crucible essay

Ciara Lynch

AP English 11 - George

November 25, 2008

The Crucible


The Crucible is a drama-filled play and there is one person to blame for all the drama, John Proctor. John proctor is a lustful, dishonest man with a high reputation who commits adultery that puts the wrong idea into a young, naive girl’s mind. He does, in fact, tell his wife about this affair but, decides to keep it a secret from everyone else to ensure that his reputation is not ruined. Because he does have this affair and wants to keep it a secret, horrible events took place that could have been completely avoided if John Proctor was a faithful and honest man from the beginning.


Abigail Williams was a servant for John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth. While Abigail was a servant for the Proctor’s, Proctor had an affair with her which put the wrong idea into Abigail’s mind. He made Abigail think that he loved her and that he wanted her. Abigail said, while grasping his hand “John-I am waitin’ for you every night.” (Miller 22). Proctor clearly gave Abigail hope that he wanted her and the only thing standing in Abigail’s way to get to Proctor was Elizabeth. Since Proctor put the idea into Abigail’s mind that he loved her, it made Abigail want to get rid of Elizabeth, to kill Elizabeth, “You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!”(19). Although it may seem that Abigail is equally at fault since it takes two to have an affair, but Proctor is much older than Abigail. She is only seventeen years of age and very naive. Proctor was in a position of power, he was old enough to realize that this could give this young, naive girl the completely wrong impression, but he did it anyway which did indeed give Abigail the wrong impression, which made her want to kill Elizabeth. Abigail would have never wanted to kill Elizabeth with witchcraft, which would have never been a factor if Proctor had not gone through with the affair that not only could jeopardize his marriage, but his high reputation.


John Proctor was a man of high reputation, “Proctor, respected and even feared in Salem.” The people of Salem highly respected him and he was the kind of man that did not want to lose his high reputation. It was a big factor in his life, so big in fact, that he did not tell anyone about his affair except for Elizabeth, “God forbid you keep that from the court, John I think they must be told.”(53). If Proctor had just told the court he had an affair with Abigail, that would be the answer to why she was committing witchcraft and it would have avoided an emotionally distressing event with his wife.


Because Proctor does not tell of the affair, he cannot accuse Abigail because the only proof he has of why she would want to commit witchcraft to kill his wife would be that they had an affair but he does not want to admit to that. So, Abigail is empowered to accuse Elizabeth of being a witch because Abigail still believes that Proctor loves her. Abigail accuses Elizabeth of committing a voodoo act on a doll, that affects Abigail, “Abigail Williams, sir. She sat down to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without a word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor[…]stuck two in the in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out[…] she-to proctor now-testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit pushed it in.”(74). Because of Abigail doing this, Elizabeth is accused and is to be jailed and has a possibility of being hanged all because Proctor did not tell the truth about having the affair. He knew he should have told the truth because he knew that having the affair was the wrong thing to do. He should have admitted to it, to give the proof for all the more reason for Abigail to accuse Elizabeth.


Proctor obviously knew what he did was wrong or else he would not have asked for forgiveness, “I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth.”(136). He knew it was wrong, so he should have just told the truth from the beginning and shown remorse then, asked for forgiveness then and the court would have believed him. Abigail would had never had the chance to accuse Elizabeth. But since, he did not tell the truth from the beginning it was just too little too late.
Since Proctor failed to tell the truth at the opportune moment to change things , it led to the death of twelve people, plus seven more to come, “Twelve are already executed; the names of these seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning.”(129) Twelve people that were accused had already been hanged by the time Proctor did come out with the truth and seven others are to be hanged and they cannot be pardon because it would not be just. But as said before, it was too little too late for Proctor.


All this concludes that John Proctor is the most to blame for all the events that happened in The Crucible. All of the people accused, all of the people harmed, physically or emotionally, all of the people hanged, was all because of John Proctor’s lustful, dishonest, ways and of course to keep his reputation high.