Term 2 Week 6 Homework

Is John Proctor a hero or not? We have debated this in class. Now choose the most effective point in the argument for or against and write a paragraph on this point with a really effective topic sentence and evidence from the play in support.

,John Proctor, although undoubtedly a noble character in the play, The Crucible by Arther Miller, has too much pride to be classified as a hero, and it is this pride that leads to his downfall. In defining a hero, one of the most crucial elements is that he must exhibit the quality of selflessness. Proctor however, values his good name in the village perhaps more than he should, as it is because of the importance he places on his reputation that he becomes stubborn. This is clear in his refusal to put an end to the growing hysteria and the witch trials when he had the chance, as it means sacrificing the prestige of his name though confessing to committing lechery with Abigail. It is only when he realises that his wife's life is at stake and that to confess is the only option that he does so, however even then this 'pride' is still evident when he states, "I have made a bell of my honour! I have rung the doom of my good name" (98). In the latter part of the play, after he has finally confessed to witchcraft in order to save his  life, it is pride that changes his mind. This is demonstrated when he cries out, "Because it is my name. Because I will not have another in my life. Because I lie and sign myself to lies. Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang. How can I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name" (124). Even though in both circumstances there are lives at stake, John Procter is consumed predominately with concern for his reputation, his name, rather than others as someone who is selfless would be. Consequently he does precisely what he is warned against, and "throws his life away for pride" (115). John Proctor cannot be defined as a hero because of his abundance of pride and lack of selflessness.

Term 2 Week 5 Homework

Why does John Proctor decide to confess? Why does he then change his mind?

Initially,John Proctor decides to confess for a few different reasons, on of them being because he feels that he is not worthy of sacrificing his life and that it would be a pretence to do so, as is evident when he states, "I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before" (p.118). It is evident from this that he feels he is not worthy to die amongst the likes of Rebecca nurse, people who are not tainted by sin, as he feels there is no goodness within him. His wife and family also play a part in this decision, particularly through the fact that his wife has a child on the way and so requires John, as the man of the family, to provide for the family and ensure the best future for their children. This is exemplified in Elizabeth's statement, "I would have you living, John, that's for sure" (p.118).

However, when John then realises that inorder to confess he must have his name nailed to the church door he retracts this confession. The reasons behind this change in mind are quite complex, however root in his conviction that through allowing his name to be signed to this confession and then placed for the village to see, he is blackening his name. This is evident when, after being questioned as to why he refuses, he answers, "Because it is my name. Because I will not have another in my life. Because I lie and sign myself to lies. Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang... I have given you my soul; leave me my name" (p.124). He realises that his name is the last thing he has, and without it he would not be able to live with himself, his pride does not allow him to accept such change. This change of mind is also influenced in part through the recognition that by signing his name he is simply prolonging the histeria and through such association he is responsible in part for the lives of his friends, in particular those like Rebecca that died. This is demonstrated when he asks "How may I teach my sons o walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends? ...I Blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the day they hang for silence" (p.124)

Term 2 Week 4 Homework 2

Re-read the final scene between John and Elizabeth. Elizabeth refuses to advise her husband but she clearly has a point of view on his situation. In her heart, what does want him to do? What would she say to him if she could?


I believe that in her heart Elizabeth wants her husband to confess, for a number of reasons. The primary one being that she still loves him, and she needs him for he is the father of their children and the one they all depend on for an income. But in addition to this there is no doubt an underlying feeling of guilt, for she is all too aware that it was her lie, albeit her first and only lie in her life, that convicted her husband, and she knows that should he be killed for this she would and could never forgive herself. However she is also all to aware of what such a confession means - it is adding to the hysteria - and that John wouldn't make such a confession if it meant endangering other people's lives.


I think that if she could advise him she would encourage him to confess, even though it goes against both his and her morals. For she although she knows the guilt and regret, the self-loathing it will bring him, she also know's how much she needs him. She does after all have a child on the way, one who, without either parent will undoubtedly have a very difficult upbringing.

Term 2 Week 4 Homework

Read Danforth's speech to Elizabeth at the top of page 116. It begins "Goody Proctor, you are not summoned here for disputation." Danforth has asked Elizabeth to speak to John to try to get him to admit his guilt. Elizabeth does speak to John but she does not reply to Danforth. Construct a response to Danforth. What do you think she might have wanted to say to him in response to his accusation that she is "stone"?


Let me ask you this. How can I be but stone when I know it is my words, my very own words that condemn my husband? That if not for the lie I let leak from my lips he would have awoken this morning with his life ahead of him. And yet as it is he wakes to face his death. It does no good to pity myself and my damned soul. It does no good to speak. To protest, when I know that it is my own neighbours who twist my words and lay false accusations. This hysteria has become like a plague in our village. 

Arthur Miller on the Devil

Within the introduction to the character of Mr Hale in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible the audience is given an insight into the author’s personal opinion and thoughts on the devil. In his opinion, the devil is less of a reality and more of a tool, a form of control created by the church, as is evident where he refers to the devil as a “a weapon designed... to whip men into a surrender to a particular church or church state.” Through his analysis in the church’s constant emphasis on the fact that god and the devil are polar opposites – that god represents anything and everything good and wholesome while everything evil is the work of the devil – we are presented with Miller’s belief that this devil, while he may not be real, has become a fundamental concept in the minds of society. He goes on to assert: ‘It is as impossible for most men to conceive of a morality without sin as of an earth without sky,’ thus suggesting that while the devil may have initially been an ecclesiastical scheme to gain power, it has now become a staple idea in our perception and understanding of the world, and plays a crucial role in our search for balance, knowledge and answers. This attitude of Arthur Miller towards the devil and his belief that the devil is more of a philosophical staple is clearly conveyed through his introduction of Mr Hale.

Homework - 2nd May 2012

Abigail Williams is one character that is portrayed in the play through quite a negative light. Not only does she lie and manipulate her friends but she is also quite violent, easily angered and vindictive, as is evident in the scene where she denies the claims made by Reverend Parris that they where summoning spirits in the wood right before saying to the other girls; “Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam's dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breath a word, or the edge of a word, about those other things, and I will come to you to you in the of lack of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” This is also demonstrated in Act I where Betty accuses her of drinking a charm to kill John Proctor's wife and in reply Abigail smashes her arm across Betty's face. In addition to this, she takes advantage of the situation and its accompanying hysteria to shift the blame and attempt to get rid of Goody Proctor as well as fulfil her lust for power, because as an orphan she sits on one of the bottom rungs of Salem's social ladder. 

On the other hand Rebecca is one character that is portrayed in quite a positive light for throughout Act I she remains calm, sensible and refuses to subject to the growing hysteria associated with the claims of witchcraft. This is illustrated in the scene where she states; “Pray John, be calm,” before going on to request that Reverend Hale be sent back in order to prevent dispute in the community. Another redeeming quality is her refusal to agree that Betty is bewitched, rather she maintains that; “...She will wake when she tires of it. A child's spirit is like a child, you never catch it by running after it; you must stand still, and for love, it will soon come back.”