Though the majority of the people of Salem are content and tolerant with their situation a silent minority are not. These people however, would never stand up and declare their true beliefs and intent for fear of being hung. It appears that something has to give in this unsustainable situation and a single spark or event could set of a devastating mêlée of carnage and mayhem.
John Proctor is the main character in the play of The Crucible. At the outset of the play, he does not appear to be a central character, but as the story develops, one can see that the importance of his existence and the reason behind his presence are soon made known.
John Proctor is a farmer in his middle thirties. He is not a man of any real authority or weight but Proctor need not be and is none the less respected and even feared in Salem.
Even-tempered and not easily led he has a sharp and biting way with hypocrites. He cannot refuse support to partisans without drawing their deepest resentment. In Proctor’s presence a fool felt his foolishness instantly and Proctor was always marked for calumny therefore. However, the steady manner he displays is an inimitable front to hide his troubled soul. Proctor is a sinner, not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. He is god at containing and suppressing this and the man carries a distinct quiet confidence and an unexpressed hidden force.
Deep inside his own mind however he is afraid, afraid of dying without confessing his sins and that his wife will not forgive him for his sins. Proctor is confused and a closer look shows that what he really desires is not his wife’s forgiveness but his own acceptance and consequential self-forgiveness of the sins that he is only too aware of.
Proctor is a man of strong opinion; he has many morals and views, and is not afraid to speak out against a cause he disagrees with. One such cause is the church and the authority of the reverend Paris, Proctor is quite blunt in expressing his disapproval and at one-point states, while in front of Paris, “I like not the smell of this authority”.
For a man like Proctor the situation in this society is far from idyllic. His morals are undistinguished, and he is aware of the mental confusion and repression being created.
Miller uses a number of devices within his play-script to present the character of John Proctor. Using Proctor himself Miller portrays his character by using Proctor’s speech, fears and how he behaves. Other characters in the play also help to define the farmer’s character, by their speech, thoughts and behaviour which all change as the play progresses.
Miller deliberately puts Proctor in scenes and situations that will cause discomfort and uneasiness for the farmer, like the courtroom scenes in act three where Elizabeth lies. It is Proctor’s conversations with Abigail however that heightens Proctor’s sense of embarrassment. In a society as restrained and suppressed as Salem it is surprising to note the free speech of Abigail. She is often blunt and persuasive to people of authority and it is a wonder that they never pick up on her allusion. It is this allusion that infuriates Proctor as only he can see through it and he is frustrated and discouraged by the power she resultantly gains. Juxtaposed with Elizabeth’s negative perception of Proctor’s sins it is visibly demonstrated that Miller is deliberately making things hard for Proctor.
It seems that Miller is ‘out to get’ Proctor just as much as Parris is and throughout the whole play Miller is constantly showing and presenting scenes and situations in a thorny complexion for Proctor that maximises every opportunity to emphasise his problems with temptation and the moral dilemma that this creates for the, as Miller would present, ‘fallen’ man.
Through the main characters the pattern of The Crucible unfolds.
The characters in The Crucible can be divided by factions into three groups:
- Established figures
- Citizens
- Outsiders
The established figures in the play are characters like Paris and Putnam. It is known that the citizens of Salem, including Proctor, have many grievances against them and one way to describe them would be neurotic. Through their wealth and attitude they maintain authority and they are always quick to blame others for unfavourable circumstances.
The Citizens of Salem are characters like Rebecca Nurse who have earned their money; these people feel that the community should look to themselves for the causes of the situation.
Hale is an outsider as he does not live in Salem, and this allows him to judge each case from a neutral perspective without any grievances or partiality.
Proctor and Giles Corey are split between these factions. Corey simply blames the devil but Procter seeks a more sustainable, logical answer, knowing that all is not as it seems and therefore suspecting some sort of conspiracy.
