He tries to accomplish his goal by hiding his sin but is distressed because of his pursuit of what he believes to- be happiness. Towards the end of the play his struggles eventually end in his downfall. His courage to stand strong in his beliefs leads him to death at the gallows. His personal struggle with Elizabeth is resolved as he makes his decision to refuse to confess to witchcraft. Elizabeth sees his inner goodness shine when he refuses to lie about being involved in witchcraft, and she realizes how unfair she has been.
He confesses his sin of adultery, all with the intention to save the lives of those he knew to be innocent at the expense of his innocence before the court of Salem. At the end of the play however, John himself is accused of witchcraft, and is faced with another moral decision. He must either must lie, and confess to a sin that he did not commit (that of witchcraft) and have this lie posted on the church door, or die for the sin of witchcraft that he did not commit. John wrestles with his conscience over this choice, and in the end, chooses to die telling the truth - that he is an honest man who did not commit witchcraft and told the truth no matter the consequences. He says, “Because it is my name!
In each case, both characters experience guilt due to a past breaking of faith and both hope to reconcile these acts with themselves and with others. Perhaps a direct result of Amir’s role as the narrator, the most significant act of betrayal in The Kite Runner is Amir’s betrayal of Hassan. Amir failed to stand up for his best friend and half brother Hassan, because he feared Assef, and he feared for his own fate. He did not want to risk the chance for him to be a victim of sodomy as well. “I opened my mouth, almost said something.
John’s character in the beginning of the story may seem kind of suspicious of how he doesn’t want anyone to know of how he cheated on his wife, and that at first he would do anything just so that no one would find out. As the story goes on you start to feel that John’s character is changing. You can see this because at first he didn’t want anyone to know, and now he feels really guilty and wants to confess to his wife, so that Elizabeth doesn’t have to suffer for what he has done. John then was with a girl Mary Warren at the court and was also trying to help put Abigail to shame for lying, but then Mary Warren is getting accused for being a witch and turns on John saying “You’re a Devil’s man. I’ll not hang with you!
Even though his own brother committed the sin, he knew it was wrong no matter who it was: "Maybe a jury will cut him loose. I wont. By god I wont” (143). Knowing most of Wes’s family is against the fact that Frank should not be punished; Wes puts his emotional feelings aside and grows up. Just by one fault by the closest man in his life, Wes realizes he has changed in better ways as things have gotten more complicated: “ My father stood for moral absolution ” (144).
His sense of pride prevented him from admitting to the adultery. Thus, the town did not understand Abigail’s motivation as did Proctor. He could have also prevented his demise if he had chosen to sign the paper. However, he feels that his name is “not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang” and chooses death over humility. This play exhibits tragedy because, though Proctor had many opportunities to change his fate, he chooses his demise because his tragic flaw prohibits him from doing otherwise.
His willingness to slaughter the man for so weak a reason is frightening though. It helps to show how twisted Chillingworth truly is. During the end of the novel though, Dimmesdale thwarts Chillingworth’s revenge plot by telling the Puritan community how he had an affair with Hester. This act absolutely ruins Chillingworth because he no longer possesses the power over Dimmesdale. All the horrible acts he had done in the past were undone, because Dimmesdale "Hast escaped me!"(228).
By sinning and keeping it secret, he was breaking two of God's most important laws: Do not commit adultery, and do not lie. Lying not only caused Dimmesdale emotional pain, but it also appeared physically. He became weak and frail, barely able to hold his head high. Roger Chillingworth had been Hester's previous husband, before he sent her ahead to America. When he learned of Hester's betrayal, he was furious.
He expresses his grief at losing close friends, as well as, resentment for an overly vengeful God, who would punish men not only their crimes, but also the crimes of their fathers. One of Francesco?s peers, Giovanni Boccaccio observed the human behavior in response to The Plague. He concluded that their behavior fell into three categories: Isolation- No one can get me sick if I break contact with everyone. Denial- If I indulge myself, enjoy life, and surround myself with merriment, how could I possibly die? Moderation- If I refrain from overindulgence and gluttony, and walk a righteous path, then I will be spared from this evil.
Danforth is too radical for his own good and it ends up creating the nightmare known as the Salem Witch Trials. The fear his beliefs cause make him cowardly and weak minded. Proctor, on the other hand, knows his morals and standards, and lives an honest life. The farmer shows valor by standing up to Danforth, knowing that it would eventually result in his death if he went too far. Subsequently, he goes to the grave still holding onto his dignity and beliefs.