Crucible -Proctor's moral stru

A detailed Summary of Crucible -Proctor's moral stru

The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.

John Proctor is portrayed throughout the play to be a man who has high moral values that he must abide by. He can spot hypocrisy in others easily and judges himself no less harshly. Elizabeth Proctor says to him in the second act:

'The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you'

This statement is true for John Proctor, he judges himself harshly for his sins and is disgusted with himself. John Proctor is a foil to most characters in the play. They are conformists and submissive as a result of the restrictive lifestyle they had to lead.

The first struggle that John Proctor faces in The Crucible is his guilt over committing the sin of adultery.

The final act of the play focuses on Proctor's dilemma to whether to live or accept death. In his conversation with Elizabeth, Proctor gives his reasons for confessing:

Just after his wife was arrested, Hale said some words to John that struck a chord within him:

As he rips up his confession his guilt, his doubt and his rage are gone and what remains is, as John Proctor says:

He realises, however, that this will negate the reputation he has built over a lifetime and cause him to betray his friends and community, he chooses death over dishonour and betrayal and tears up his signed confession.

It is apparent that Miller focuses his play around the moral struggles of the protagonist, John Proctor. Throughout the play, Proctor has many struggles that he must deal with and look deep into his soul to find the resolution. He undergoes a major survey of his character and it is only this way that he can gain redemption for his sins. By abiding by his own moral code, John Proctor makes many hard decisions that will affect the outcome of the play. Proctor's struggles reflect upon the central message that Miller is communicating through the play.

He realised however, that it was to late and the witch craze could not be stopped. In a powerful speech at the end of the third act Proctor says:

Proctor decides that giving a false confession is not too high a price to pay for saving his own life. Proctor also feels himself unworthy to hang with the others as he feels that they are truly innocent. However, as John confesses, he cannot allow Danforth to make it officially documented. A

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Approximate Word count = 1085
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English