John Proctor Pride In The Crucible

In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, a whole village is put through trials and tribulations that essentially turn their lives upside-down. Few survived through these tests and even fewer kept their pride and dignity until the end; John Proctor is one of them. Proctor is found in the center of all the action in “The Crucible”. He has to balance his situation with Abigail and his wife with the chance that both he and his wife are facing the end of both their Christian and mortal lives. Proctor does this, however, and in the end he is seen with his pride and dignity still intact.
John Proctor had started out in the book as someone who had something to hide. He, at some point, had had an affair with Abigail Williams, who became the mastermind behind…show more content…
John Proctor went through the same tests that everyone one else in the village went through, and then some. He had the whole ordeal with Abigail Williams: losing his wife’s trust, her accusing his wife of witchcraft, and then finally breaking down in court which made him lose his wife completely. He had to watch as the Marshal took her out of the court room and her last words being “Oh, God!” (Act III, pg 113). That was a trial that none other but himself had to go through. He, also, had to bear witness to the girls in the village making a mockery of Mary Warren in court and condemning people in the town. He had to watch as Abigail and her followers took control of the court and played with Mr. Danforth’s imagination like a puppet. All the shouting and arguments John posed were meaningless. His attempts could not even reach Danforth as he was so drawn into the girls act. John tried to tell him that “they’re gulling [him]!”(Act III, pg 117), but it was to no avail. Then, as the girls had turned on Mary, Mary soon turned on John Proctor. Death surrounds them throughout the whole ordeal, friends and neighbors have been sent to the gallows and there is not anything they can do about it. John had to watch as the world he knew fell apart. His final test, his final crucible, takes place in jail, where John Proctor is seen as “another man, bearded, filthy, [and] his eyes misty as though webs had…show more content…
He had denied everything in the beginning, hoping that if he just closes his eyes to it, it would all go away. He quickly realized that that was not the case. He began building his integrity when he admitted to the courts about what had ensued between him and Abigail Williams. It was a very difficult thing to do, but he had done it in attempts to reveal to the courts what she really was. He stands up for his wife, and though it did not save her life, he even takes the blame for doing the Devil’s work. In the jail cell, while him and Elizabeth have a moment alone, he proves to her, one last time, that he just wants to please her. Asking her what she would have him do, and receiving no answer in return John says he will confess; thus, bringing his integrity and pride to an all time low. As he confesses, rage slowly builds up inside of him until finally when he is asked to sign his name, he refuses. They tell him the confession will mean nothing if he does not sign it and he says his name would mean nothing if he does. Then, he signs it, but does not give it back saying “I have signed it. You have seen me. It is done! You have no need for this.” (Act IV, pg 142). Danforth says the town needs proof of his confession and asks him why he will not return the paper. John’s pride and anger crescendos to new heights as he tells them, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot