In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrayed John Proctor as a dynamic character in the story. John was a rural farmer in his thirties. John was an honest man who could not stand for hypocrisy. He isolated himself from the issues of Salem, Massachusetts by staying on his farm. Despite his hatred for hypocrites, John held a deep secret that would ruin his reputation if it was uncovered. This secret was his affair with Abigail Williams, who was once a servant to the Proctors and was the niece of Reverend Parris.
John Proctor transforms from being minding his own business to becoming the center of the witchcraft trials in Salem. This dilemma started when Reverend Parris stumbled upon Abigail Williams, Betty Parris, his daughter, and his slave Tituba in the forest. Reverend Parris believed that they were practicing witchcraft. Witchcraft was not tolerated under any circumstances in Puritan religion and the consequences would be severe if convicted. In the forest, Abigail drinks a potion that would kill John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth “Goody” Proctor.
Goody fired Abigail when she discovered that John was having an affair with her. John’s termination of the affair was the catalyst for Abigail’s jealousy towards Elizabeth. The Proctor’s lived a couple of miles outside of Salem and they were kept out of many of the towns issues. Reverend Hale questioned John Proctor about his faith. Hale noticed that the Proctor’s did not go to Church very often and that their youngest son was not baptized. John says that he does not care for Parris’s theology. Hale then asks Proctor to repeat the Ten Commandments. He remembers all of them except for one, adultery.
The Essay on John Proctor Parris Abigail Conflicts
EMOTIONAL CONFLICTS In the play, The Crucible, Author Miller develops numerous conflicts between characters. Miller sets his play in Salem Massachusetts, an environment with which was notoriously known for its witch trials of 1692. As reverend of Salem and father and uncle of initially accused witches, Reverend Parris plays an enormous role in the plot of this story. Young Abigail is the heart and ...
Elizabeth is accused of witchcraft by Abigail because a rag doll was found in the Proctor home. Abigail rationalizes that she had found a needle in her abdomen and that there was a similar needle in the abdomen of the doll. This accusation infuriates John and leads him to ripping apart the warrant for Elizabeth’s arrest. John tells Mary Warren, his servant, that she needs to testify in court that she put the needle in the doll, not Elizabeth. Mary refuses because Abigail threatened to murder her. John ignores Mary’s complaints and tells her to testify anyway.
John Proctor believes that his affair with Abigail damaged his relationship with God, Elizabeth, and himself. Although he did give into sin and committing adultery, he could not forgive himself for his actions. This affects John’s relationship with his wife Elizabeth. He feels bitter towards Elizabeth because she cannot forgive him even though he can’t forgive himself. The only thing he has left now is his good name. His reputation will be ruined once he reveals his affair with Abigail Williams. A public declaration of his sin would aggravate the extent of his sin and thereby making his guilt larger than it had ever been.
