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Austin Perez Mrs. Tyree English III Period 6 3 December 2013 The True Crucible of John Proctor The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story based on the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. It follows the story of John Proctor, a man who is strong, courageous, sensible, and loyal. It portrays how his heinous sin of committing adultery with young Abigail Williams. Due to this sin Abigail is madly in love with him and is ready to do whatever it takes to be able to be with him forever and without ruining her name. John Proctor realizes what might happen so he chooses to try to stand up for all that is good in order to save his fellow men, even if it means putting his name or honor on the line. John Proctor is the only person who can actually stop the madness in Salem by sacrificing his own being for something he had done. Proctor is a man who would be looked up to as well as seen as a mediator or a sane person is the chaos of mass hysteria. John Proctor is a man who is strongly rooted in his beliefs and is very firm with them as can be seen when he tells Parris, You cannot command Mister Parris. We vote by name in this society, not by acreage! (Act I l47). By saying this he is saying he is not a follower therefore in some aspect he thinks himself as a leader in the community.This allows Proctor to become more articulated and even seen as the hero in a short moment for standing his ground and defending not only himself but also implanting the idea that the community is powerful as well.Proctor is a man who holds his name and honor very close to him and holds onto it even unto death as he says, : You are the high court, your word is good enough! Tell them I confessed myself, say Proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman, say

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what you will, but my name cannot (Act IV l115).Proctor shows us that he holds his honor and name in high regard which means he would do anything to keep it from being blemished. It also shows that proctor not only cared about for himself but also for the other family members who will also carry that name as well such as his sons and Elizabeth.Proctor had reasons and sane ideas throughout the crucible he must go through and holds onto those because of how important they were to hopefully reconcile his past sins. Proctor is a flawed man and can be seen as such throughout his crucible as well as fall deeper into this pit as he tried to run away from it. Proctor had committed adultery with Abigail and regretted the whole act upon itself when he told Abigail, Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before Ill ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind(Takes her arms.) we never touched, Abby. (Act I l64). When Proctor says this he is blatantly saying he has done wrong to where he would rather hurt himself before he would commit the sin once more. Another thing he has shown that he is not completely rid of his lust between him and Abigail and knows he could fall again thus showing how his weakness is still very raw and easily tapped into. Proctors flaw also caused a downfall affecting him as well as his wife when he is confronted by Cheever about the warrant and he asks who accused her and Cheever replies, Why, Abigail Williams charge her. (Act II l89). With this Proctors downfall we see that he is the reason that Abigail is accusing people and it could have all been avoided if he had just stayed faithful to his wife. He also knows what he must do and so he goes against Abigail and tries to fight against her to end the insanity caused by his doing and even if that means putting himself on the line. By this sacrifice, Proctor is willing to be a sort of scapegoat for everyone else and is also finding redemption for all the troubles he has committed against his loved ones and God.

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John Proctor is now seen as man who is at peace in his life and ha reconciled with all his sins he has committed. When Proctor thinks of all the wrongs hes done and how this is redeeming him we can see not only is he at peace but Elizabeth as well when she says, He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him.(Act IV l129). With this we see he is triumphantly awaiting his death knowing full well the ripple effect he will cause by dying. He embraces death with hope and happiness as he sees his final days before his eyes. We also see he is no longer worried about his wife and reconciles with her when he says to her, Pray God it speak some goodness for me. (They embrace. He then holds her at arms length.) Give them no tear. Show them a heart of stone and sink them with it. (Act IV l124). This is where he is redeemed for betraying his wife and is finally healed with her love as well as Elizabeth being healed by his. This is the point where the victory is reached because he is finally seen as a good man again. In the crucible that John Proctor underwent he discovered what it took to make a true man who was willing to sacrifice everything for everyone. Proctor was a great man at the very bottom of his heart and he may have had some flaws but his truly good natured outshined his flaws even unto death. By Proctor accepting the responsibility for causing the hysteria that cost many peoples lives he became a hero who would stop the hysteria by being its last victim. John Proctor left behind a good name for himself after he died and showed everybody that you should always take responsibility for your sins even if it means death in this life because it is better to suffer in this life than for eternity in the next.