What Is John Proctor's Response To The Crucible

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The word crucible can be a single manifestation of all the tragedies that are in this book. Whether the ordeal is literal or metaphorical, it is present throughout the whole course of the play, always afflicting a situation or character with some sort of trouble. But this crucible, this severe test is a catalyst to the development of the characters and circumstances therein. The main lesson in the Crucible is that mass hysteria can destroy a community and that government can move away from the interests of the many and become a force to serve the agendas of the few. Miller's warning seems to be that individuals must be willing to take a stand when their government is operated in a manner that is contrary to public interests. There has to…show more content…
Reputation is extremely important in a town where social standing is tied to one’s ability to follow religious rules. A good name is the only way one can get other people to do business with him, or even get a fair hearing. This theme is what enhanced the readers to feel even more sympathetic especially when they see John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse, who are highly reputable and respected people, get executed. Readers don’t typically expect people with such high reputations to get killed. This manipulation done by the author on the readers truly enlarged their…show more content…
Most of the characters in The Crucible are lying—if not to other people, then to themselves. Abigail lies about her ability to see spirits, as do the other girls, and the judge and lieutenant governor and ministers lie to themselves and everybody else in saying that they serve the cause of God’s justice. In the end, if they tell the truth, they die and become martyr, but if they lie, then they keep their lives. The Salem of The Crucible is a theocracy, which means that God is supposed to be the ultimate leader, arbiter, and judge. In practice, however, the town’s religious authorities do the governing. God needs men on earth to do his work of justice, and Hathorne, Danforth, Hale, and Parris are all part of that system. They believe that God is speaking through the children to help them prosecute invisible, hidden crimes. The whole system gets turned upside-down, and these men of experience and education are completely dependent on the assumption that children are telling the truth. Once this happens, the entire town is so quenched with lies that it eventually squeezes out justice. The society, the lies people make, the deceitful deeds people act upon, and the foolishness for the authority to expose lies and see the true justice all developed along the play
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    Suffering more than is deserved is the main trait of an Aristotelian Tragic Hero. John Proctor- the main protagonist in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible - is the quintessential Tragic Hero. His error of judgment, his pride gets in the way of good choices, his weaknesses only serve to engender empathy to the audience, his spirituality gets wounded by his experience, and he, in the end, make a decision, usually involving life or death. Although a good, Christian man, Proctor is tempted and gives into

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