Characters in The Crucible Essay

The Crucible Essay

Excessive pride is a feeling of self-respect and personal worth and excessive means beyond normal limits. The theme of pride in the Crucible is pride for ones family, their name and the future for their children. They do anything to protect their name for the sake of their children. The Crucible is set against the backdrop of the mad witch hunts of the Salem witch trials in the late 17th century. It is about a town, after accusations from a few girls, which begins a mad hunt for witches that did not exist. Many townspeople were hung on charges of witchcraft. Miller brings out the absurdity of the incident with the theme of truth and righteousness. The theme is conveyed through the struggles of Millers main character, John Proctor. The main characters are Reverend Hale, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor.

Reverend Hale was in his mid 40s with a 10 year old daughter named Betty and a niece Abigail. His function in the play is to bring out the hatred and frenzy in the townspeople and he does not have many real friends in the village. His pride is that he wants all innocent people to be free and never to execute an innocent man. On page 99 he says I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it. This a good example of Hales prides.

Elizabeth Proctor has many positive qualities, but these qualities are her negative ones. She is a woman who is steadfast and true. These traits also make her a bit of a cold person. When we first meet her, she's especially cold and sneaky. She's got good reason to be though, because her husband has recently had an affair with their housekeeper, Abigail Williams. For the most part, though, Elizabeth is a stand-up woman. Throughout the play, she seems to be struggling to forgive her husband and let go of her anger. And, of course, her hatred of Abigail is understandable. Elizabeth's dislike of Abigail seems justified later on in the play when Abigail tries to murder Elizabeth by framing her for witchcraft. Her pride is one that she feels to keep her name free of anything to do with witchcraft. For example on page 77 she says Ill go John. This shows that she is too proud of her name to confess to something like witchcraft.

John Proctor is a farmer; he is in his middle thirties.He has a wife and two sons. Proctor is the main character and very well developed during the course of the play.His function in the play is to be an example of a sinner who is able to accept and confess of his sin to do well. He, along with many others, refuses to confess to witchcraft, but if he did, it would have saved his life. Because he doesnt confess, he is executed.Proctor is kind, strong, and sharp. His pride is to show strength and to not give up in the times when its most required. He says, Let them that never lied die now to keep their souls. This shows his strength under pressure and in the face of death.

John Proctor was different because he sacrificed himself out of honor for he and his friends, rather than "admit" to the false accusations of witchcraft to save his own life. He also wouldn't name any people who he thought were "witches" because he didn't want innocent people to die. I would say that John Proctors final act was definitely one of excessive pride. To lose your life in exchange for remaining all of the goodness in your name is a step too far. The title of the play The crucible" relates to the theme of the play because many, many people had to take the severe test of the courts, their lives were hanging on a thread, and many of these threads snapped.