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" John Proctors Struggles" In the drama, " The Crucible" the reader witnesses several characters that undergo different struggles. John Proctor goes through three different struggles in the drama. The three struggles that John goes through are; the stopping of his affair with Abigail, does john go to court, and johns decision to live and tell the truth or to die and to tell a lie. The first struggles that the reader sees is John trying to stop his love affair with Abigail.
John had a secrete love affair with a young girl named Abigail Williams, after a period of time his wife began to suspect relations were happening between her husband and Abigail. Elizabeth, in every effort to stop the relationship dismissed Abigail from her duties and order John to stop seeing Abigail. John met Abigail once more in the wood where Abigail tried to convince Proctor that he really loved her and not his wife, Elizabeth. During the meeting in the woods with Abigail John tells Abigail, " Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before Ill ever reach for you again. " This quote is from the drama, " The Crucible" by Miller on page 23. In this quote Proctor implies that he does still think about Abigail but he will almost any thing to never touch her again.
This is an example of Proctors first struggle he shows his wife Elizabeth that the love affair is over with but he still does think about seeing Abigail again. John struggles with this because he knows he loves his wife and the children they had together but he also is still in very much lust of Abigail. Another source that shows how John struggled was, " John has the will power to resist Abigail now, even while part of him still desires her. " This quote is from secondary source, " Arthur Miller Dramatist" by Murray on page 63. This is another great example of how John is struggling with the letting of his affair with Abigail. In the quote is tells how John is now physically able to resist Abigail and to stay away from her but in his mind John still thinks secretly of Abigail, John still desires Abigail. The second struggle that Proctor shows in the drama is whether he will go to court or not and expose Abigail.
Because of Johns affair with Abigail he knows that she is lying to the courts about Elizabeth being a witch. Abigail calls out witch craft on Elizabeth Proctor because Abigail want so be with John so she is doing any thing she can to get rid of Elizabeth. Elizabeth urges John to go to the courts and tell them what Abigail is doing but then John replies, " You will now judge me more, Elizabeth. I have good reason to think before I charge fraud on Abigail, and I will think on it. Let you look to your own improvement before you go to judge you husband and more. I have forgot Abigail and-" this quote was taken from the drama, " The Crucible" written by, Arthur Miller, on page 54.
This quote shows the second struggle of whether John should just run to the courts and charge fraud on Abigail, but if John does this then everyone will know that John committed adultery. This is showing how he doesnt really want to go to the courts right away he kind of just wants to think on it before he lets all of Salem know he committed adultery. Another quote that gives an example of Proctors second struggle is, " When Elizabeth urges him to go to court and expose Abigail, he is afraid that his relations with the girl will be brought to light. " This quote was taken from a secondary source, " Arthur Miller Dramatist" written by Murray on page, 63. This quote is telling the reader how John is scared that if he does go to court and tell that Abigail is saying fraud that his adultery will come out.
In Salem and in their religion Adultery is a big sin so he defiantly didnt want this secret to come out. But on the other hand he wanted to prove to Elizabeth that he was done with Abigail. This is where it shows what John is torn between. John Proctors third and final struggle was to tell the truth and live or to not tell the truth and to die. John is in jail and the court come to him asking if he will write down his confession and then he will not be hung. John writes the confession and says he want his life then when Proctor is asked to choose, in anger he rips up the confession and says, " Because it is my name!
Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! " This quote was taken from the drama, " The crucible" written by Arthur Miller quoted through out Act four.
This shows how john struggles with his life he wants to keep his name but he isnt sure whether to live or not. " John doesnt know if he wants to live or die, then makes the decision that he wants his life and he sighed the confession. " This quote was taken from " Arthur Miller Dramatist" written by Murray, a second source. This also shows how Proctor struggles on what to do. The reader can see how John Proctor goes through three major struggles throughout the drama. Proctor isnt the only character who undergoes struggles " The Crucible" is full of characters struggles during the Salem Witch Trials. Proctors three struggles, his stopping his love affair with Abigail William, the decision to go to court or not, and the decision to tell the truth and keep his life or to lie and be hung, were serious struggles to be facing during that particular time period.
How would society treat people today if they were facing the struggles that John Proctor faced during the Salem Witch Trials?
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Research essay sample on Salem Witch Trials Arthur Miller
