The Crucible John Proctor Pride Quotes

There is a quote by an unknown author that states, “Pride is a personal commitment. It is an attitude which separates excellence from mediocrity.” Now this may not apply to every example of a proud person; however, it directly applies to John Proctor. In the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, John Proctor, a well-respected farmer, is confronted with a difficult decision and because of his pride decides to keep his reputation while saving the innocent; unfortunately this is the ultimate cause of his demise. Because of the pride John Proctor has, it is difficult for him to soil his name. For example, when being coerced into confessing and Judge Danforth asks him to name other people, he exclaims, “I am John Proctor, you will not use me!” (143). The fierceness in John’s expression is most apparent when his
name is threatened because of the shame he fears will follow his confession and the accusing of his friends. His conscience and the disappointing looks from his friends have the strength to tear him apart psychologically and eventually physically because the damage to his body is a reflection of the war raging inside his mind. Secondly, when Proctor’s wife confronts him about his past affair, he bellows, “no more! I should have roared you down when first you told me your suspicion” (55). With any threat to his character, John Proctor strikes up a defense that no one is able to penetrate. Unfortunately, his amore-propre is so, that it creates a flaw which is at the base of any character, and that is the ability to be humble and take criticism. John’s disability in this regard is shown with the chastising of his wife. Through and through John displays what some may call arrogance or stubbornness however the manner in which he expresses the trait shows how he is an honorable man and upholds his repute. When it comes to keeping the falsely accused out of the gallows, John Proctor goes to many lengths.
For instance, after his wife is arrested for witchcraft Proctor goes to his maid and commands, “you will tell the court what you know” (80). He does this with the knowledge of their deceitful ways and with the belief that one of the girls has the ability to get the madness under control. The legitimacy of this thought can be proved by the wavering and juvenile mind of the girls’ self appointed leader, Abigail. Moreover, when John’s accusation starts to be doubted by the court and with Abigail opposing every claim, he blurts out, “I have known her sir, I have known her” (110). Of course when he says this he refers to the affair he had with Abigail and intends to shock the court because no logical man will cast away his good name unless it is for a probable cause. With this John is attempting to make the court aware of Abigail’s true motives; the desire for attention and revenge for the ending of their trivial relationship. John’s unrelenting devotion to those close to him and the reasons he is fighting for, show the amount of sacrifice he is willing to
make. Even though there are many choices, every one of them point towards John’s death because it is what must happen if he is to remain noble. In support of this, when he is in jail after being convicted of witchcraft the Reverend Parris and Hale bring his wife to him in order to convince him to confess and save his life when she says, bring “I want you living John. That’s for sure” (136). At this point John starts to consider the consequences of his death, as they may bring much pain and suffering to the ones he loves. This refers to the fact that shame has the ability to destroy him. A case in point, while Proctor is still hesitant about his confession, Rebecca Nurse arrives at their location and with her expression of disapproval he rips up his confession (140-144). While Proctor has an impenetrable defense against the criticism of others, his on himself is like nothing else, and erodes what walls he has against it almost immediately. With his fate forever determined, John decides that the glory of dying a proud and honest man with all of his morals intact is a much better end than living in misery. By the by, while the death of Proctor is imminent, the choices he makes about how he dies makes his character excellent and sets him apart from the rest of the town. Because of the amount of dignity that John has, he must uphold his name and try to save the falsely accused witches; even though those choices are the largest causes of his death. While pride and self confidence are very honorable traits, they are not always the best ideas to live life by. One of the main things to remember is that a well-rounded person lives a comfortable life, but a proud person lives a righteous life.