality of the character of different members of the town. John explains to Hale why it is his sons aren’t baptized, and why he doesn’t go to church all the time. John essentially says it is because he detests Parris and thinks he is unjust, but because Parris is ordained there is nothing John can do. Despite this Hale judges John for his time spent away form church, and begins to slightly think of him as a suspect. Another difference in John’s character that he is judged for is his inability to throw away is good name. John places a lot of value in being a morally sound human being, and for that reason he cannot help but cry out in opposition to the courts. A quote demonstrating that is: “You will not use
Is a life in which everything is predestined for failure in spite of any effort to change it worth living at all? This is the question raised when reading the story “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. This is the story of the quiet town of Salem during the colonial period. The town is quickly thrown into uproar due to wild claims of dancing and witchcraft, and the situation quickly spirals out of control. In this story it seems as if every step the main protagonist, John Proctor, takes to clear the name of himself, his friends, and his family has already been damned to failure despite his most earnest effort. John tries time and time again to be “good” and to save his wife’s life, but every single one …show more content…
John proctor was known throughout the town as a man of good moral standing, and had a reputation of being just. All this seemed to be for naught when Mary Warren baselessly accuses John of being a witch by screaming, “You’re the devils man!” and “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” (Miller 1314). In this scene the very person he asked to clear his name accuses John of being a witch. This goes beyond anything John could’ve prepared for, and leaves him at the mercy of the courts, which at this point in time is a horrible place to be. In the same scene John expresses how distraught he is about his vulnerability in this situation. In a final display of defiance to the injustice that is running rampant in the town John shouts, “I say—I say—God is dead!” (Miller 1315). This shows just how powerless John now realizes he is now that he has been accused of witchery. To the towns folk it seems as if the single most just member of the town has now fallen to witchcraft, and if he is powerless to resist injustice, then who …show more content…
The first way that John is different is in his interpretation of religion. John feels that if he is presented with reasonable evidence to distrust Reverend Parris, then he has no obligation to attend every Sunday service, or have the Reverend baptize his sons. This is shown by the quote: “I’ll like it not that Parris should lay a hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it” (Miller 1277). In this scene John is answering to Reverend Hale who is going from house to house to determine the quality of the character of different members of the town. John explains to Hale why it is his sons aren’t baptized, and why he doesn’t go to church all the time. John essentially says it is because he detests Parris and thinks he is unjust, but because Parris is ordained there is nothing John can do. Despite this Hale judges John for his time spent away form church, and begins to slightly think of him as a suspect. Another difference in John’s character that he is judged for is his inability to throw away is good name. John places a lot of value in being a morally sound human being, and for that reason he cannot help but cry out in opposition to the courts. A quote demonstrating that is: “You will not use