"'She will not speak!... Wondrous strength and generosity of a woman's hear! She will not speak!'" (64).
Mr. Dimmesdale says this, thinking that Hester just wants to keep the man out of trouble. But I wonder if that is true? It is obviously possible that Hester loves the man she slept with, but she does not seem to be that sort of person, at least at the moment. She seems cold, twice squeezing her baby so hard it cried, and even saying to her husband, "though knowest that I was frank with thee. I felt no love, nor feigned any" (69). She seems hard to get through, which is also shown in her confidence in her walk to the scaffold that caused the gossips to whisper bitterly. If she is in love with the man, she seems to be taking the rejection very well, although three months have passed, and there may have been enough time to get over it.
"'Believe me, Hester, there are few things... hidden from the man who devotes himself earnestly and unreservedly to the solution of a mystery. Thou mayest cover up thy secret from the prying magnitude. Thou mayest conceal it, too, from the ministers and magistrates, even as thou didst this day, when they sought to wrench the name out of thy heart, and give thee a partner on thy pedestal. But, as for me, I come to the inquest with other senses than they possess'" (70).
Roger is saying that he will find the man because he is more adequate for finding out a person's secrets. This is important because he later says, "'let him hide himself'" (71) because Roger does not want other people to know who the man is. It will suffice for Roger just to know who the man who impregnated his wife is. Roger is not a social man; he is more quiet and reserved, and so he does not want to spread the word to people, because he does not seem to really like people. If he just knows who it is, he will be happy. This will end his questions and calm him.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
John Proctor's Redemption
Christina DeSario DeSario,1
Mr. George- AP English 11
1•2•10
The Crucible
John Proctor’s Redemption
Mistakes are a part of being human. Each and every human makes mistakes, from the baby learning to walk to the professional athlete in the middle of a game to the teenager holding the smoking gun. Mistakes come in many forms, from a slip of the fingers to the weakening of human will under the heavy burden of temptation or fear. John Proctor made a mistake as the temptation he carried on his back bore down on him. He fell to his knees under the weight of lust for Abigail Williams when he should have continued on walking. The act of lechery disgraced him and he knew that he had been wrong. The temptation disappeared, and the new weight of shame bore into him, a pain that was even worse than he could have imagined. Along with the new pain brought social consequences he would never have thought would have resulted from his seemingly personal sin of lust. John Proctor sought forgiveness from his wife, then the court, and then he finally turned to God, where he found both forgiveness and strength.
John Proctor can be seen as a symbol of Christianity because he sins, like all people sin, and he overcomes it to become pure again in the eyes of God. Christianity centers around repentance and forgiveness. John does something he is ashamed of and does not know how to deal with the shame. Each person has felt this, and so anyone reading The Crucible can sympathize with him. The center of Christianity is the story of John Proctor, a man who is plagued throughout the entire text by his sin of adultery until he finds God, the only way to expel that guilt. It is shown he is seeking forgiveness when he says to Abigail, “but I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again” (23). He is guilty and sorry for his terrible sin against the Ten Commandments. He is redeemed when he, “tears up the paper and crumples it” (144) to destroy his confession. He is saved after seeking in vain for forgiveness twice. Both of those
DeSario, 2
times were to humans who could not play the part of God.
In the beginning of the play, Elizabeth’s coldness towards John is evident. She confronts him, arguing gently: “John, if it were not Abigail that you go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not” (54). She is distrusting of him because she is aware of the affair he had with Abigail. John, ashamed, takes it out on her and says, “some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you’re not, you’re not, and let you remember it!” (55). Elizabeth was hurt by John’s betrayal, and she can not find it in her heart to forgive him yet. This leaves John with no outlet for his shame, and he is forced to continue on carrying his burden.
His next choice for redemption is the court. Abigail calls out Elizabeth and claims she is a witch. This makes John lose himself, and he confesses, “I have known her, sir. I have known her” (110). He is then put into jail. He is punished for his confession and not forgiven, still forcing his burden on him while he loses hope of ever being saved. The court was so unforgiving that Abigail was further pushed into the spotlight from this. John Proctor is then left with one last spark of hope, one last chance of ever feeling freed, which was God.
Lastly, after prison time and feeling deceived by everyone around him, John turns to God. He becomes reconciled when he goes to confess to being a witch, something he knows he is not. The process is quick; from the moment he realizes he should not give away his name to the moment he decided he can not give away his name. He signs the confession and, after he is made aware of what the court plans to do with his signature, yells, “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (143). This is a side of him that shows his human side. Before this, he mentions his children very seldom, and now they are a prime cause of his doubt. He knows that the confession he signed is a lie; a false statement that he would use to get out of a death he is afraid of. He continues to show his shame in signing it for two reasons. He is ashamed because he has blackened his friends’ names who have not confessed,
DeSario, 3
and he is ashamed because he is blackening his own name.
