The Misjudgment Of John Proctor In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible has many characters that made mistakes and believed in wrong things. John Proctor’s misjudgment would be a prime example.

John Proctor is one example of someone who was misinterpreted and ultimately ended up in the hands of others. John Proctor was a man God’s who had fallen off the (intended) path to his heavenly destination. His honesty was also questioned, as he showed little integrity through his actions. This was a serious crime in the time period that this play is set. However, many townspeople claimed to be dedicated to God and had committed similar acts to John’s adultery. Even though he was guilty of the crime, he admitted to it and felt guilty. Act III sees him confess and is then asked where. It was the eighth month since my last night. She used to be my hostess, sir. He must keep his jaw from falling apart to stop weeping. God may seem to sleep, but God is always there. Sir, I beg of you to see her as she is. My dear wife, my good wife, took the girl very soon and took her to the highroad. Because she is what she is, sir– (He’s being overcome. Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. He turns his back on the Governor in anger. As if he were unable to speak, he turns away from the Governor. I was softly thinking of her, and she may be. God help me, my heart longed for such a thing as sweat. But it’s a whore’s revenge and you should see it immediately. (374-384) He attempted to bring Abigail before the courts to save many lives. Her actions led to many young girls being condemned for their own crimes. John could see and understand the actions of the young girls, which was an advantage over the vast majority of men who didn’t. He was determined to bring Abigail Williams and the other wrongdoers to justice. His intentions to help the village were misunderstood and misjudged by many.

Proctor was a man who loved God but had his priorities and family first. Many people had asked him why he was not attending church as often as he stated. However, this was not true. John Proctor recognized that there were certain tasks that had to be completed in order to keep his family alive. He knew that he was able to pray to God and show his gratitude to God without having his family suffer. Parris was a man who wanted only a church that looked good and didn’t talk of God the way a preacher ought to. This was part of his reason for not going to church. During Act II, Proctor and Hale have a conversation in which Hale states, “Your home is not a place of worship; your religion must inform you of that,” to which Proctor replies, “It does, sir. And it also informs me that a minister can communicate with God without needing golden candlesticks on the altar.”|Act II is a conversation between Proctor (and Hale) that clarifies this point: “Hale: Mr. Proctor; your house isn’t a church; you theology must say that.” Proctor: It does, sir; it tells me that ministers can pray to God even if they don’t have golden candlesticks on the altar.|Act II contains a dialogue between Proctor and Hale that further explains the situation. “Hale, Mr. Proctor. Your house is not a Church; your Theology must tell You that.” Proctor: This tells me that a minister can pray to God, even though he doesn’t have any golden candlesticks at the altar.|Act II shows Hale and Proctor arguing more clearly about this. Hale: “Hale. Mr. Proctor. Your home is not a church. Your theology must show you that.” Proctor says it does. Hale: It is, sir. It does. And it tells us that a minister could pray to God without having golden candlesticks upon his altar.|Act II, a discussion between Proctor to Hale, explains this better: “Hale. Mr. Proctor. You house is not church. Your theology should tell you that.” Proctor said, “Hale. It does. I believe it does. A minister can pray for God without golden candlesticks on his altar.} What golden candle holders are you referring to?|[Hale] What are the golden candlesticks?|[Hale] Which golden candlesticks are you referring to?|[Hale] What do you mean by golden candlesticks, sir?|[Hale] Exactly what are golden candlesticks?} Proctor. There were pewter candlessticks on the altar since the construction of the church. Francis Nurse made them. And a sweeter, gentler hand could not touch the metal. Parris was there, and he used to preach only golden candlesticks for twenty-weeks. I work the earth every day from dawn until night. And I can tell you, seeing my money at his elbows hurts my prayer. At times, the man fantasizes about grand cathedrals, not small and simple churches.|Sometimes, I believe that the man dreams cathedrals and not clapboard meetsin’ houses.|Sometimes I believe the man dreams cathedrals. Not clapboard-meeting houses.|I think that sometimes the man dreams cathedrals rather than clapboard meeting houses.|Sometimes, the man dreams of cathedrals, and not clapboard metin’ homes.}

Act IV ends and he decides to lie to his accusers to save himself from being hanged. He refused to give up on his integrity and signed his name onto a piece of paper. This would have effectively made his confession permanent. He chose to end his own life to be honest with himself and his wife, rather than continue living a lie-filled life. It was impossible for him to feel righteous. He hoped God would make him righteous and chose that as his highest priority.

Proctor was influenced by village opinion and the outcome of his case. They chose not to see the positive in his decision to support his family but rather the bad that he was absent from church. The village was not impressed by his attempts to make light of the witchcraft issue in court. They chose to believe that Proctor had made a bargain with Lucifer. John Proctor isn’t bad or devilish. He is a man who has been unfortunate enough for more people to believe him than he wasn’t.