Crucible Themes Essay

503 Words3 Pages
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller contains many hidden themes throughout the play. Out of the multiples themes, many of the characters in the play die honorably. The theme this portrays is that “it is better to die honorably than live dishonorably.” Throughout the play, the characters that die are John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey. Proctor, Rebecca, and Corey show many different examples of honor and courage throughout the play, but die accordingly. Each character portrays a specific example that brings out their honorable ways. Proctor is a very honorable character, despite the few mistakes he made in the past. The main mistake he made was he committed adultery with his housekeeper Abigail. As the play goes on, his wife Elizabeth gets falsely accused for witchcraft and Proctor does not agree with this. Elizabeth is still mad at Proctor for what he did, but Proctor knows that he should fight for his wife because he loves her. In court, he keeps on fighting the accusations even after he finds out that his wife is pregnant and has some time to live until she has the baby. In another honorable sense, Proctor, with his reputation on the line, admits to committing the act with Abigail. Rebecca Nurse was a very compassionate and honorable character in the play. Her kind deeds are shown in the first act when she comforts the sick. She eventually gets accused for witchcraft and is sent to be hung. With her fate on the line, Rebecca does not even try to accuse anyone else to get out of the accusation. Rebecca rather die than lie by accusing someone else. This shows that she had a lot of courage and strength as a person. Giles Corey also plays an honorable role in the play to stand up for his mistake. Corey made a big mistake that sent his wife to be accused of witchcraft. He knows that she is not a witch and feels horrible about the situation. He
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