Cruicible Essay, Research Paper

In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is introduced as a main character early in the plot. He comes out as a rebellious man in a sense, and right away we learn of his affair with Abigail. By the end of the play Proctor is changing his ground and becoming a more responsible individual and not lowering himself to Abigail?s standards once again.

In the beginning of the book when his affair is revealed, he could strike the reader as a weak and failing individual. One would think this because of the vow that he made to his spouse that she is the ?only? or the ?chosen? one. Proctor has not lived this statement truthfully and that proves that he is, in a sense, a failing individual. Though he may be weak, he is also a rational man. He is one of the few characters in the book who does not believe in witches. He knows that all the accusations of witchcraft are false. This shows that he is strong because everybody else in the town is going crazy because if these ?witches?. John once says, ?God will not let you wash your hands of this? (Act Two; pg73), referring to if they were to accuse, and jail the convicted ?witches.? He keeps calm and goes against public opinion, which is a brave thing to do.

By the end of the play John Proctor has recovered the moral integrity that he had lost earlier in the book. He ends up confronting Abigail and as a result of that renews his relationship with Elizabeth. It takes a lot for him to confess to his wife that he had had an affair but Proctor, being a strong individual, realizes his mistake and confesses. Then, in the court scene he further instills his integrity by not naming any names. He stands up for what he believes in, which is that there are no witches, and doesn?t even fall back on his beliefs after being threatened to be put it prison. He is willing to be locked away to stand up for what he believes.

In the end John Proctor comes out as being a powerful individual, unlike his initial weak prospective. He is faced with a challenge; he vaselates then rises to the occasion. This is a prime example of character development on Proctors behalf.