John Proctor Pride

Words: 503
Pages: 3

During the 17th century, Salem County, Massachusetts had begun the Salem witch trials which caused innocent people to be accused of witchcraft. The Crucible by Arthur Miller depicts this historic era through Abigail Williams who accused supposed innocent women of being in cahoots with the Devil. As the play unfolds, certain events that contradict the ingrained beliefs of Salem’s Puritan society have caused citizens to suspect the Devils’ power has controlled the character’s actions. These events involve the protagonist John Proctor fulfilling his pride and Abigail Williams' lustful mindset that leads her to threatening the lives of women in Salem who both fail at following the commandments of the Bible. Within the play, John Proctor is introduced as the protagonist of the story …show more content…
Proctor violating the trust within his marriage was viewed as vulnerable towards the Devil’s temptations. Additionally, as the mass hysteria of the Salem witch trials had grown due to Abigail’s actions, Proctor had refused to speak up about her lies. Although Proctor had discontinued the affair, his refusal to speak against Abigail represents the growth of the Devil’s power in Salem. If Proctor had spoken up, not only would the hanging of innocent women decrease, he would have prevented the accusations of his own wife. Eventually, John Proctor himself is accused of witchcraft and refuses to falsely admit to his actions. Ultimately, Proctor had chosen to be hung rather than falling for the Devil’s power once again. Furthermore, the antagonist of the story, Abigail Williams had threatened the lives of Salem women due to her lustful thoughts. After her affair with John Proctor, Abigail utilized all of her power to remove Elizabeth from his life. This soon leads to Abigail digesting chicken blood as a form of witchcraft to potentially murder Elizabeth