He speaks next of blackening his friends’ names, which is significant. People usually list things in the order that they think of them. He first speaks of his sons, and then he speaks of his friends. He argues, “I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!” (143). After his children, he thinks of others still before himself. John is tormented over hurting his family and friends, and he is also terrified of death because the weight of shame is still heavy on his shoulders.
After the court presses for more answers, he thinks of himself. He cries out, “because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies... I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143). His last outburst is for himself. Then, he rips up the false confession. As the paper rips and he decides to die for his cause, God forgives him and his soul is cleansed of the evil he had committed. It is shown within the text that John is forgiven by God when Elizabeth says, “he have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (145). Elizabeth, who had refused to forgive him once, now believes he is fully good. God had given him a clean slate, and it is with that slate that John accepted the life of a martyr.
Arthur Miller wants the reader to like John Proctor by showing us his gentle side, especially toward Elizabeth. John adds salt the stew Elizabeth made while she was upstairs, and then says, “it’s well seasoned” (50). He tries to regain her trust in innocent and loving ways. The reader can sympathize with this, because it is a well known and tiring trial to regain the trust of a person you care for once it has been broken because of a mistake one made.
Readers feel bad for John. He tries to throw Abigail’s hopes of being with him away, and she refuses to give up. The persistence she has thwarts his efforts to win over his wife further. Abigail’s love in not something he had expected, and he makes it clear it is not welcome:”No, no, Abby. That’s done with” (22). He begins softly, trying to tell her he feels nothing for her. Then,
DeSario, 4
after Elizabeth is charged by vengeful Abigail, he turns angry: “Whore! Whore!” (109). Readers understand John Proctor because they can understand his feelings of being trapped.
John is one of the few who do not believe in witches. When he goes to the court with logical reasons for Abigail’s game, the believers turn him away. The frustration that builds up within John is easy to understand. He tells Danforth of his sin, and Elizabeth lies to save him. Danforth, as if unable to understand her position, says, “she spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied!” (114). Thinking back to when one was a child, it is easy to remember a time when your honest words were looked down upon at by adults. He is not being accepted, even though he is right. Like the child who is trying to tell adults something they refuse to believe, John is trying to explain the ridiculous situation and the judges refuse to believe him.
John Proctor wanted nothing more than forgiveness from his wife, which she would not give. He then went to the court, who imprisoned him. He finally turned to God, who forgave him. He got his redemption, and died to save the lives of so many others who would have been persecuted with his name. He was a good man, despite his sins, and did an amazingly admirable thing to save many strangers. He was freed from his sins and made good. He was able to take his white name with him to heaven, which is what he wanted most in the world. As God forgave him, Elizabeth’s forgiveness was soon to follow. John Proctor then stood up, free from any burden, and walked to fate with courage and determination.
Mr. George- AP English 11
1•2•10
The Crucible
John Proctor’s Redemption
Mistakes are a part of being human. Each and every human makes mistakes, from the baby learning to walk to the professional athlete in the middle of a game to the teenager holding the smoking gun. Mistakes come in many forms, from a slip of the fingers to the weakening of human will under the heavy burden of temptation or fear. John Proctor made a mistake as the temptation he carried on his back bore down on him. He fell to his knees under the weight of lust for Abigail Williams when he should have continued on walking. The act of lechery disgraced him and he knew that he had been wrong. The temptation disappeared, and the new weight of shame bore into him, a pain that was even worse than he could have imagined. Along with the new pain brought social consequences he would never have thought would have resulted from his seemingly personal sin of lust. John Proctor sought forgiveness from his wife, then the court, and then he finally turned to God, where he found both forgiveness and strength.
John Proctor can be seen as a symbol of Christianity because he sins, like all people sin, and he overcomes it to become pure again in the eyes of God. Christianity centers around repentance and forgiveness. John does something he is ashamed of and does not know how to deal with the shame. Each person has felt this, and so anyone reading The Crucible can sympathize with him. The center of Christianity is the story of John Proctor, a man who is plagued throughout the entire text by his sin of adultery until he finds God, the only way to expel that guilt. It is shown he is seeking forgiveness when he says to Abigail, “but I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again” (23). He is guilty and sorry for his terrible sin against the Ten Commandments. He is redeemed when he, “tears up the paper and crumples it” (144) to destroy his confession. He is saved after seeking in vain for forgiveness twice. Both of those
DeSario, 2
times were to humans who could not play the part of God.
