Inner strength is a good quality that a person should have. What is inner strength? Inner strength is the ability to stay true to oneself. In the crucible, many characters have a lot of inner strength. But one person shows their inner strength more than the others, that character is John Proctor. John shows inner strength when he confesses to adultery, and when he doesn't confess to witchcraft. To begin, one scene from The Crucible where John Proctor shows inner strength is when he confessed his adultery with Abigail. Since that is an illegal act and it was cheating on his wife Elizabeth Proctor, that is a very hard thing to admit to the public. John thought it was so wrong that Abigail was accusing innocent people of witchcraft that he would confess to something like that to stop her. John cared a lot about his good name in the town making it even harder for him to admit his actions, so he used a great amount of inner strength to confess his adultery.
In addition, another scene where John shows his inner strength is at the end of the play when he was given a chance to confess witchcraft. If he confessed, then he wouldn't be hanged. But John would rather die than have his good name ruined by people thinking he worked with the devil in witchcraft. Most characters in the crucible confessed because they were afraid to die, because they didn't have enough inner strength and goodness, but not John. Inner strength was a factor in Johns choice to die rather than ruin his good name.
On the other hand, some people may say that Elizabeth Proctor is the character with the most inner strength because she never lies. She had a good name in the town of the woman that never lies and when she was called into the court to be questioned about John and Abigail's affair, she lied and showed she wasn't as strong as people thought. John never lied in the crucible. He didn't confess to witchcraft because he didn't do it, he didn't lie about his affair with Abigail, and he told the court the truth about how the girls were pretending in the woods. That shows that he has more inner strength than his wife Elizabeth.
People with inner strength will accomplish more challenges in their life. John faced many challenges and he overcame them with inner strength. John Proctor was a man with self respect, and even though he lost some of that in the middle of the play, he earned it back in the end with inner strength when he chose to die to keep his good name.
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor displays some of the key aspects of beig a hero. Those aspects are, he risked his reputation and his life to save the lives of the falsely accused people in his town. A big aspect of being a hero is sacrifice, but even though he lacks the other aspects such as unselfishness and compassion, he is still a hero. John is selfish because before his wife was accused of witchcraft he was passive towards the hangings. He had a strong dislike of them but was not that open about it except with his wife. He then showed a lack of compassion when he force Mary Warren to testify in court that the girls were lying, even though that…
- 332 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, John Proctor tearing up his confession is believable. Proctor is a flawed character, but he is a good man. Proctor tries to do what he believes is right. Proctor can’t stand the idea that innocent people are being condemned. He can’t accept that the girls are falsely accusing people of witchcraft, and the court is believing them.…
- 308 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Proctors strengths consist of, honesty and pride. For example, proctor waits till the very last minute to reveal Abigail is lying. Because, the people of Salem will find out about the affair, this would weaken his reputation. Lust and pride were John Proctors tragic flaws, lust is of course, one out of the seven sins. Proctor shows tons of pride towards his name. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another!” (Miller, 1232). Proctor refuses to ruin his name with a lie, therefore, causes him to hang and die.…
- 256 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
John Proctor is one character in The Crucible that is a dynamic which change a bit throughout the story; for he has changed from a quiet “farm boy” to a man with huge couragement. At the beginning of the play, Proctor kept things inside of his mind, and tries to get Abagail to keep the main secret that John had since he knew that he wife, Elizabeth, would not tell what happen seven months. When John and Abagail had an affair. As the story progresses, Elizabeth was thrown into jail because she is being accused of being…
- 279 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
John Proctor is the tragic hero of The Crucible. Although he can be cast as the hero, John Proctor causes his tragic face by the end of the play. He had risked his life for others. Caring for others and he had risked his life for someone really important then him. Even his wife, Elizabeth Proctor.…
- 322 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
In The Crucible , the main character John sacrifices himself for the good of his family, in order to protect their kids and their honor. Thus showing the reader how virtuous he is. The story that is seen by John is one of sin, misdeeds, and corruption. His town is being overrun by the intentions of children who feel empowered due to their rising of standing in the town ranks.…
- 310 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
John Proctor, the man who died an honest man, is the character in “The Crucible” we see the most development in. Although at the beginning of the story he was a very selfish man, he’d grown into a better person. He showed the motivation to fix things with his wife and had a huge impact on the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials.…
