GCSE English Assignment: Twentieth Century Drama
The Crucible
"Proctor is a guilt-ridden individual struggling to find his true self." To what extent do you believe this is true of John Proctor, and how is it conveyed to the audience in the course of the play?
John Proctor is a key character within The Crucible, displaying great emotion and immense passion for what he believes in. He has sinned and he knows it, but that does not mean that his sins have gone forgotten. As the play develops, the audience can see that he repents his sins and will fight until the end for his wife's forgiveness and the real truth to be spoken. Some people may say he is "guilt-ridden", after all, he does hold a secret, but as the play draws to a dramatic end, John Proctor's "true self" hangs for all to see.
At first glance, John Proctor is a farmer in his middle thirties, and appears to the audience to be a strong manly figure:
"respected and even feared in Salem"
This quotation partly contradicts with the essay title quotation, as usually someone who cannot find their "true self" is afraid to voice their true thoughts and yet, other people within Salem, are scared of him. This may be because he is envied in the village; he has a wife and children and appears to be comfortable with his high status life style. Or, this may be because Proctor is not "guilt-ridden", and does not feel the need to repent his sins. This quotation suggests that even though Proctor has sinned, he still has a reputation to keep and is willing to lie to keep his "good name", this is not the "true" John Proctor.
When Proctor is first introduced into the play, Arthur Miller suggests a physical relationship between Proctor and Abigail Williams:
"the faintest suggestion of a knowing smile on his face"
This quotation highlights that there is something that both Proctor and Abigail know. A "knowing smile" usually suggests a secret, but this is not a small secret kept between friends, it is such a secret that can ruin a man's reputation forever; a secret shared by lovers. Even though Proctor knows that communicating with Abigail could seriously jeopardise his marriage, he still cannot resist smiling when he sees her. To the audience, this could be conveyed that Proctor is not feeling "guilt-ridden" and therefore does not feel remorse for his affair.
Pretence and lies have consequences and those consequences are showing in Proctor's and Abigail's actions. To some extent hiding the characters' true-selves:
"Abigail has stood on tiptoe, absorbing his presence, wide-eyed."
The stage directions help the reader understand that Abigail is very keen to persist with a relationship with Proctor. Abigail's "concentrated desire" for him, is certainly not a feeling shared by Proctor. His body language shows the audience that he is not interested in her, "setting her firmly out of his path". There is an obvious distinction between Abigail and Proctor's body language; Abigail is very assertive, whereas Proctor is quite tense and apprehensive with the whole situation. This is not John Proctor's "true self"; normally a very confident and self assured man, Proctor is feeling the pressure and is not comfortable with the position he is in. Suggesting that Proctor is not his "true self" and may be a "struggling individual"
The true Proctor is not one to keep his feelings inside; when he thinks something should be said, he says it:
"We vote by name in this society, not by acreage."
Proctor's independent thinking may have a great impact on society; most are scared to say what they feel and just follow trends, so for someone to have courage like John Proctor may lead to jealousy within the Salem community. Also, others could feel threatened by his ability to say what he thinks, and therefore feel under pressure to better themselves. This contradicts with the essay ...
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The true Proctor is not one to keep his feelings inside; when he thinks something should be said, he says it:
"We vote by name in this society, not by acreage."
Proctor's independent thinking may have a great impact on society; most are scared to say what they feel and just follow trends, so for someone to have courage like John Proctor may lead to jealousy within the Salem community. Also, others could feel threatened by his ability to say what he thinks, and therefore feel under pressure to better themselves. This contradicts with the essay title quotation, as he appears to be quite self confident and and this is not conveyed to be a characteristic of a "struggling individual".
Religion is considered to be extremely important in the 1690s and even not to know your ten commandments is shameful. So when Giles says:
"he don't believe in witches"
This is taken very seriously, as not to believe in witches is seen as going against God. Giles does not say this out of spite, he is just being open, and in some respects this shows the naivety of his character, but also that Giles is an honest, candid man. To some extent, this quotation is ironic, because even though Giles has said this innocently, Proctor ends up been accused of actually being a witch himself.
In act two, the audience can feel a sense of tension between Proctor and Elizabeth. At first, their conversation seems innocent enough, but as they talk Elizabeth is quite cold towards Proctor:
"He gets up, goes to kiss her. She receives it. With a certain disappointment, he returns to the table"
This quotation implies that even though Proctor may be trying to keep their relationship together, Elizabeth cannot forget the past. This may make Proctor feel even more "guilt-ridden" because Elizabeth is a constant reminder of what he has done. This quotation also suggests that Proctor and Elizabeth are "struggling" in their relationship and they have a journey to go on before they can be true to themselves, and to one another. The audience gets a feel for the uneasiness and tension between the couple and can clearly see that a certain level of self deceit is happening; Elizabeth is lying to herself, trying to be a good wife and take Proctor back and Proctor is lying to the rest of the village, which is not his "true self".
Proctor knows that Abigail's act is all pretence, and he also knows that he has to do something to save innocent lives. This is where the audience gets to see some of the "true" qualities of the character of John Proctor:
"If the girl's a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she's fraud, and the town's gone so silly."
Proctor tries to think through the situation and then finds the best way to approach it, showing some of the "true" characteristics of John Proctor. He knows he has to do something, otherwise he would feel even more "guilt-ridden" and this would not be the "true" John Proctor - a man of morals and principles.
