Crucible Essay Topic One

Nathaniel Burns-Sarno
Advanced Placement English/Mr. George
January 5, 2009
The Crucible, Essay Topic One

John Proctor’s Road to Redemption

“I’ve looked on many women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. God knows I will do this and forgives me”(www.brainyquote.com). These words, spoken by Jimmy Carter, the thirty-ninth President of the United States, still ring true today. From the very beginning, mankind has been prone to sexual desires. Impure thoughts are a part of the human condition. Therefore, it only makes sense that God forgives us when we have such thoughts. However, having impure thoughts and acting on impure thoughts are two completely different things. For those who act on their lust, forgiveness is not so easily obtained. They must work for their redemption and seek forgiveness from those who were affected by their act. Such was the case with John Proctor, a character in The Crucible, by Frank Miller. After sleeping with Abigail, Proctor goes on his own quest for redemption. What makes Proctor’s quest for redemption so unique is that he lives in a society where there is no redemption, and nobody’s slate can be wiped clean. This makes it that much more amazing that Proctor’s quest for redemption included him seeking forgiveness from his wife, the court, and God.
Proctor first seeks forgiveness from his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. This is a logical action, as a person’s spouse tends to be the one most affected by their sexual transgressions. At the time Proctor confessed to Elizabeth, he knew that there was no chance at redemption. Proctor’s confession was made completely out of choice because he believed confessing to his sins to be the right thing to do. However, he comes to regret his confession, as it leads to Elizabeth being constantly suspicious of him: “I should have roared you down when first you told me your suspicion. But I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed! Some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you’re not, you’re not, and let you remember it!”(Miller 55). Proctor’s words not only show his frustration toward Elizabeth’s suspicions, but also that he knows in his heart that God is the one that he should be seeking redemption from. However, Proctor was not yet ready to turn to God after his first confession. Instead, Proctor seeks to redeem himself in the eyes of the court.
Proctor’s confession to the court marks a major turning point in his character. At the beginning of the play, Proctor was self-centered and proud. Proctor’s good name was his prized possession. By throwing it away in order to save innocent people, Proctor shows that he has begun to care about others. His confession to the court is much different than his confession to his wife, as he confessed to Elizabeth out of choice and confessed to the court out of necessity. This makes his confession to the court a purely selfless act. Proctor truly believes his quest for the freedom of others to be righteous, as shown by his motto, “Do that which is good and no harm shall come to thee”(95). By keeping such a motto, Proctor shows his faith in his belief that by confessing his sins to the court, he will be ultimately redeemed. However, such a motto would only be true if everyone in society behaved justly, which they do not. Proctor learned this fact when he was wrongly accused of witchcraft and sentenced to death by the very court he sought redemption from.
After confessing to crimes that he did not commit, Proctor realizes that his name will be taken by the court and used as a weapon against innocent people. Proctor, having been so close to the hysteria that witchcraft had created in Salem, is fervently against allowing the madness to continue. After being ordered by the court to sign his name to a testimony, Proctor realizes that by giving the court his name, he will only be adding to the sins that he has already committed. Proctor knows that by saving his own life, he will be damning innocent people. Although Proctor’s name had already been tarnished in the eyes of the court, he is not willing to let it be further dragged through the mud. Even if it saves his life, Proctor will not allow his name to be used to justify the murders of innocent people: “Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of those who hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name!”(143). Proctor is now not only responsible for atoning for his adultery, but also responsible for atoning for his willingness to put his own life before the lives of others.
With nowhere else to turn to for redemption, Proctor seeks to redeem himself in the eyes of God. As state before, Proctor always knew in his heart that God was the one he should have been seeking redemption from, but was not ready to turn to God. However, after appealing to his wife and the court, he had no other options. Proctor shows that he recognizes God to be the highest authority, and that he is not worthy of God’s forgiveness: “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man…My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man”(136). Although Proctor does not think it to be his place to act as a martyr at first, he realizes that his death could bring about the end of the witch trials. Proctor obtains his redeemed himself through actions rather than words, which makes his redemption that much more substantial.
Proctor is truly a symbol of Christianity, as he sought forgiveness from everyone who was affected by his sins before ultimately turning to God. He became a martyr , sacrificing everything that was important to him in order to defend a righteous principle. In a pious society without repentance or forgiveness, Proctor proved himself to be the only true Christian. He was unable to be redeemed at the beginning of the play because he was searching for redemption in all the wrong places. While it is important to seek forgiveness from those who you have hurt, true redemption can only be given by God. Another factor that made his redemption impossible at the beginning of the play was that he had not forgiven himself. As Elizabeth said, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself”(136). Proctor had been carrying the weight of his sins for a long time, and found himself unable to cast them off. He searched for someone to help him carry his sins, but to no avail. It was only after seeking redemption in the eyes of God that he was satisfied. Through death, the burden of his sins was removed.

















Works Cited
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/j/jimmycarte130252.html
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. United States: Viking Penguin Inc, 1953