In the Crucible, one character whose mind is pulled in two conflicting directions is John Proctor. Laurence Sterne wrote, "No body, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man's mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time." No one felt this more in the Crucible than John did. John has two options throughout the play; lie and live, causing him to lose his good name, or be truthful and die.
The first option is to lie and live. This would cause him to lose some, if not all, the respect people have for him, but to keep his life. John says, “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke!” (136). John says this because he is thinking about giving in to the court, and saying that he is a witch. This makes him feel like he is a fraud. If he lied his name would be forever tarnished as being a witch. John struggles with his decision because he is young and wants to live a long and healthy life. Giving in to the court and confessing would help …show more content…
He did not want them to be left with the name of a witch. John Proctor exclaimed, “Because it is my name Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(143). John Proctor says in this quote that he does not want to give up his name because he cannot have another name in his lifetime. It is better to die with an unblemished name than to live with a blemished one. This shows John’s personal struggle with himself. He wanted to live, yet he also wanted to keep his good name, but he could not do both. The reason making this decision is so hard for John to make is because in the end it is not just his name, it is his children’s name as
The first option is to lie and live. This would cause him to lose some, if not all, the respect people have for him, but to keep his life. John says, “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke!” (136). John says this because he is thinking about giving in to the court, and saying that he is a witch. This makes him feel like he is a fraud. If he lied his name would be forever tarnished as being a witch. John struggles with his decision because he is young and wants to live a long and healthy life. Giving in to the court and confessing would help …show more content…
He did not want them to be left with the name of a witch. John Proctor exclaimed, “Because it is my name Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(143). John Proctor says in this quote that he does not want to give up his name because he cannot have another name in his lifetime. It is better to die with an unblemished name than to live with a blemished one. This shows John’s personal struggle with himself. He wanted to live, yet he also wanted to keep his good name, but he could not do both. The reason making this decision is so hard for John to make is because in the end it is not just his name, it is his children’s name as