The Crucible Literary Analysis
Literary Analysis: “The Crucible”
“With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.” –Zig Ziglar
In Arthur Miller’s, “The Crucible,” the town of Salem is plagued by the hysteria of witches. In an attempt to end the madness, and condemn the cause of it all, Abigail Williams, John Proctor confessed to lechery, only to be thrown into jail for witchcraft. In the end, when given the chance to lie to save his life; he refused and died for the truth. John Proctor was motivated not to confess because of his pride, unwillingness to condemn innocent people and integrity. John Proctor’s strong sense of pride was evident throughout the story, and not only cost him his life, but the life of others too. …show more content…
He refused to confess also due to his unwillingness to blacken the names of the innocent. By doing so it would add further sin upon his shoulders. By signing his name of the testimony it would mean that he lived off of a lie, completely besmirching the death of the innocents, and adding further guilt and shame to his conscious. So much so that he felt he could not teach his sons how to become men. “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (Miller, 211). Also in Act IV, Proctor’s integrity shines. He couldn’t bear to live through a lie, and blacken the names of the innocent. He felt himself unworthy to even be, “…the dust on the feet of those who hang!” (Miller, 211). Unlike the others to be hung, he was the only one with a serious sin (adultery). He knew he was a sinner, even if he was not a witch, and knew he must die anyway. In addition, he was empowered by the presence of Rebecca Nurse who was willing to die for the truth, and inspired him to do the same. This was evident in the way he could not bear to look at her, when he was
“With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.” –Zig Ziglar
In Arthur Miller’s, “The Crucible,” the town of Salem is plagued by the hysteria of witches. In an attempt to end the madness, and condemn the cause of it all, Abigail Williams, John Proctor confessed to lechery, only to be thrown into jail for witchcraft. In the end, when given the chance to lie to save his life; he refused and died for the truth. John Proctor was motivated not to confess because of his pride, unwillingness to condemn innocent people and integrity. John Proctor’s strong sense of pride was evident throughout the story, and not only cost him his life, but the life of others too. …show more content…
He refused to confess also due to his unwillingness to blacken the names of the innocent. By doing so it would add further sin upon his shoulders. By signing his name of the testimony it would mean that he lived off of a lie, completely besmirching the death of the innocents, and adding further guilt and shame to his conscious. So much so that he felt he could not teach his sons how to become men. “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (Miller, 211). Also in Act IV, Proctor’s integrity shines. He couldn’t bear to live through a lie, and blacken the names of the innocent. He felt himself unworthy to even be, “…the dust on the feet of those who hang!” (Miller, 211). Unlike the others to be hung, he was the only one with a serious sin (adultery). He knew he was a sinner, even if he was not a witch, and knew he must die anyway. In addition, he was empowered by the presence of Rebecca Nurse who was willing to die for the truth, and inspired him to do the same. This was evident in the way he could not bear to look at her, when he was