Proctor does not have a negative view on the church, although he certainly does not like the way it is being run by Reverend Parris:
"when I look to heaven and see my money glaring at his elbows - it hurt my prayer,"
This quotation highlights that Proctor feels as if his good money is being used to benefit Parris instead of the interests of the church. He feels as if that can hurt his prayer and Parris has not got his priorities in the right place. Proctor believes that Reverend Parris is more interested in money than he is with the importance of God. In some respects Proctor is conveyed to the audience to be a stubborn man, but others could see him as being a man of principles, a man who sticks to what he believes in. Even though Proctor may be "struggling" he still demonstrates great bravery, audacity and strength of character. Not many people in Salem would speak so openly of their opinions as John Proctor does - others may feel threatened by Proctor's individualism.
In the final speech of act 2, Proctor shows immense emotion for justice, he tries to make the truth come out by any means necessary:
"make your peace with it!"
He shows aggression and wants to put an end to Abigail's childish games; he wants the whole ordeal to be over. And yet, still, no one will listen. It must be hard for Proctor to have to fight just to get people to stop being ignorant and listen to what he has to say. Obviously speaking his mind like this could have serious consequences.
John Proctor is an honest man - a good man, a man of principles and in order to save his wife and to save all the others on trial, he has brought Mary Warren to confess. But Danforth says that in order to find the real truth, the trials must continue:
"we burn a hot fire here; it melts down all concealment."
Even though the truth has been spoken, Danforth still wants to continue with the trials; applying pressure on the girls. if the girls are lying, then under the pressure of the court they will break and tell the truth; the pure truth. Miller has purposely used The Crucible as the title, as it is symbolic of the events that take place within the play. A crucible is a dish used to find a pure substance by burning of any unwanted substances. This symbolizes the 'witches' being the unwanted substances and by putting them under pressure, the village hope that only the 'pure' people are left. Also, a crucible is considered to be a severe trial and the audience can clearly see that most of the characters go on a trial, whether it is a physical or a mental trial they have all changed from this experience.
Proctor obviously has a significant love for Elizabeth and is willing to surrender his "good name" in order to protect her. But this has a major reverse effect:
"This woman will never lie"
But Elizabeth does lie. She is trying to protect her husband and in doing so does the opposite. She puts Proctor under pressure and jeopardises the lives' of the people on trial. I think in act three John Proctor has found his "true self", even though he may not know it; he has come out of his "guilt-ridden" shell and is fighting for justice.
Proctor is livid when Danforth accuses him of witchcraft; he feels that even though the he has spoken the truth, no one is listening. It is conveyed to the audience that Proctor cannot believe the sheer ignorance of this man, he is so angry at Danforth and the injustice of the situation that he says things he may later regret:
"I say - I say - God is dead!"
Miller suggests that Proctor does not truly mean what he is saying, but says it to finally get someone to listen and to tell Danforth that the way the court is being run, is not what God wants. This does not exactly help Proctor's case against the allegations of witchcraft; it could be used as evidence that Proctor believes "God is dead" and therefore is 'working' with the devil. Especially for the 1690s, this is seen as very powerful language, because religion is incredibly important and anyone that goes against it is perceived as wrong.
Reverend Hale only wants the best for Proctor and is willing to persuade him to save his life by confessing, even though Hale knows that Proctor is innocent. Proctor has to make a decision and is torn between choosing his wife and children, or to leave the world with at least some dignity left:
"I want you living, John. That's sure."
Even though Proctor may have lost faith in himself, he still knows that he loves his wife and always will. At this point Proctor appears, to the audience, to be full of guilt and believes there is no good left in him, but from the audiences' point of view Proctor is a good man, he may have sinned in the past, but has tried hard to be a worthy husband to Elizabeth. There is a certain level of irony conveyed during the play; John Proctor may be guilty of adultery, but he is certainly not guilty of committing witchcraft, which is what he is being accused of. Proctor could take inspiration from Giles - a strong, gallantry man who barely spoke in order to save his land for his children - as a way of helping make his decision.
When Proctor decides to confess to save his life it is clear to the audience that he is full of doubt, he feels like a fraud and not as good as Elizabeth:
"I am no saint ... Let Rebecca go like a saint; for me it is fraud!"
Even though he has agreed to confess, he does not believe in what he is saying, which is not the "true" John Proctor. He is angry that it has come to this, either he confesses for a crime he did not commit or he is killed for telling the truth. But when Proctor is asked to give the names of others who are guilty of witchcraft he will not. He may have given his soul away, but he is not willing to take away the innocent lives' of others. This shows that Proctor still has some sincerity left, even under the circumstances of life or death.
To some extent the audience could say that Arthur Miller is trying to get an important point across through the character of John Proctor, which may reflect Miller's own life:
"John Proctor the sinner might overturn his paralysing personal guilt and become the most forthright voice against the madness around him was a reassurance to me, and, I suppose, an inspiration."
In some respects Miller's own life is similar to the situation of the character of John Proctor; Arthur Miller had an affair in 1951 and, in 1957 was found guilty of a crime. But, unlike John Proctor, his conviction was overturned, ruling that Miller was misled by the chairman.
During the first three acts of the play, John Proctor is conveyed - through the text, body language and stage directions - to be "a guilt-ridden individual struggling to find his true self." But as the play develops into act 4, the audience can really see John Proctor's "true self" emerge from his "guilt ridden" casing. The "true" John Proctor is kind hearted, caring and considerate to others. If he feels something should be said, he will not be afraid to say it. His true character demonstrates bravery and solemnity; this is conveyed to the audience - mostly in the act 4 - through his strong words and his bold actions. This is shown when Proctor rips the signed papers, because his morals and principles get the better of him, he will not have his dignity taken away from him. He is a good man.
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