John Proctor Character Analysis in The Crucible Essay Sample

The Crucible is a story based on fact, filled with drama, love and tragedy, but the actual definition of a crucible is a vessel that is used for melting, for purifying, at a high degree of temperature. That being the case, how does this word fit into the story of the Salem Witch Trials? In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, which is about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the reader sees many different characters be tested and their true colors revealed, but one character who sticks out is John Proctor. John is a character who sticks out like a sore thumb; his relationships with other people cause him issues, and his past mistakes creep up on him to melt him down and show his true colors.

The Crucible involves a story about a man, John Proctor, who goes through a crucible and has to come out about his secrets, sins and lies, while also trying to help those who were accused of being witches during the Salem Witch Trial.  But how did John get wrapped up in this mess? John Proctor cheated on his wife and slept with a minor named Abigail, evidence of this appears when Proctor says to her, “But I will cut off my hand before I'll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched Abby.”(Miller 839) This statement proves that John had in fact touched Abby, even though he doesn't bluntly admit it, the part of the sentence “before i'll ever reach for you again,” clearly states there was a time he had reached for her. Another example of him cheating is the obvious trust issues his wife, Elizabeth, seems to have and evidence of this is when Proctor tells Liz that he was alone with Abby in a room, and she responds “You were alone with her?.. Why, then, is it not as you told me.”(Miller 851) The tension rises enormously and these few words can show that Liz has an issue with Proctor being alone with Abby, which exhibits that at least something, like the affair, happened and now she doesn't trust him. Along with this, when she says “why, then, is it not as you told me” it is clear that Liz has been lied to by Proctor, which is a red flag from her standpoint. At the moment, nothing is going for Proctor and he has cheated on his wife with a minor, and this is just the beginning of his chaotic story.

John Proctor is a corrupted man, a man who has cheated on his wife with a 16 year old girl and has lied to his wife, but where's his punishment? How could Proctor get away with this for so long? Well, during these trials he's going through a crucible of his own.    One example of John going through a crucible, where he is being tested, is when Elizabeth is taken away from him, him yelling as she was dragged off “I will bring you home. I will bring you home soon. I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing, Elizabeth.”(Miller 861) In this emotional scene, the reader can tell that John is heartbroken and angry over her being taken away to be trailed. Another example of this is when Proctor finally snapped at the person who has been messing with him, Abigail, “without warning or hesitation, Proctor leaps at Abigail, and grabbing her by her hair, pulls her to her feet… How do you call Heaven! Whore! Whore!”(Miller 873) During this scene, everyone is in the courtroom and Proctor is telling the court she's lying, but no one believes him. He is being tested and you can see his true colors in this scene clearly, and his true colors are ugly. By now, the reader perfectly sees that he is being tested and goes through a crucible, but will he pass his crucible and be pure?

After all of this happening, the reader can wonder “well, did he change? Was he melted down?” and the answer is yes. An example as to why he passed his crucible is when he confessed to the court that his affair with Abby was bad, him saying “God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat.”(Miller 873) In this display of confession in front of the court, he fully admitted that he had lusted for Abby at one point, which was the affair. This confession is important because he admitted what he did and had said he regrets it and therefore this is a good step to being purified. Another case in point of him being purified is when he started to get emotional in Act 4, when Danforth tried to have Proctor sign his name on the confession, Proctor expressed his feelings saying, “ How may I live without my name?”(Miller 886) He doesn't want his name to be ruined throughout the town, saying his confession to god is enough and having a meltdown over it. This scene perfectly displays how Proctor has been melted down, his true intentions and thoughts coming up in the court, and he is purified from his actions. He confessed and passed his crucible with being now a pure person, saying that he wants to change and that he regrets what he did. 

In conclusion, John Proctor is the perfect example of someone who had gone through a crucible after doing something terrible, his actions of him cheating on his wife eventually causing him to reveal and present his true colors. He wasn't able to leave behind and escape his mistakes like he wanted to, and he faced them reluctantly, telling Abby to go away and even confessing to the town court that he did it, purifying himself with this said confession and coming out pure.