english essay

John Royle

English

10/20/10

The Crucible

Battles of Will and Honesty in The Crucible

            Finding reconciliation can make people find their internal truth. Dishonesty and lies distort the truth. Through the characters John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor, Arthur exemplifies integrity. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s stand on integrity is that a person should stand up for their beliefs no matter the consequence.

            Time and time again John Proctor shows through his actions that he is a person with a strong character and good sense of integrity. With these qualities John Proctor was a natural leader of Salem and was revered around the town. John Proctor, in an attempt to save his wife, gave his own good name and reputation in her good fortune. John’s sense of integrity forbade him to hive his name given as a conjurer of spirits even when he was faced with death,” Because it is my name! Because I can not have another in my life! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of those that hang!” This proves his strength of will and his unwillingness to lie, even though his decision will result in certain death.

            Elizabeth Proctor’s silent strength is tried over and over again throughout the novel. Her kindness, respect for others, and integrity are seen through her actions even in troubling times. Even though Elizabeth is a soft spoken woman in Salem, her loyalty to the church and internal truth are unwavering and strong. Her sense of truth and honesty gave her the strength to accept he husband’s decision to hang rather than live a life tainted with lies. Her acceptance is showed by her statement, “He will have his goodness now, God forbid I take that from him.” Elizabeth is glad that John forgave himself, and they both choose god over each other, just like any truthfully devoted Puritan would and should.

Through Arthur Miller’s characters, he shows a vast array of people that foil each other. Examples of these foils are John Proctor and Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren, and lastly, the two reverends, Hale and Danforth. Although the two reverends were on the side of conventional Puritism, they differed in their ways of determining guilt. Reverend Hale took into account past history around the town and genuine feelings, Danforth however, went on solid facts, although this was controversial because the crimes committed were ones of spirit and the evidence was based purely on the accusers and their integrity, or lack there of. John Proctor stayed true to his word and was a man of great internal morals, as Abigail Williams lied and manipulated her friends to get the outcome that she wanted. Elizabeth proctor was a continuous church attendee and was very stable in her activity, as Mary Warren was not. First she was a part of Abigail’s lying group of friends, then she confessed to the lie in court and, then when Abigail intimidated her, she switched back to a liar; she was very indecisive in her actions. In retrospect to Elizabeth, she was a perfect foil.

In the novel, The Crucible, Arthur Miller’s characters exemplifies extreme Puritism and strong integrity. Through John Proctor’s actions and his internal battle within himself, Miller shows the battle between human coconscious and extreme Puritism. In Elizabeth Proctor’s character Miller exemplifies internal strength and devotion. While some people find contentment through lies and deceit, others choose to strive for a better way of life through good character and strong morals.