John Proctor is a complicated character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. His morals are often questioned. John and Abigail Williams are having an affair. Elizabeth, John’s wife is unaware of this. John is not proud of his encounter with Abigail when he says, “ Abby you’ll put it out of mind. I’ll not be comin’ for you more.” John admits that he is wrong and takes the blame for his actions, demonstrating his good intentions.
Another quality that sets John apart from the citizens is that he is not positive that he believes in witches. Giles Corey states, “ He don’t believe in witches.” Proctor replies with, “ I never spoke on witches one way or another.” The citizens are different from Proctor because they are falling for the tricks that the girls are playing on them. Proctor is the only one who can see the real Abigail for who she is. He is skeptical of the accusations because John knows how sly Abby is.
As a husband, it is obvious that John is not completely faithful to Elizabeth. John does care about her well being when he asks, “ Are you well today?” John and Elizabeth do have an unusual relationship. Elizabeth is suspicious of Abigail. She knows that John and Abby are sneaking out to see each other. When John is being asked to sign a deposition stating that he is not a witch he cannot do it. John knows that he will be hanged if he does not sign the deposition. John is not a witch. Reverend Hale is yelling to John, telling him that he will hang. John does not care because he replies with, “I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can.” Hale asks for Elizabeth’s words and she responds by saying, “ He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” The love between John and Elizabeth is so pure that Elizabeth cannot deny what John wants.
Proctor is a good man and a good friend. He stands up for the citizens even when they turn their back on him accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft. Proctor says that he has seen no one with the devil and that the girls are making it up. He is the only towns person that is brave enough to stand up to the girls. John remains loyal until he is hanged.
Even though Proctor had every right to be angry with his town he still stood up for them. Even though his morals may have been questionable, he never turned his back on his town. Proctor is the only one brave enough to stand up to the girls and it costs him his life. All three of the accused witches recite their prayers before being hanged. The town people were too ignorant and gullible to see through the children’s lies and foolishness.
