Essay On John Proctor Reputation

Improved Essays
The Many Ways Proctor Could 've Kept His Reputation In Arthur Miller 's The Crucible there are many people accused of witchcraft and are essentially put to death because of these accusations. The reputation of each person in the little town is so crucial it 's almost ridiculous. One of the main characters who really needs to watch their back is John Proctor. He may seem like a guy who just does his own thing, but he actually has a large role in keeping a clean reputation. Reason being, Abigail wants him to want her, she wants his wife to "go away" and she wants to take her place in John 's life. There are many things that John has to watch out for during the play. When beginning to understand the importance of reputation, there are many things that should be taken into consideration. For example, simple actions that one takes may strongly influence their reputation. John Proctor must carefully watch his actions to help keep his reputation clear. Also, it strongly depends on the crowd in which they are worried about their reputation. If the whole town is judging John’s reputation that is a bit larger than say his kids and family. For example, many teenagers struggle with reputation in their schools …show more content…
There comes a time when the court formally asks John if he had committed adultery against his wife. He says yes and admits to it, which then leads them to bringing in Goody Proctor. Since she is in jail, this is an easy task. Of course she does not know what has been discussed in the court prior to her appearance so when she is asked, "Has John Proctor committed adultery against you?" She answers no because she was trying to protect her husband. She was willing to be put on the steak for her husband. This is the main moment when Proctor loses his reputation in the town. Everyone knows now that he and Abigail have had an

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The theme of The Crucible is leading towards to keep a good reputation you must have self-respect and respect others. Many people were accused in Salem of witchcraft. Some of those people confessed to witchcraft to save their lives. While few refused to confess to keeping their name "respected.” Proctor says "you will not use me!…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If John would not have admitted to doing this, then he could still be…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If Proctor would have been open and honest with the judges about Abigail, all the accusations would have been prevented. Also, John’s lust can be seen when he talks to his wife after his return home from Salem. Elizabeth faintly remarked, “You were alone with her?” John replies, “For a moment alone, aye” (167). Here, the reader can see that Proctor still has feelings for Abigail even though he knew the trouble it would cause.…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The girls push her to the point where she turns on Proctor in order to save herself from being accused. “You’re the Devil’s man!” (Miller 110) She knows she’s doing an evil sin by accusing John Proctor and by taking back what she confessed. Abigail sure did a great job at manipulating her in doing bad things, while John was only trying to help her do good things.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    (109). This leads to Proctor’s public confession of his lust with Abigail and explains that Abigail is trying to kill his wife. The audience is given a sense of concern when all of the pride that he was trying to cling to was diminished the moment he explained the act to the court. This concern is placed in the play in order to give a deeper connection between the audience and the hero. Proctor wants nothing more than to help his wife; the audience is capable of understanding the sacrificing of oneself for the care of a loved…

    • 1084 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John wanted his marriage restored and to end all connections with Abigail “ Abby i may think of you from time to time, But I will cut my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again” (22). The quote is showing that he does not want to interact with her anymore. Abigails heart crushed because of this told the court that Elizabeth Proctor had set her soul out and attacked her during the night and stabbed her with a needle. Elizabeth was taken into custody being accused of witchcraft for something she didn't do and John was not going to let his wife die for his sins “ My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will not die for me” (76).…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    A dynamic character is a character that undergoes a personal development and change, whether through a gradual process or a crisis. Although the change may be sudden, it is expected based on the story’s events. Some dynamic characters learn a lesson, like Eddie did in The Five People You Meet in Heaven. Some develop a new philosophical understanding of the world, some become rebellious, and some find aspects of their own personality that they didn’t know were there. In The Crucible, the characters Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor are dynamic characters that undergo important and life changing experiences.…

    • 1465 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Robert Miller’s play “The Crucible”, the story takes place in 17th century Salem during the Witch trials. In the play, Miller uses different characters in order to reveal the themes of the story. One of these characters is John Proctor, husband of Elizabeth Proctor and a citizen that resides in the town of Salem. Miller portrays John Proctor as prideful, dedicated, and honest in order to illustrate integrity. John Proctor protects his pride against the town in order to preserve his integrity.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Goody Proctor is a gossiping liar!” (pg. 570). She continues with her lies which eventually put many people in danger in order to protect herself. Abby gains great authority in Salem and her word is believed against others. This results in her using her good reputation among the court to get revenge on others.…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    During her time with the Proctor family, she began an affair with John Proctor. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor, soon finds out about it and fired Abigail. This leads Abigail to become angry with Elizabeth, as she believes Elizabeth stands in the way of what she wants, a relationship with John. This anger serves as the motivation for Abigail’s actions throughout the rest of the play. Abigail’s, “...illegitimate desire for Proctor fuels her actions against innocent townspeople” (Bovard, 82).…

    • 1560 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proctor attempts to convince the court that the girls are lying by using Mary Warren, who recently told john the truth, but even that didn’t work as Mary was overwhelmed by the constant pressure both sides were giving her to tell the truth. John knew now that the only way he can convince the court is by confessing his affair with Abigail, as he tells Danforth that a man will not cast away his good name (Miller 102). John proctor showed us that he is willing to risk his integrity, not to save himself, but to save other people’s lives, including his wife. He finally admits to the court of his sin as he states, I thought of her softly as she wishes to dance on my wife’s grave, and well she might (Miller 102). Proctor put himself in the hands of god and finally relieved himself of his sin.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    John automatically denies that his name is not going to be thrown away by one tragic flaw. Proctor knows that if this is seen by the town his guilt is just going to double in value and overwhelm him. He finally has to respect himself and trust in himself that he is a good man. He also doesn’t want his wrong doings to make Elizabeth reputation bad. John regains his trust in Elizabeth and this allows John to feel free and he is self respecting himself again.…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proctor is willing to tell the truth of the relationship with Abigail. Furthermore, Proctor says, “I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name - you will believe me, Mr. Danforth! My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one!” (Act 4, Miller).…

    • 754 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Even after his wife questions him about his relationship with Abigail, John Proctor still refuses to reveal the whole truth when he says,“I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it”…

    • 1020 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    John Proctor is a farmer in his mid-thirties. He is married to Elizabeth Proctor and had an affair with Abigail Williams. John is a very honest and blunt-spoken man. He lets people know when they are wrong and will debate against them until he has proven his point. Ironically, he has sinned and isn’t fully honest to Elizabeth about his interactions with Abigail.…

    • 1226 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays