Crucible By Miller
John Proctor was the main character in the play
The Crucible, written by Arthur
Miller. Will the truth set you free? In
Proctor’s case of choosing truth over
deceit he was redeemed and set free
spiritually. The setting of the play was in
the 1690’s during The Salem Witch
Trials. During the beginning of the play
Proctor was a man filled with
hypocrisy but, he changed by the completion of the
play into a commendable
man. In the beginning of the play, John Proctor was a
hypocritical man. By
example, Proctor was a Puritan who committed the act of
adultery. A Puritan
was supposed to be upright and holy. Adultery is not a holy
act. Furthermore,
he did not attend church consistently. This also was
incongruent with the
religion he practiced. Although, he did not welcome
judgment, he was quick to
judge others. For example, in the case of his wife’s
penetrating observation
concerning the act of adultery he took offense and said,
"Judge me not
woman". By the end of the play, John has converted from a
hypocritical man to
a man to be admired and respected. He then became true to
his Puritan beliefs
and values and made a turn for the best. After being accused
of witchcraft he
looked at life differently. John changed because he wanted to
incriminate
Abigail of deceit, and save his reputation. He also wanted to impact
the
courts decision on the victims accused of witchcraft. Equally important,
he
showed courage when he chose not to sign the paper of witchery to save
himself.
Above all, he admits to adultery and accepts the consequences of
his actions. To
sum up, John Proctor was a man of integrity, who stood up for
himself, and what
he believed in. Initially, John was a hypocritical and
dishonest man.
Consequently, he changes into a admirable and honorable
man. Overall, the quote
"The truth shall set you free" should be the
moral of this play. John takes
a courageous stand not only for himself but
also for others who have experienced
the persecution of
witchcraft.
Bibliography
Miller, Arthur The Crucible
Richmond,1984