John Proctor's Forgiveness In The Crucible

John Proctor is a well-respected individual in the town of Salem. Despite maintaining a prestigious reputation, he is guilty of committing adultery with his ex-servant, Abigail Williams. Due to Proctor’s adultery, the relationship between he and his wife, Elizabeth, was strained. Her mistrust and hesitation to forgive him frustrates Proctor. However, his own guilt hinders him from his personal forgiveness. Proctor struggles to cope with his guilt; knowing that he must confess to his sin further afflicts him. He takes pride in his admirable name and appreciates the honor and respect that correlates with it. Through the admission of his affair, he consequentially loses his good name. Despite possessing many qualms about confessing to the court, Proctor decides to sacrifice his reputation as a means to protect Elizabeth. Because of his public admission, he regains Elizabeth’s trust. At the end of the story, Proctor signs a false confession, but refuses to let the church hang it on their front door. He states, “I have confessed myself!... God does not need my name nailed upon the church! …show more content…
Their basic integrity was dominated by the obsession to uphold a good name. Proctor regained his integrity through the admission of his affair because he realized that a good name is negligible. Contrastingly, Abigail is unable to regain her integrity because she leaves Salem before she could justify her actions. Similar to Proctor and Williams, American citizens and the House of Un-American Activities Committee were infatuated with their reputations. Americans used their good names as a source of protection whereas the House of Un-American Activities Committee used their reputation as a source of power to convict suspected communists. In conclusion, sustaining a good name is extremely important in both the Salem Witch and the McCarthy