John Proctor is a man with a deeply divided nature and this is reflected in the way he conducts the relationships between his neighbours and himself. The relationship that reveals the most about the man is the one between him and Abigail. Miller tells us that Proctor feels he has compromised his idea of decency and proper conduct, but the farmer does not seem to assume any such emotion, particularly in the opening scene. As a matter of fact, he is neither ashamed nor embarrassed at the presence of Abigail, his illegal liaison, and even smiles somewhat knowingly at her when he points his finger at her and accuses her of being 'wicked'. John does not realise that Abigail’s behaviour is due to her sensual relationship with him, and because he gave her knowledge that responsible people can be hypocrites. He claims that their relationship is over and even goes so far as to say that they 'never touched'. This seems to contradict the fact that Proctor is a man of strong convictions, but Proctor's obvious resentment and opposition to Parris and his hellfire teachings, his brow-beating of Mary Warren, his threatening violence against the court clerk and his tearing up of the Governor’s warrant all indicate the strength of his character as well as the strong convictions which possess this man.
Proctor is not a simple personality and the first act gives light to his complexity.
It is in act 2 however, when the complexity becomes apparent. Proctor delays going to court to denounce the girls and fatally allows things to develop. He lies to Elizabeth about seeing Abigail and lashes out at her when she tries to reprimand herself and explain the consequences. Proctor seems happier with external conflict than internal conflict as he finds the inner turmoil of doing wrong impossible to handle. Proctor fears the moral complexities and confused implications. Proctor stands out in the community, not because he is presented as the one ‘just’ man but because he is the man that projects his own faults on to others. When he does bring out the truth he tries to avoid implementing himself and forces Marry Warren to confess to the courtroom fraud. He realises that the hypocrisy pretence is too much for him and he is horrified by the exposure of his sins.
Similarly to the Bill Clinton scandal, Proctor does not regret committing his sins but is simply too afraid to face the consequences of exposure and the subsequent indignity that will inexorably follow.
In act 3 Proctor finally recognises his guilt and vainly tries to overthrow the court. This adds to the general hysteria and is another step towards the bloody climax. He delays Marry Warren's confession and it is only when he realises Abigail’s relentlessness that he finally confesses. However this was too late as Danforth now considers him an enemy of the court. To demonstrate the enormity of Proctor’s delay Elizabeth lies to protect her husband and Danforth sees Proctor as deceitful as a consequence.
Proctor’s infatuated response seals his fate as he launches into a rant about how god is dead,
“A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God dams our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!
Later on, the final act shows Proctor’s acceptance of his guilt. Proctor is faced with a tragic dilemma that tests this conviction. He is accused of witchcraft himself and he is forced to make a choice between confessing to the deeds which he has not done and live, or to hang a convicted practitioner of witchcraft who did not confess his sins. At first, Proctor, after a long period of confinement in prison and with a very low moral, agrees to sign the confession. At this point Proctor has no self-respect and franticly looks outside for some confirmation or denial, to offload the unbearable guilt. Elizabeth suggests that he needs to forgive himself and Proctor makes one final drive for truth- a correct evaluation of his life and himself. As he thinks things through, he finally takes the right path and tears the confession up after signing it. This clearly demonstrates the strong convictions, which bind his thoughts in one final defiance of the court.
Proctor finally loses sight of his relationship with Elizabeth through his courageous death. He was innocent of the crime he died for but was guilty none the less. This creates confusion as to weather Proctor accepts guilt and the man has a final sense of unworthiness but does not want to confess to the wrong sins and refuses to name anyone else. By refusing to publish a lie, and instead go to death he finally saves himself, he is not as bad as he thought and proves that he does still have pride. Elizabeth sums up the situation in saying, “He have his goodness now”, suggesting that he is good to undertake such an act. The indecisive was decisive and the true Proctor came through above and through the self-doubt and loathing.
At the end of the play, Hale decides to attempt to convince those wrongly charged of witchcraft to confess to witchcraft to avoid the noose, even though this goes against what he has always thought and believed. There is therefore a contrast between the two men. One takes the right path in an effort to preserve his integrity and righteousness, while the other chooses the path of darkness in order to preserve those whom he does not wish to see perish simply because of an inept system of justice.
The play ran for a few months, playing to almost empty houses. Then it closed. But the witch-hunt went on.
Charlie Tutt
11PT.