- 595 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Elizabeth lies to the court to protect her husband. She says, “My husband-is a goodly man, sir” (Page 113. Line 13). This is especially difficult for Elizabeth to say because of what John had done to her beforehand. John, not being the strong man he soon will become, says, “I say-I say-God is dead” (Act 119. Line 25). For this, he is arrested. In Act 4, John changes dramatically. He gains noticeable strength when he is faced with a life changing situation. It is when John has to decide if he should sign the confession. He knows that he only has one identity, and if he ruins it, he will never be pardoned. He realizes that if he doesn’t confess, he is already full of sins and is weak, so his reputation will not change. John also knows that if he lives, his kids will have a father to grow up with, even if they are not admired. When John goes to Elizabeth for help, she says, “Do what you will. But let none be your judge. There be no higher judge under Heaven than Proctor is! Forgive me, forgive me, John-I never knew such goodness in the World” (Page 137. Line 18). She is telling him that she will support him in what ever he decides to do. Having his wife supporting him certainly gives him confidence, specifically because she forgave him for earlier mistakes he made. John’s strength really shows when he decides to tear up the confession that he signed. He says, “I can. And…
- 935 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
John’s pride and dishonesty is what ultimately bring about his downfall. “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth: I am no good man.” (1352). John’s decision to keep his adultery a secret in order to save his reputation ended up hanging him in the long run. He thought telling the court would put a stop to the witch trials, but it ended up making him look like a liar under oath, which was a hangable crime. These choices due to his excessive pride are what complete the tragic hero that is John Proctor.…
- 441 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
One of the characteristics that make John Proctor such a dynamic character is the fact that he admitted his mistake, showing that he is brave. John Proctor defends himself…
- 818 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In Act IV John Proctor is in court on the charges of being a witch. This shows that John Proctor will stand up for his friends and tell the truth about not being associated with the Devil, rather than lie and have his friends die. If John Proctor was not a man who stood up to his friends than he would lied and have all his friends die; instead he told the truth and died, while maintaining honor with his friends.This shows that John Proctor stands up for his friends because he will show people in the court that people being accused of witchcraft are being wrongfully accused; giving them a chance at surviving and not being hanged. If John Proctor wasn’t a good friend then he wouldn’t even try to help the women. In The Crucible John Proctor is portrayed as a man who stands up for his…
- 696 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
John was a hero, because he wanted to save the lives of all the innocent people who were going to hang. He was an honest man that made a mistake. In act four John transforms into a man who has nothing left but his dignity. His soul has been blackened, and he cannot confess to such a crime that he did not commit, even if it would’ve saved his life. He believed in dying the moral way without lies, rather than living with a name that is full of sin. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies...” (Act four, pg.145). Proctor’s self-worth was being challenged, and he wanted to keep his last shred of dignity, before he was a completely destroyed man.…
- 731 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
Throughout the play John is eaten by guilt and it makes him the thick headed individual that he is. But when circumstances throughout the play changes, it causes him to change into a man cares more about his wife than himself. It changes him into a man that forgives himself and has self-respect again. When Proctor says, “ I have known her, sir. I have known her”(Miller 1206). This is an indirect characterization that John Proctor has changed and that he has goodness in him. He was willing to give up the one thing he had left in life for his wife, his good name. Also when Proctor says “ I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor”(Miller 1232). This is direct characterization that reveals that Proctor has changed. That he is no longer a man eaten by guilt. He is an individual with goodness inside of him who has gained his self-respect again. He is finally at peace.…
- 486 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
John Proctor is easily identified as The Crucible’s protagonist. Proctor was a stand-up man who spoke his mind. His name was synonymous with honour and integrity within the community. Proctor took pleasure in exposing hypocrisy in the town and he was respected for it; most importantly he respected himself. That was up until Proctor had made his biggest mistake; all it took was one shameful encounter to destroy Proctor’s most prized possession – his self-respect.…
- 918 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
In “The Crucible”, John Proctor expresses extreme guilt about his affair with Abigail throughout the book. This guilt leads John to confess to Judge Danforth and sets himself up for chaos. At first, he wants to expose Abigail for faking it, but he is scared because of the guilt of his affair. He realizes that in order to keep his family together, and his friends alive, he must confess about his affair before it’s too late.…
- 753 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays