The Crucible Apology Letter

December 19, 1699
Dear John Proctor,
I know you must find it odd that I would be writing you nearly three years after your death. I myself doubt my sanity with every stroke of the pen. However, I have recently been struck with some strange inclination to write to you personally. I can only surmise that it is my guilt catching up with me. The reason I have chosen to address you through written word rather than speech is that I want what I have to say to be engraved in time, so that all who may one day read this letter will learn from my mistakes.
To both you and the Lord, I must apologize for my hubris. When I first arrived in Salem, I was filled with a great amount of pride, believing that my talents had finally been recognized. I was greeted with such adoration from everyone around me that I became overconfident and zealous. My deepest desire was to fulfill my obligation to Salem. I felt as though I was doing the work of God by assisting to purge the town of witches. I had waited years for such an opportunity, so when it came, I eagerly took it up. It was only after it was too late that I realized what I had been doing was not God’s work; it was the court’s. It had always been the work of the court. I was a fool to believe otherwise. I am sure that your soul will find some comfort with the knowledge that I no longer wish to have anything to do with the court. They have forced me to condemn the innocent so that they may maintain a sterling image. You were a lot braver man than I, Proctor. I admire that.
I must also apologize for the work I had done in Salem. I aided a madness that should have been vanquished long ago. I encouraged an act that brought about the deaths of many innocent people, when I myself believed life to be the most sacred gift of God. Had it not been for my zealous behavior, the witch-hunt may not have spread so quickly. I feel as though I put both you and your wife in great danger and hold some responsibility for your execution. I now offer you the ultimate gesture. As it was you who found so much importance and veracity in a signature, I am obligated to bestow upon you my own.
Signed :
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