The Crucible Essay #1

"You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try" (Beverly Sills). John Proctor was the only one in Salem who knew the reason behind the trials, vengeance. Abigail Williams needed to get revenge on Proctor’s wife, if she wanted to be with Proctor. One tragic event would lead to another tragic event, creating a domino effect. John Proctor was the first one to set off this chain reaction and by the time he tried to stop it, he was too late; therefore, Proctor deserves the most blame for the Salem witch trials.

John Proctor, being a well-respected married adult in Salem, should not have given into the temptation of a seventeen year old girl. Through having an affair with Abigail Williams, Proctor made a promise to her. Although John had no intention of being with her, Abigail thought differently. Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife, helped clear this up for him, “Spoke or silent, a promise is surely made. And she may dote on it now- I am sure she does- and thinks to kill me, then to take my place” (Miller 61). Proctor forced Abigail to act this way, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart” (24). Through initially cheating on his wife, Proctor instilled false hope within Abigail’s mind.

Despite being young, Abigail was manipulative and intelligent. She knew the only way to shift the blame off herself would be to accuse someone else. She could not blame just anyone though; they had to be an outcast of society. If the person she held guilty admitted to being a witch, she would gain trust and respect from authority. Only out of fear for losing their lives, several people confessed. This showed the judges that Abigail was reliable and would be able to accuse anyone she wanted. It was inevitable that given the chance, Abigail would accuse Elizabeth of witchcraft, “She’d dare not call out such a farmer’s wife, but there be monstrous profit in it” (61). If Abigail had no intention of being with Proctor, there would be no reason to kill Elizabeth. Consequently, if there were no reason to kill Elizabeth, there would be no reason to kill anyone in Salem.

Since Salem was a theocratic society, religion meant everything to the townspeople, but not Proctor. He did not attend church, plowed on Sundays, and could not name the Ten Commandments. Proctor expressed to Parris, “There are many others who stay away from church these days because you hardly ever mention God anymore” (29). This led the judges to believe, if Proctor was a victim of the Devil, it was likely that there were more people like him.

In regards to the trials, Proctor failed to take immediate action and hoped the problem would take care of itself. Even after Elizabeth warned him, “God forbid you keep that from the court, John. I think they must be told” (53) John was unwilling to confront the judges. He feared revealing the intentions behind Abigail’s actions because his reputation would be hurt. To Proctor, like most people in Salem, reputation was everything. If he admitted to having an affair with Abigail, his name would be ruined and his wife would be embarrassed. Not until his wife was accused of being a witch, did he get involved with the trials. Unfortunately, Abigail had already taken over the town, “She thinks to dance on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands. I know you must see it now” (110). When asked if this was true, Abigail responded, “If I must answer that, I will leave and I will not come back again” (111). By the time he confessed and stood up for what was right, everyone had succumbed to Abigail, including the judges. Proctor knew his inability to speak up resulted in unnecessary deaths; therefore, Proctor admitted he was responsible for the witch trials.

Although several people in Salem felt responsible for the trials, Proctor felt the most. If remaining silent was not a sin, Proctor would not feel the need to be punished, “For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed…God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together”(120). Proctor lived by the motto, “Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee” (95). He did something bad, caused the witch trials, and harm would come to him, he would die.

Proctor sparked Abigail’s desire to get revenge on Elizabeth. This motivated other members of society to get revenge on their enemies. If Proctor did not have an affair with Abigail, she would not have the longing to be with him. Proctor was the only one who knew why Abigail accused people of being witches. Proctor thought the problem would take care of itself; he was wrong. Through giving into temptation and remaining silent in a time of tragedy, Proctor was responsible for the Salem witch trials. “He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it, is really cooperating with it” (Martin Luther King Jr.).