Sean Mendenhall Oct.

20, 2013 3B Quarter 1 final essay

The infamous Salem witch trials have been refereed to as one of the nation's most notorious cases of mass hysteria. (Adams, G. Salem Witch Trials.
www.Wikipedia.com.15 October 2013) With witchcraft being at the peak of its uprising in

the late 1600s, this episode of The Salem Witch trials was notorious for its false accusations of witchcraft or dark magic. During this time period, paranoia and social injustice were commonly found within the court system and the trials preceding the accusations of witch craft against hundreds of Salem people. One of the most influential people to be accused in the trial, and the first person to be executed under false and ridiculous accusations was John Proctor. John Proctor, one of the wealthiest people in Salem at the time being a farmer was not only one of the lead characters in the play as the tragic hero, but a leader against the accusations against his wife and the little girls who were first accused. In the play he is depicted as a very handsome and charming man, with a blunt personality and good well-being. He was also well known during the trials for his secret sin, his affair with Abigail Williams. He is a proud man who places great emphasis on his reputation. So having to admit his affair with Abigail in court was very difficult for him. This ongoing battle between John Proctor and Abigail Williams is one of the biggest conflicts of the trials and eventually led to the outcome of John Proctors execution! One of the biggest turning points in the play is when John Proctor tries to, in a desperate attempt, denounce the accusations from Abigail Williams against him by trying to make her accusations fraud without revealing his affair. When all else fails, John

Proctor finally bursts out in court, calling Abigail Williams a whore and publicly announcing his affair. As soon as he does this John Proctor knows that matters are out of his hands. He realizes that despite his attempts to bring truth to his name, he has no power over the monster Abigail Williams has made against him. John Proctor being at a loss for words says to judge Danforth, A man will not cast away his good name. You surely know that. (Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. Viking Press. 1953. III.374-384). This attempt for an honest and innocent outlook of him fails miserably, as it leads to his unjust conviction of being a witch. John Proctor was later hanged, with no solid evidence supporting his conviction. Although being depicted almost thirty years younger than his actual age in the play, John was approximately 60 years old when he was hung. Historical records show that he was executed on August 19, 1692, with five other people. George Burroughs, John Willard, George Jacobs, Sr., Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey. In Arthur Millers version of his play The Crucible, it never actually states that John Proctor is hanged. In fact, the play is not a historically accurate depiction of what all happened. It does however give an accurate depiction of John Proctor and his fight for his innocence. We know that he strongly believed in upholding his good name and standard within the public eye. Despite many hardships and months in jail, bribery and pressure, and no hope for a positive ending in life for him, he brought his innocence to the grave with him. No matter what, whether it meant life or death for John he was determined and steadfast in standing behind his word throughout not only the play, but through actual historical evidence. One major thing that I found that was not put into the play, was as

John stood on the scaffold where he was hung, he recited the Lord's Prayer without making the slightest hesitation. People who were thought of or convicted as witches were not supposed to be able to say this prayer. This supports his actions and depictions throughout the play of his innocence and importance of his reputation within the community. Although it seems as though he tries to prove to everyone he is innocent until the very last minute, in my opinion I think he does it for personal reasons. Rather justify to himself or be at peace with himself than to make his everlasting image look good before he died. I feel that John was an innocent man for many reasons, one of which being that there was no solid evidence against John being a witch. I feel like he could have made the situation better for himself though, if he would have come out with his affair sooner. Yet I admire him for his perseverance and courage throughout the trials and his willingness to uphold the truth. John Proctor is known as the plays tragic hero. His family was later given $1500 dollars as compensation in 1709 from Massachusetts government. His actual body never being found, he had a memorial put in his name on august 19, 1692 in Salem county Massachusetts.

Bibliography
Ray, Benjamin. John Proctor. http://salem.lib.virginia.edu. University of Virginia. <http://salem.lib.virginia.edu/people? group.num=all&mbio.num=mb31> Analysis of major characters: John Proctor. www.sparknotes.com. August

<6, 2010 http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/crucible/canalysis.html>

The Crucible John Proctor quotes. www.shmoop.com. <http://www.shmoop.com/crucible/john-proctor-quotes.html>