John and Elizabeth Proctor - Literature review Example

The Crucible: John and Elizabeth Proctor In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller paints a tense picture of a 17th century Puritan town as reflected through the marriage of the protagonist, John Proctor. The setting takes place in Salem Massachusetts in 1692 where the religion is the law and the law is the religion. The emotions run wild, both in the town of Salem as well as in the marriage of John and Elizabeth Proctor. The problems that confront the Proctors also bring pressure on the townspeople as old resentments, accusations, and mistrust dominate the plays landscape. The marriage of John and Elizabeth Proctor is central to the theme of the play and becomes a mismatched cog in the out-of-control machine called Salem. The play opens in the home of Reverend Parris where the night candle still burns in the breaking morning light and is symbolic of the new beginnings for the town and its people. Yet, these beginnings are filled with tension and mistrust. People are gathering and something is amiss. Act I opens at the preachers home and the characters introduced are a cross section of Salem. The characters are infused with the fear and paranoia that runs through the room. John Proctor still has feelings for his mistress, Abigail, while the towns girls are flirting with the sin of dancing. John Proctor is in the room and we learn he is married when he scolds his housekeeper to return home where "my wife is waitin with your work" (22). Proctor also reports that people are streaming into town and comments that "The towns mumbling witchcraft" (22). Another sign of new beginnings is Proctors past affair and attraction for the young girl Abigail, and his newfound commitment to his wife. When Abigail assumes that Proctor has come to see her, she is in disbelief when he replies, "Abby, youll put it out of mind. Ill not be coming for you more" (23). The use of the nickname Abby instead of the more formal Abigail indicates a familiarity that Proctor still carries with him in his heart. The language is stark and utilitarian reflecting an almost biblical tone that signifies the religious roots of the problem. The town of Salem is undergoing a significant change, while Proctors marriage is also evolving. In respect to the action in the town, and the accusations of witchcraft, Proctor wishes to remain uninvolved in the same way he wishes to remain uninvolved with the young Abigail. Just as witchcraft is perceived as a deep-rooted evil for the town, so is Proctors past affair an issue of trouble for his marriage. Yet, he cannot hope to remain aloof from the proceeding emotions. Elizabeth is going about town blackening the name of Abigail, as Abigail accuses others in the town. Even a close proximity to Abigail is enough to set off a wave of suspicion in his home. In Act II, Elizabeth casually finds out about Proctors recent encounter with Abigail and she is suspicious. She comments, "Why, then, it is not as you told me" (57). Proctor replies, "Woman. Ill not have your suspicion anymore" (57). While Abigail brings suspicion upon Proctor from his wife, John is also drawn into the charges of witchcraft by his knowledge that it is all pretense. However, Proctor resists being drawn into that conflict also. He is reluctant to be a witness and the best he can commit to is "I know I cannot keep it. I say I will think on it" (56). Abigail is at the heart of Proctors dilemma in both cases. He wishes to remain uninvolved, yet he is already in the middle of the action due to his past transgressions and tomorrows commitments. The deceit, lies, and false confessions are a central theme of the play. These are the ingredients that bring chaos to the town and ultimately results in misplaced guilt. Just as the town is torn between confessing and being allowed to live or refusing to confess to a false charge and being sentenced to hang, so is John Proctor tormented by his past decision to confess. The Proctors marriage is a microcosm of the larger setting of the town. Confession is an elusive elixir for either sin or salvation. The huddling fear of the accused is portrayed in John Proctors own experience of confessing his affair to Elizabeth. He states, "No more! I should have roared you down when first you told me your suspicion. But I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed! Some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But youre not, youre not, and let you remember it" (58)! Whether it is a false accusation or a legitimate sin, the confession must be made only to God and it must be truthful. Just before Proctor is to hang, he refuses to bear false witness and rages, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (150)! This plea for honesty gives him the courage to face the gallows just as much as it haunts Danforth and Hale for the murders they have committed by killing innocent victims. Proctors situation highlights the inappropriateness of the towns people that have been accused and judged by the men of their own community, with or without proof, and without just cause. The conflict and turmoil in the Proctors life is typical of the other residents that are falsely accused of witchcraft. Miller plays the action out in the Proctor home, as the reader is more deeply concerned about and more intimately involved with John and Elizabeth. In addition, the Proctors represent the lukewarm affinity that the town truly has for religion. It is a practice that is followed out of obligation rather than faith or belief. It is through the lives of the Proctors that we feel the anguish of being questioned and the souls laid bare before the town. The wretchedness of being asked to falsely confess to witchcraft to spare ones life is seen in John Proctors language when he states, A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud --- God damns our kinds especially, and we will burn, we will burn together! (125) This emotionally charged insanity resonates through the town as the girls make accusations and the public is forced to confess or be sentenced to death. The hysteria of the time has left no room for truth in the town and is most clearly evident within the Proctor household. The play uses the fragile marriage of John and Elizabeth to reflect the fragile nature of the town peoples relationships. In the town, there is mistrust among the neighbors based on greed and past resentments. In the Proctors marriage, there is the resentment of the affair that John had with Abigail. There is also the resentment in Abigails heart, and a jealousy for Elizabeth, as a result of Johns refusal to leave his wife for Abby. These negative feelings help fuel the fires of accusation and intensify the conflict between the accused and the accusers. The truth is often elusive. John is reluctant to tell the truth about Abigails pretense, lest his own sins be revealed. In Act IV, Elizabeth reports to John that Giles has been executed for refusing to testify. He was put to death by the press. Elizabeth says, "They say he give them but two words, "More weight," and then he dies" (142). The Proctors and the town both struggle with the need for truth and the will to live. In fact, these emotions are of more importance to the parties involved than the actual threat of witchcraft. An underlying theme that reverberates throughout the play is sexism. Act II opens in the Proctor home where we see John carrying a gun, a symbol of power and survival, while Elizabeth is singing to the children. He adds salt to the stew as a way of saying he is not entirely satisfied with his wife and requires additional spice. At the table, Elizabeth is found "reprimanding herself for having forgot" to get John a glass of cider (54). Though John is respectful and polite, there are clear gender roles in the Proctor household. Johns courtesy towards Elizabeth comes as a result of his past transgressions with Abigail and Elizabeth keeps this power in check with him. Likewise, there are clear masculine and feminine divisions in the town of Salem. The accusers, Abigail and Mary Warren, derive their power from false allegations. Without the ability to accuse, they are powerless. However, the judges are all male and the women of the town are the first to be accused. The play makes it clear that any power a woman holds comes from the ability to inflict fear and is not legitimate. Elizabeth was able to hold power over John due to his affair. The women hold the power to accuse, and the accused are suspected of getting their power from witchcraft. Only the men are allowed legitimacy of strength. John has his gun and the judges have God. In conclusion, The Crucible is a play whose story is told by the tragedy that takes over the Proctor household. John and Elizabeth are average inhabitants of Salem, who believe in God but are lukewarm to the concept of a theocracy. The Proctor home and the town of Salem are both undergoing radical changes throughout the play as Johns marriage has been rocked by infidelity to his wife and people are accused of infidelity to their God. John Proctor is tormented by the demand that he falsely testify against himself and his neighbors, just as many residents suffer the same turmoil. Sexism is a major theme of the play both in the Proctor household and the town, where the only power a woman may hold is deemed illegitimate and gained through lies or garnered through blackmail. In the end, the struggle between a commitment to truth and the fear of death is played out through the experiences of the Proctors, just as the entire town of Salem experiences the same emotions. References Miller, A., 1997 The crucible and related readings, McDougal Littell, Evanston IL. . Read More