The willingness to die for the principle of truth and justice is an action of true heroism. As the town of Salem is quickly sliding into chaos in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor speaks out against injustice and shadowed lies of afflicted girls. John is forced into a position where the sins of his past come to threaten his name and life in the village. A true definition of John’s character depends entirely on his actions to oppose the deception that may kill all innocents in Salem. John turns from an unwilling voice to a fully-involved participant in the dealings of accused and afflicted; he will fight to bring truth to the eyes of the villagers and make a choice between living a life of lies or having a death filled with truth.
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In a time when Abigail is close to killing several important members of the town, including Rebecca Nurse, John makes a sacrifice by telling Danforth the truth about his relationship with Abigail; he tells them, “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance” (Act III, Page 110). John is very reluctant to answer how he knows Abigail is faking her innocence -- her sainthood, according to the villagers -- by first choosing to using the names Giles Corey accumulated and Mary Warren’s testimony of her lies. It is apparent that John’s last resort to reveal his affair with Abigail; this act results in the smothering of his own name, but he sees the importance of it in order to save the others. When the unfortunate events of Mary’s denouncement of John, he makes a point to take a last stand against Danforth as he says, “A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that Quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” (Act III, Pages 119-120). He accuses Danforth of being just as blackened as himself in this entire situation since it is he who condemns the innocent and John for claiming to be among those while has committed awful sins. Proctor’s display and arrest are the beginning of a new faction forming in Salem who are against the trials. His bravery in facing his sins is an inspiration of taking one’s sins and owning up to them in order for the greater good to prevail, despite how it may affect
During …show more content…
In a time when Abigail is close to killing several important members of the town, including Rebecca Nurse, John makes a sacrifice by telling Danforth the truth about his relationship with Abigail; he tells them, “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance” (Act III, Page 110). John is very reluctant to answer how he knows Abigail is faking her innocence -- her sainthood, according to the villagers -- by first choosing to using the names Giles Corey accumulated and Mary Warren’s testimony of her lies. It is apparent that John’s last resort to reveal his affair with Abigail; this act results in the smothering of his own name, but he sees the importance of it in order to save the others. When the unfortunate events of Mary’s denouncement of John, he makes a point to take a last stand against Danforth as he says, “A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that Quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” (Act III, Pages 119-120). He accuses Danforth of being just as blackened as himself in this entire situation since it is he who condemns the innocent and John for claiming to be among those while has committed awful sins. Proctor’s display and arrest are the beginning of a new faction forming in Salem who are against the trials. His bravery in facing his sins is an inspiration of taking one’s sins and owning up to them in order for the greater good to prevail, despite how it may affect