The Crucible Essay example

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Daniel Adeleke
October 5, 2012

John Proctor

In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem, Massachusetts is taken by fear and panic at the thought of witches, with John Proctor is caught in the crossfire. Abigail Williams looks to rekindle, what she believes to be love that she and Proctor shared. She does everything imaginable even if it means condemning people to death by cause of witchery. Michel de Montaigne said, “I do not care so much what I am to others as I care what I am to myself.” John Proctor has all the reason to be self-prideful; he lives on his 300-acre farm outside of the town with his wife, Elizabeth, and his two sons. His ideal life is challenged by an aberration from his past. However, John Proctor wants nothing to do with Abigail, he has confessed his adulterous sin to his wife and tries to make up for it. Throughout the novel John Proctor’s emulates a strong sense of self-pride.
Proctors pride affects the relationship he has with his wife. “You will not judge me any more Elizabeth I have no good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go and judge you r husband anymore,” (852). This quote shows that even thought Proctor is a good man he still is protective of his own standing with his wife. After the affair Elizabeth has every reason to be suspicious about his whereabouts, but Proctor argues against her questions as if he was innocent. His argument with Elizabeth gives an example of how his own pride and ego can overpower reason.
After his wife is taken to prison he is desperate for her to be released and therefore gives a public confession of he and Abigail’s relationship. “trembling, his life collapsing about him: I have known her.” (873). The statement that proctor gives along with the actions described with it show that he is saddened not only for his past sins but for his name being shamed in the community, this can also be proved by when he says “I have made a bell of my honor and hung it in the room,” (873). In this spilling of the truth Proctor finally exposes himself in the attempt to clear his wife’s name. Proctor, in
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