In the beginning of the play, Elizabeth’s coldness towards John is evident. She confronts him, arguing gently: “John, if it were not Abigail that you go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not” (54). She is distrusting of him because she is aware of the affair he had with Abigail. John, ashamed, takes it out on her and says, “some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you’re not, you’re not, and let you remember it!” (55). Elizabeth was hurt by John’s betrayal, and she can not find it in her heart to forgive him yet. This leaves John with no outlet for his shame, and he is forced to continue on carrying his burden.
His next choice for redemption is the court. Abigail calls out Elizabeth and claims she is a witch. This makes John lose himself, and he confesses, “I have known her, sir. I have known her” (110). He is then put into jail. He is punished for his confession and not forgiven, still forcing his burden on him while he loses hope of ever being saved. The court was so unforgiving that Abigail was further pushed into the spotlight from this. John Proctor is then left with one last spark of hope, one last chance of ever feeling freed, which was God.
Lastly, after prison time and feeling deceived by everyone around him, John turns to God. He becomes reconciled when he goes to confess to being a witch, something he knows he is not. The process is quick; from the moment he realizes he should not give away his name to the moment he decided he can not give away his name. He signs the confession and, after he is made aware of what the court plans to do with his signature, yells, “I have three children- how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (143). This is a side of him that shows his human side. Before this, he mentions his children very seldom, and now they are a prime cause of his doubt. He knows that the confession he signed is a lie; a false statement that he would use to get out of a death he is afraid of. He continues to show his shame in signing it for two reasons. He is ashamed because he has blackened his friends’ names who have not confessed,
DeSario, 3
and he is ashamed because he is blackening his own name.
He speaks next of blackening his friends’ names, which is significant. People usually list things in the order that they think of them. He first speaks of his sons, and then he speaks of his friends. He argues, “I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!” (143). After his children, he thinks of others still before himself. John is tormented over hurting his family and friends, and he is also terrified of death because the weight of shame is still heavy on his shoulders.
After the court presses for more answers, he thinks of himself. He cries out, “because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies... I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143). His last outburst is for himself. Then, he rips up the false confession. As the paper rips and he decides to die for his cause, God forgives him and his soul is cleansed of the evil he had committed. It is shown within the text that John is forgiven by God when Elizabeth says, “he have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (145). Elizabeth, who had refused to forgive him once, now believes he is fully good. God had given him a clean slate, and it is with that slate that John accepted the life of a martyr.
Arthur Miller wants the reader to like John Proctor by showing us his gentle side, especially toward Elizabeth. John adds salt the stew Elizabeth made while she was upstairs, and then says, “it’s well seasoned” (50). He tries to regain her trust in innocent and loving ways. The reader can sympathize with this, because it is a well known and tiring trial to regain the trust of a person you care for once it has been broken because of a mistake one made.
Readers feel bad for John. He tries to throw Abigail’s hopes of being with him away, and she refuses to give up. The persistence she has thwarts his efforts to win over his wife further. Abigail’s love in not something he had expected, and he makes it clear it is not welcome:”No, no, Abby. That’s done with” (22). He begins softly, trying to tell her he feels nothing for her. Then,
DeSario, 4
after Elizabeth is charged by vengeful Abigail, he turns angry: “Whore! Whore!” (109). Readers understand John Proctor because they can understand his feelings of being trapped.
John is one of the few who do not believe in witches. When he goes to the court with logical reasons for Abigail’s game, the believers turn him away. The frustration that builds up within John is easy to understand. He tells Danforth of his sin, and Elizabeth lies to save him. Danforth, as if unable to understand her position, says, “she spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied!” (114). Thinking back to when one was a child, it is easy to remember a time when your honest words were looked down upon at by adults. He is not being accepted, even though he is right. Like the child who is trying to tell adults something they refuse to believe, John is trying to explain the ridiculous situation and the judges refuse to believe him.
John Proctor wanted nothing more than forgiveness from his wife, which she would not give. He then went to the court, who imprisoned him. He finally turned to God, who forgave him. He got his redemption, and died to save the lives of so many others who would have been persecuted with his name. He was a good man, despite his sins, and did an amazingly admirable thing to save many strangers. He was freed from his sins and made good. He was able to take his white name with him to heaven, which is what he wanted most in the world. As God forgave him, Elizabeth’s forgiveness was soon to follow. John Proctor then stood up, free from any burden, and walked to fate with courage and determination.
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