Who determines what is ethical and what is not? Does one wrong doing make someone ultimately substandard? Is standing up for individual beliefs, though they may differ from the majority, declare someone as heroic and dauntless or ill-behaved and unruly? In society today, there is no black and white answer. Additionally, the line between what is right and what is wrong is obscured and misinterpreted. Obscurity and misinterpretation causes various essential problems in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, where John Proctor represents individualism. Although Proctor has made mistakes, he is still a honorable person which is demonstrated by his weight and respect in Salem, allegiance to his own beliefs, no matter what, and ironically his
…show more content…
Through this scene, it is revealed how dependent people are on Proctor to act on injustices as such. Later in act four, Parris comments on Proctor’s “weight” in Salem and he is concerned about riots breaking out because of the hanging of Proctor. Parris says, “It cannot be forgot that when I summoned the congregation for John Proctor’s excommunication there were hardly thirty people come to hear it"{Miller, 118}. Dependability and trustworthiness are two important traits for a hero to have, and Proctor posses both, as demonstrated in the play. No one would believe that Proctor is bewitched and the town would lose faith in the court if he was hung for such an accusation. Parris understands how respected Proctor is in Salem and how loved he is; that is why he urges Danforth to postpone the hanging and try to convince Proctor to confess instead. This contributes to Proctor’s personality and his morality because though he is not given a formal title in Salem, he still has people who look up to him as a figure of authority. The people depend on him like authority as well, and trust him to always do what is right. What ordains John Proctor so admirable is that no matter what; he stands for what he believes in. In the play, for Proctor, standing for what he believed in meant rebelling against the church and the court. The conflict between Parris and …show more content…
In the play, the tragic hero is John Proctor. Proctor’s affairs with Abigail Williams, a seventeen year old girl with obvious intentions to kill Elizabeth Proctor, is revealed early in the play. What is understood is that Abigail once worked for Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth, until kicked out. Proctor commits adultery with Abigail, and it is understood that Elizabeth finds out and fires Abigail’s services. This affair is what tortures Proctor throughout the play constantly, which explains his guilt when Elizabeth is taken away by police after Abigail’s accusation that Elizabeth had been conspiring with the devil in act two. “My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth, but that goodness will not die for me!”{Miller, 76}says Proctor. Letting his wife die because of his mistress, Abigail, leaves Proctor feeling guilty for being, secondarily, the cause of Elizabeth’s arrest. Admitting his guilt to Elizabeth in a private exchange between him and her after Proctor is imprisoned, also being accused of conspiring with the devil, in act four. Judge Danforth orders Elizabeth to speak to her husband, hoping to convince him to confess to witchcraft to avoid riots. John says, “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. She is silent. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them
Through this scene, it is revealed how dependent people are on Proctor to act on injustices as such. Later in act four, Parris comments on Proctor’s “weight” in Salem and he is concerned about riots breaking out because of the hanging of Proctor. Parris says, “It cannot be forgot that when I summoned the congregation for John Proctor’s excommunication there were hardly thirty people come to hear it"{Miller, 118}. Dependability and trustworthiness are two important traits for a hero to have, and Proctor posses both, as demonstrated in the play. No one would believe that Proctor is bewitched and the town would lose faith in the court if he was hung for such an accusation. Parris understands how respected Proctor is in Salem and how loved he is; that is why he urges Danforth to postpone the hanging and try to convince Proctor to confess instead. This contributes to Proctor’s personality and his morality because though he is not given a formal title in Salem, he still has people who look up to him as a figure of authority. The people depend on him like authority as well, and trust him to always do what is right. What ordains John Proctor so admirable is that no matter what; he stands for what he believes in. In the play, for Proctor, standing for what he believed in meant rebelling against the church and the court. The conflict between Parris and …show more content…
In the play, the tragic hero is John Proctor. Proctor’s affairs with Abigail Williams, a seventeen year old girl with obvious intentions to kill Elizabeth Proctor, is revealed early in the play. What is understood is that Abigail once worked for Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth, until kicked out. Proctor commits adultery with Abigail, and it is understood that Elizabeth finds out and fires Abigail’s services. This affair is what tortures Proctor throughout the play constantly, which explains his guilt when Elizabeth is taken away by police after Abigail’s accusation that Elizabeth had been conspiring with the devil in act two. “My wife will never die for me! I will bring your guts into your mouth, but that goodness will not die for me!”{Miller, 76}says Proctor. Letting his wife die because of his mistress, Abigail, leaves Proctor feeling guilty for being, secondarily, the cause of Elizabeth’s arrest. Admitting his guilt to Elizabeth in a private exchange between him and her after Proctor is imprisoned, also being accused of conspiring with the devil, in act four. Judge Danforth orders Elizabeth to speak to her husband, hoping to convince him to confess to witchcraft to avoid riots. John says, “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. She is silent. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them