The Crucible by Arthur Miller follows the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts, in the Puritanical society that developed there. Throughout the play, the main character, John Proctor, goes from viewing the society’s image of him to be the judge of morality to viewing his own beliefs to be the judge of right and wrong. Proctor begins the play knowing he is sinful and a fraud, but he keeps this from the town and accepts the image portrayed of him. Proctor’s wife is then accused of witchcraft, forcing him to sacrifice his persona and reveal himself to the world. However, when Proctor himself is accused of working with the devil, it forces him to acknowledge his morals and make the choice of life or death. The play ends with Proctor refusing to
…show more content…
The narrator describes him tearing up the confession and the subsequent reactions of the others. This is followed by Proctor saying, “You have made your magic now, for now I do see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” (page 144). Nearing the end of the play, Proctor makes a bold statement that he now sees good in himself, redeeming himself through what he truly believes in. He starts by saying that there really was “magic” in the town and it wasn’t the witchcraft. Proctor believes the true “magic” is that he could see some good in himself. That these accusations appeared to be a version of a scapegoat and a release of sins, however, only opened up the door for those who wanted redemption. For those who are truly good will remain silent. Proctor says that it is only a “shred” which implies he doesn’t feel fully redeemed. However, he knows it will have to be good enough because when he refused to sign, he ultimately chose to end his life. This is confirmed by him saying that his “goodness” is “not white enough,” and in this case white represents good, so he believes he has not fully lived up to himself but accepts it will have to do. He then proceeds to call the judge and the reverend “dogs” and that his “goodness” is greater than that of them. This is significant because he is finally standing up to the beliefs of the town. The judge and reverend have been in complete control of the town since the trials started, and Proctor now feels more pure and good than them. This shows he is truly living up to what he
The narrator describes him tearing up the confession and the subsequent reactions of the others. This is followed by Proctor saying, “You have made your magic now, for now I do see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs.” (page 144). Nearing the end of the play, Proctor makes a bold statement that he now sees good in himself, redeeming himself through what he truly believes in. He starts by saying that there really was “magic” in the town and it wasn’t the witchcraft. Proctor believes the true “magic” is that he could see some good in himself. That these accusations appeared to be a version of a scapegoat and a release of sins, however, only opened up the door for those who wanted redemption. For those who are truly good will remain silent. Proctor says that it is only a “shred” which implies he doesn’t feel fully redeemed. However, he knows it will have to be good enough because when he refused to sign, he ultimately chose to end his life. This is confirmed by him saying that his “goodness” is “not white enough,” and in this case white represents good, so he believes he has not fully lived up to himself but accepts it will have to do. He then proceeds to call the judge and the reverend “dogs” and that his “goodness” is greater than that of them. This is significant because he is finally standing up to the beliefs of the town. The judge and reverend have been in complete control of the town since the trials started, and Proctor now feels more pure and good than them. This shows he is truly living up to what he