John Proctor Foolishness

A Man Who Has His Goodness In the late 1600’s, America was radically different from its modern organization and principles. Church and State were one and the same, women were uneducated, children held no status in society, and the Puritan religion reigned supreme in Massachusetts. People prayed and fasted often, regularly attended church services and seemed to wish goodwill for all of their fellow men. While this description of the times paints a picture of peace and prosperity, history tells of a year where chaos was common, and fear ruled the people with an iron fist. The year of 1692 was filled with betrayal, panic, and death, which created the perfect preface and situation for Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. Through the use of his character John Proctor, Miller is able to demonstrate how crippling the effects of guilt, reputation and lies can be to both a single person and an entire society. However, Miller also uses this character to illustrate how weakness turns to strength, guilt turns to forgiveness, and goodness can be reclaimed after being lost to transgression. …show more content…
It is said that in the presence of this farmer “a fool felt his foolishness instantly” (Miller 21). Proctor is a proud and well respected man in the community. In his mind,” his best possession is his good name and the respect and integrity associated with it” (CliffNotes). Though pride is generally considered to be a sin, the pride that Proctor holds in his good name ironically ends up proving to the town and Proctor himself that he possesses a high degree of goodness that most of the other townsfolk seem to