Crucible Essay Arthur Miller, in The Crucible represents John Proctor as a strong man who stands up for what is right. For example, John is trying to get Mary Warren, his servant, to tell the judge that the girls are lying about the witchcraft, but is mixed up in an event where he gets prosecuted. John screams out telling everyone that the girls are mad in Salem and that "God is dead"ÃÂ(Miller 119). He is saying that since so many bad things are going on in Salem to good people then "God is dead."ÃÂ Since all of these bad things are going on, then this could not be apart of God's work, because God wants happiness and only good things. Next John is in the courtroom pleading his defense and says to the court "you [the court] will not use me. I am no Sarah Good or Tibula. I cannot make up lies for you"ÃÂ (Miller 142-143).
A painting in the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, cond...
Salem Common, by G. K. Proctor
Salem Common, by G. K. ProctorProctor is different than Sarah Good or Tibula because he did not just confess to save his life; he denied practicing witchcraft the whole time. Tibula and Sarah Good simply just confessed while he did what was right and stood up for himself. Sarah Good and Tibula also started naming people that supposedly were doing witchcraft when there was no witchcraft. Proctor on the other hand did not confess and give peoples names that were "practicing the devil"ÃÂ. Everyone now knows that no witchcraft or practicing of the devil was going on and Proctor not accusing anyone probably saved a couple of people's lives. John knows nothing is going on and that the girls are making up the whole witchcraft thing so he was saying that he will not let anymore evil go on by making up lies for the court. Furthermore, Proctor is telling Danforth that "this be fraud"ÃÂ and that since it's a fraud and ya'll don't believe it "we will burn"ÃÂ. The devil really does exist but it was controlled and started by the accusers. The accusers have all the power and actually made the evil in Salem. Later on it was too late to back out so they had to keep going along with the idea of witchcraft. When he said that "this be fraud"ÃÂ he knew that the girls were lying about the whole thing except he could not prove it, and since no one believe him he told everyone that they would burn for it. Meaning that since there is no witchcraft and they are making up their own evil and they are not able to realize that they are lying then you will burn because the believers are almost as bad as the accusers.
The Crucible (1996 film)
"Court Trial of Witches", illustrator unknown
Map of West Peabody, MA, indicating the 20th centu...