why did miller end the play with proctor's death

They claim that Miller uses the adultery to rationalize the accusation of Proctor as a whores vengeance (110) on Abbys part. Summarize his arguments. This paper will discuss Proctor's change in character and his struggle with getting to, The play The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in Salem during the infamous witch trials. A man from Salem who acts as clerk of the court during the witch trials. By refusing to lie and confess to witchcraft, he sacrifices his life in the name of truth. As John Proctor is being led to the gallows and Elizabeth expresses her support for his decision, Miller ends the play on a dramatic note by writing, ". Hale sees that the court has become feared in Salem for its brutality and lack of justice. Free trial is available to new customers only. She came walking from the dead. After the dramatic events of Act IV, Miller closes the play with Proctor choosing to be put to death in order to preserve his good name. Parris makes this attempt because he can sense that Proctors virtue makes him persistent in defaming Abby. He chose to die, rather than to admit to crimes he had never committed and he believed that he should die with honour, whilst preserving his own good name and the integrity of his family, rather than having to living his life in shame and forever regretting the sin that he had committed.21 thg 7, 2021. Proctor's refusal to take part in the ritual transfer of guilt that has dominated the playthe naming of other "witches"separates him from the rest of the accused. Copyright 2023 WisdomAnswer | All rights reserved. As such, we'd like to use this section to focus on the actual last two lines of the play. Because he knows he did nothing wrong in his life but he is accused and no one wants to believe him. Plenty of people did sign false confessions, in which they were required to name others that they saw with the Devil. john is horrified when he realizes that his wife, elizabeth, is put into danger by getting . And knowing this, he kept it a secret thus tying into the confession and eventually his own death. What profit him to bleed? Like John Proctor, some people in Salem preferred to die rather than sign something that they knew was a lie. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! Miller manipulated John Proctors sin to be the foundation of subsequent events, because he was aware that readers might expect, The only way John Proctor can save himself is by falsely confessing to being involved with witchcraft; however, he does not confess. They could have started because of personal reasons. Arthur Miller wrote a second scene for the second act of the play which he later cut and isnt performed now when the play is staged. The deputy governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials. Proctor has the choice between life and death on pen and paper, to sign his name means life, to refuse means death. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. In The Crucible,Hale says, "They [the books]must be[heavy]; they are weighted with authority." WIthout Abigail there wouldn't be a lot going on, the trails most likely wouldn't have happened. Instead of saving his own life, John Proctor chooses to guard his reputation and not accuse others of witchcraft. summarize the purpose of irony in this act of the play. The Puritan judges have forced Proctor into an impossible and paradoxical situation: If he lies and "confesses" to being a witch, his life will be spared. Elizabeth then makes a confession of her own: she was suspicious of John and Abigail, but she did not confront him. In the essay "Grant and Lee: A Study in Contrasts", by Bruce Catton, Catton discusses what made two strong war generals, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. He had a big mistake, but death is too harsh for him as a result. "What is the significance of Miller ending the play with the line "the drums rattle like bones in the morning air"?" He was not a perfect man and admittedly some of his decisions were not right. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. 4 Why do you think Miller decided to end the play with Proctors death? Nevertheless, none of them actually saw the Devil. His choice of death could also be viewed as a form of suicide, which is verboten for Christians. Hall 1 Abigail Hall Mrs. Kelly Gardner English 11 14 October 2022 Responsibility for the Death of John Proctor In the early part of 2020, the world became aware of a new virus that was rapidly spreading wreaking death and havoc in its path. Reverend Hale is called in to Salem to examine Parris's daughter Betty. Danforth decides that John Proctors confession is not true because it isnt substantiated by Elizabeth Proctor. John Hale did not become skeptical of the trials after John Proctor's death, but only later, after his own wife was accused. This human weakness proves to be John Proctor's tragic character flaw. The Crucible ends with John Proctor marching off to a martyr's death. Act I: Opening scene to the entrance of John Proctor, Act I: The entrance of John Proctor to the entrance She has completely forgiven John and wants him to do what is right for himself by making his own decision. He has denounced the witch trials as a farce and for him to now sign his name to a false declaration of guilt would be hypocritical. This is situational irony, We would expect him to be able to state Adultery since it is the sin he recently committed. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". We think, surely, we could have stopped this madness. Deadline from 3 hours. Tragically, it is this protection that contributes to Johns death sentence. A logical explanation for Parriss tenacity in trying discredit Proctor is that Parris felt threatened. Why do you think early peoples in the Americas migrated south? It is because Elizabeth knows John must face his own conscience and make his own decision. No. We think it's interesting that, though this is Proctor's story, Miller doesn't give him the last word. Miller presents society as a fragile, delicate thing, something that can be destroyed by repression, ignorance, and mass hysteria. Nurse is well respected by most people in Salem, but is an enemy of Thomas Putnam and his wife. A stern, harsh-tongued man, John hates hypocrisy. This explains why Mary ultimately accuses Proctor of witchcraft. Please wait while we process your payment. Why does Abby drink chicken blood Whats her motivation? After the dramatic events of Act IV, Miller closes the play with Proctor choosing to be put to death in order to preserve his good name. The court brings the other girls into the court in order to get to the heart of the matter, and they quickly show signs that they are suffering under Marys spell. Why is Elizabeth Proctor accused of witchcraft? Why doesnt Elizabeth Proctor beg John to sign the confession? Yes, John Proctor is hanged in the plays final scene. John dies with his integrity intact. As John Proctor is being led to the gallows and Elizabeth expresses her support for his decision, Miller ends the play on a dramatic note by writing, ". She starts off as a native lonely girl but grows into a person with power. timid young girl into a much more confident, assertive character. Parris, you are the first minister ever did demand the deed to his house[.]. Why does Reverend Hale quit the court at the end of Act 3? Miller's choice of these particular last two lines seems to almost ask the audience a direct question: Which is more important, your honor or your life? The Puritan judges have forced Proctor into an impossible and paradoxical situation: If he lies and confesses to being a witch, his life will be spared. John Proctor is a kind man in many ways. Five of which include possession of hubris, a flaw or decision leading to desire for revenge, a reversal of good fortune brought forth by the error of judgement, acceptance of poor fortune brought forth by their actions, and lastly the fate dealt to these characters must be greater than deserved. She ends up recognizing that he hasfinally has his goodness. In this moment, there is forgiveness as she recognizes how John has changed. Because it makes him question the court and if they have justice, he has to stay true to what he has already done for the court. Therefore, many Jewish people emigrated from Russia and came to America. It's totally subjective. What happens when Mary Warren tells the court the truth about the girls acting bewitched? He only cares about Elizabeth. Explain thoroughly. When we moved to Miller's End, Every afternoon at four. Proctor has Mary give her deposition; she claims that she never saw any spirits attacking her, and that the other afflicted girls are also pretending. In essence, it is Proctors character that makes him a victim of the Salem witch trials. The girls were caught dancing in the woods with Tituba, who was apparently performing love charms for them. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. Contact us . He comes to realize that his fate is his own fault. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! different. He knew he could not teach his sons . Miller's brilliant use of imagery heightens the suspense at the end of the play and leaves the audience with an unsettling, alarming impression. The reason Proctor does not wish to have his youngest son baptized is because he sees no light of God in [Parris] (65). What happened to Abby at the end of the Crucible? He has lost his wife to a false arrest, his manhood to the affair, and the respect of the townspeople who cannot seem to see through the lies of Abigail and her group of followers. Rebecca Nurse is blamed for the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnams babies. A number of Mrs. Putnams babies have died, and she is looking for an explanation. Proctor finds that Parris is a greedy man who never preaches anything but hellfire and bloody damnation (28), so John is less eager to go to church than he perhaps ought to be. The reason why Miller shows this is because of how people we willing to lose people close to them because of there faith in the chruch. Analyzes how arthur miller's play, the crucible, portrays john proctor as a puritan, husband, and highly respected man. As John struggles with whether to falsely confess to witchcraft in Act 4, Elizabeth makes a confession of her own, telling him that she knows she is at least a little to blame for his affair with Abigail, which has brought ruin on them both. His unwillingness to sign his name to the confession results in part from his desire not to dishonor his fellow prisoners' decisions to stand firm. . Throughout the play The Crucible, John is motivated to tell the truth even though it ruins reputation, and contributes to the theme of someones reputation. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. This is none too easy in the harsh Massachusetts wilderness. To him you're either with the court and how it is or you're not. But when John mentions to Abigailwith whom he had an affairthe towns belief that witchcraft is involved, she responds, Oh, posh! One might argue that Proctor comes under suspicion as a result of his affair with Abigail Williams. As it happens, though, he proudly refuses to sign his confession. Why does Abby drink chicken blood? Latest answer posted April 01, 2021 at 3:01:06 PM. A breif detail of Maurya and Gupta empires are regarding the protection of environment.The Gupta period was also considered the golden age of Loseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili was a revolutionary figure in world history and his life paints a conflicted portrait on how one can simultaneously be a good leader, loved, detested, successful, and failed. Is John Proctor responsible for his own tragic fate? He needs them to take a closer look at the situation and open your mind to different possibilities. John Proctor lived and died as an honorable man in Salem. Because of his wife, Elizabeth, John has become a violent and angry man at this point in the play. In a heated moment, John says to Elizabeth, You forget nothin and forgive nothin. Parriss allegation likely plays a role in causing Mary to claim that John Proctor came to her in the dead of night and bid her We must go overthrow the court! (199). Clearly, both definitions apply to the title of the play. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Why did John Proctor die at the end? Why did Miller include so much irony? What is her motivation? We love a red herring! Rather, it stems from his moral opposition to the courts proceedings, which comes from his virtue and boldness; another contributing factor is that Proctor is widely respected in Salem, which makes his dissent to the courts even more problematic. What happened to Proctor at the end of Act 4? Would you like to have an original essay? Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. For some, it was easier to lie and say they were witches so that they could return to their lives and families. This makes the townspeople think witchcraft is involved, and the girls play along with the idea, accusing other townspeople of being witches. What does Elizabeth blame herself for when speaking to John? What is a crucible? Despite their strained relationship, John demonstrates his love for Elizabeth by challenging the corrupt court and attempting to save her life. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Proctors boldness and virtue is also made evident when he risks his own good name and even his life in order to save others who are condemned. He is accused of witchcraft and is given the choice to confess and live, or to maintain his innocence and be hanged. This confession seems to indicate if John ever loved Abigail, he loves Elizabeth much more. Many of those convicted are able to escape death by falsely confessing to compacting with the devil; however, Proctor ultimately finds death at the gallows after truthfully maintaining that he is not a witch. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. However, a greater underlying cause of Proctors ultimate conviction is not his affair. Why doesn't John Proctor save himself? He says, I have trouble enough without I come five mile to hear him preach only hellfire and bloody damnation. John also explains to Reverend Hale that he stayed at home on Sundays during the winter because his wife, Elizabeth, was sick. Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses. Please think critically and go beyond the obvious answer of "to make the play more dramatic/appealing.". Later, she and others in the town realized that an accusation of witchcraft was an effective way to punish people they were angry with. Why did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? In making this decision he has to think about his, Another inner quality that defines John Proctor is the value he holds to his good name. Abigail definitely wanted to believe Tituba could come up with a spell to kill Elizabeth, but Tituba most likely didnt believe in her own spells. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Parris continually exclaims that Proctors purpose is, in fact, to overthrow the court. Why does Elizabeth refuse to stop him from being hanged? Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to a fan favorite, Dean Miller. One definition of a crucible is a vessel, often ceramic or porcelain, used for melting down and purifying metal. The Puritan judges have forced Proctor into an impossible and paradoxical situation: If he lies and confesses to being a witch, his life will be spared. Shall the worms declare his truth? I have sins of my own to count. . Proctor even forfeits his own good name and admits to the sin of lechery in order to achieve justice for those who are condemned. (IV.207-208)It seems to us that these last two lines raise an interesting philosophical question (to which there is no right answer, sorry).