How Was John Proctor Was an Honorable Man Essay Example

Defying authority is hard. Religious laws with strict death penalties for those who defy authority are even harder. In the story The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a brave and stern character named John Proctor dwells within the plot of the play. Proctor was one of the few sensible people in the town of Salem to see the lies in Abigail’s witchcraft accusations. Proctor has a great will and love for his word and his wife. Honest, upright, and blunt-spoken, Proctor is a good man with one detrimental flaw: he has committed adultery with a young crazy girl named Abigail. Little to John’s knowledge, his affair with young Abigail proved to be more fatal than he had expected. Because “a promise is made in any bed”; Abigail began to grow jealous of Proctor’s beloved wife, Elizabeth Proctor. By opposing hypocrisy, treating his wife with the utmost respect and outright love, and giving his own life to save others, Proctor has proved to be a very admirable character.

In the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, the overflowing fountain of hypocrisy was beginning to be noticed by the more aware citizens of the Puritan homestead. Reverend Parris, a “man of God”; is one of the more dishonest characters in the play. Claiming to be a man of God, Parris, upon discovering hisniece and daughter dancing in the forest, refuses to let Abigail tell the truth because his reputation would be ruined and he would no longer be paid for his services. While exploring his biography, the reader may discover how Parris is a former merchant who “turned to God”; however, his merchant’s past reveres Parris’ lust for money, especially since his mercantile business failed. Other forms of hypocrisy sweeping the town of Salem lie in the deeds of the townsfolk. As the witch hunt kills and hurt innocent families, greedy land owners accuse their neighbors and neighbors’ families in order to seize their land. From Mr. Putman accusing his old neighbor of witchcraft so Putnam