Why Is John Proctor Bad In The Crucible

Improved Essays
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor did redeem himself when he died for not confessing to witchcraft. John Proctor has done some really good things. He also done some really bad things as well. The bad things Proctor should have burned in hell but, because of the sacrifice he made, John Proctor Saved his soul. John Proctor is a good man. John Proctor is a good man because “I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door”(act II 527-528). John Proctor help build the church. John also grows food that he sells to the people. Proctor provides for his family and some others that he gives food to. Proctor is respected around town by everybody. John proctor sacrificed his good name in the town to save his wife and his friend’s wifes. Then a bit later when he died to restore his good name and the names of his friends that died that day. Those are just some of the good things that John Proctor has done.

John proctor despite being a good man had done some terrible things. For example he did not get his youngest son baptised. He does not go to church every week on the sabbath. John also plows his
…show more content…
All the sins Proctor did commit he had perfect reasons for or he redeemed himself for. For example “Mr. Hale, I never knew I must account to that man for I come to church or stay at home. My wife were sick this winter.” (Act 2 489-451). Proctor had to stay home to help his wife because if he left her even to go to church that would have made him a bad man. Proctor did not get his youngest baptized because “ I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it”(Act II 518-520). Then for every other sin Proctor redeemed himself by sacrificing his good name and his life. Proctor did all these things because he is without a doubt a good

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    The court urges him to sign a confession that he was with the devil but now is with God. Towards the end, John refuses to lie and allow the court to hang his confession that is not truthful to the church wall. Proctor knows that he will once again disgrace his good name, if he confesses to something that is a lie. John wants to live, but avoiding his death is not worth giving up the only thing he has left, his good name as well as living the rest of his life as a lie. This, as well as his wife's forgiveness, makes Proctor forgive himself and finally regain his good name and self-respect.…

    • 521 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Was John Proctor a good or bad person? There is room for debate about this question. Both sides have good reasons to believe their theory John Proctor is accused of witchcraft. He is hanged in the ending of the play. The people that believe that he was a bad guy have a pretty good reason in believing this to be true.…

    • 706 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proctor recovers his sense of goodness by tearing up the confession that would have saved his life. John Proctor has done wrong in the past but he is still a good character. Proctor knows the trials are wrong and the accusations are false. Proctor tells Hale, “...I have no witness and cannot prove it, except my word be take. But I know the children’s sickness had naught to do with witchcraft” (Act II 594-597).…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Out of all the well liked characters, John Proctor is the most admirable. There are certain actions that portray him as this. Proctor holds himself with his honesty and integrity, and in the end always does the right thing. Witchcraft started to become the talk of Salem in the 1690’s. John Proctor’s wife was one of the women accused of witchcraft.…

    • 950 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "When you do the right things in the right way, you have nothing to lose because you have nothing to fear.” – Zig Ziglar. When faced with adversity most people pick the easy way over the right way. In the moment the easy way might seem right because of the pressure put on you to make a decision, but the easy way isn't always the right way in the end. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Malala Yousafzai Biography, and the song "The Right Thing" by Mandisa people make the right decision over the easy decision. John Proctor is a stellar example of someone who does the right thing, and not the easy thing.…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With other minuscule actions, for example: not going to church once, you will be looked down on by the entire community. For the work as a whole John Proctor helps to show us about the community the work is centered around. As a result, he is a key character in developing themes in the play and showing the audience how they relate to themselves. In the end John Proctor realizes, “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.…

    • 795 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the crucible, John Proctor is a tormented individual who cannot find himself to be a good person or a bad one. John had made mistakes in life that makes him seem like a bad man, but he also does good things for his community. He is a good man who had made mistakes in life, but he uses his good senses to do the right thing being a truthful christian. Johns Proctor first mistake is that he had an affair with Abigail williams and she soon falls in love with him. Abby had started framing people for witchcraft to try to get to John and was slowly going insane for him.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In Robert Miller’s play “The Crucible”, the story takes place in 17th century Salem during the Witch trials. In the play, Miller uses different characters in order to reveal the themes of the story. One of these characters is John Proctor, husband of Elizabeth Proctor and a citizen that resides in the town of Salem. Miller portrays John Proctor as prideful, dedicated, and honest in order to illustrate integrity. John Proctor protects his pride against the town in order to preserve his integrity.…

    • 750 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This quote shows that Proctor admits to the affair and knows that he committed a sin. John Proctor has made a mistake, but learned from it. Proctor is a good man because he actually admits what he did wrong instead of lying.…

    • 561 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the beginning, Proctor was devastated by his adultery with Abigail. He judged himself as “a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct”(Miller 20). According to the moral fashions of the rigid Puritan society, indulging in sex was considered highly immoral. Thus, under such a standard of this period, Proctor undoubtedly viewed himself as a serious sinner. Additionally, his adultery pitted him against his own views of conduct.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proctor attempts to convince the court that the girls are lying by using Mary Warren, who recently told john the truth, but even that didn’t work as Mary was overwhelmed by the constant pressure both sides were giving her to tell the truth. John knew now that the only way he can convince the court is by confessing his affair with Abigail, as he tells Danforth that a man will not cast away his good name (Miller 102). John proctor showed us that he is willing to risk his integrity, not to save himself, but to save other people’s lives, including his wife. He finally admits to the court of his sin as he states, I thought of her softly as she wishes to dance on my wife’s grave, and well she might (Miller 102). Proctor put himself in the hands of god and finally relieved himself of his sin.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Proctor attempts to rise up against the mob ideals that have overrun Salem by refusing to confess to witchery, a crime he never committed, saying “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor… Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!” (Miller 133). In proclaiming this, Proctor gave his life to stop the mob mentality.…

    • 1054 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Crucible Justice Quotes

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He shows us this throughout the play. He has lots of traits that make him stand out compared to all other characters. John Proctor stands on what he believes in and has all of the right to. He never lost sight of what matters. Throughout the play John Proctor makes some mistakes.…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Because Proctor felt so guilty for his sinful actions, he distanced himself from his wife. He refused to turn in Abigail Williams to avoid His relationship with Abigail directly caused all of his flaws to be amplified--- making him a vulnerable target during a time where everyone was looking for someone to blame--- his wife's imprisonment, and his death. Deep down, John Proctor had a good heart with good intentions. His imperfections and actions overpowered his inner goodness, causing it to be negligible.…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    He doubts himself from being a religious hard working farmer to a sinner and can’t forgive himself. When John Proctor is introduced in Act one the readers learn that he is, “A sinner, a sinner not only in against…

    • 1264 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays