Learning From Mistakes In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
There is always a way to redeem yourself when a mistake is made. Making mistakes is bound to happen, that is how you learn. Many children hear from their parents they have to be perfect and doing something wrong is bad. Children associate a mistake as a bad thing. When I was younger my favorite TV show was Hannah Montana. In one of her songs she sang the lyrics “everybody makes mistakes” and since she was my “role model," those words had never left my head throughout my childhood. I immediately stopped associating mistake with failure or giving up. Instead I started to associate mistake with moving on and redeeming yourself.
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible asks its readers to consider how a characters change reveals an important message about the play. John Proctor displays a very important message by his growth throughout the play and can it can be seen throughout life also. The protagonist John Proctor has created the message: mistakes happen but you just have to be patient and earn the trust back and redeem yourself. Arthur turns this real life message about making a mistake and inputs it in his play. This play contrasts children's original thoughts of having to be perfect all the time and puts out a new perspective. The crucible proves that making a “mistake” is ok as long as you are patient and put in effort for redemption.
Readers of The Crucible instantly become a part of John Proctors complicated life. While Abby has almost ruined John Proctors marriage, he is trying to keep it alive by making it clear to his wife that him and Abby are over and redeeming himself for this sin: “Aye. He eats. She watches him I think we’ll see green fields soon. It’s warm as blood beneath the clods”. Here Proctor is trying to explain to his wife that their relationship has some bumps now, and he has made a lot of mistakes, but under the mistakes there is happiness and “green fields”. Obviously their relationship is not going to be fixed in an instant but Proctor is going to do everything he can to put in the effort and in the end realize what his true beliefs and wants are. John proctor reveals his guilt after having an affair with Abigail Williams. Abigail tries to persuade Proctor into admitting his love for her but he does not buy into it: “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near! Or did I dream that? It’s she put me out, you cannot pretend it were you. I saw your face when she put me out, and you loved me then and you do now!” said Abby “Abby, I think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand but for I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” said Proctor. Proctors response could not be any more clear, Proctor saying they “never touched” is a way of telling Abby the relationship had to be over. The readers understand that he is feeling guilty about what he had done and is making it clear to Abigail it is over. Proctors guilt has made him realize that his wife was an amazing person and she did not deserve him after what he had done to her. When Abby spoke badly about Proctors “sickly wife”, he immediately interrupted and put her in her place saying “You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth!”.
Miller uses excellent punctuation to show Proctors sternness and anger. The tone allows Abby to see that he now respects his wife and does not want anything to do with her and she should not speak like that again. The anger Proctor was feeling was not only towards Abigail but also towards himself. He realized he had done a major sin and did not live up to what he should have with his wife and kids, making a huge mistake and the only thing he could ask from them is forgiveness. Proctor desperately wants his wife's forgiveness as he tries to assure her that he “means to please” her. Elizabeth responds “I know it john” but in an unsure way. We notice there is still much tension between them which is not a surprise, because the mistake Proctor made should not be forgiven that quickly. Forgiveness has to be earned and not just expected. Proctor cannot just expect forgiveness, except he does. When Elizabeth was undeceive and suspicious about her feelings when he mentioned being alone with Abby, she “loses all faith in him”. Proctor was hurt as we can tell not just by his words but also actions. He felt since he chose to confess he should get the benefit of the doubt and Elizabeth sure was not giving it to him. He was an honest man before his affair with Abigail, and he even admitted that it were a mistake but Elizabeth still cannot forgive him. She clearly expresses her feelings when she says “You’ll tear it free-when you come to know that I will be your only wife, or no wife at all. She has an arrow in you, John Proctor, and you know it well!” Elizabeth is upset at the fact that he was so focused on receiving her forgiveness that he does not take into consideration her feelings and how the affair may have an effect on someone other then himself.
His faith is lost due to the outcome of the trial, Proctor arrives at his last straw before he will blow up: "A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer! I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud - God damns out kind especially, and we will burn together!”. Miller really emphasizes the darkness Proctor feels like he is in at this time with mentioning fire, filthy face, and black hearts. The frustration and anger come from Abby's lies, which that women are being persecuted for. The decision to be hung and stay true to his beliefs or confess to witchcraft have shown what a changed man John Proctor has become. His decision to be hung showed what an “honest man” he was. John Proctors first thoughts were to confess: “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. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.” Proctor believes it wouldn't be much of a sin to confess a lie if it meant saving his life. He believed from the start he was not an honest man so one lie would not change him. Elizabeth has a way with him and says “Do what you will. But let none be your judge. There be no higher judge under Heaven that Proctor is! Forgive me, forgive me, John - I never knew such goodness in the world!” Elizabeth has showed him that she cares but it was his own decision on what he wanted to do. As Proctor later confesses that he lied about confessing: "I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made you magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to wave a banner with, but enough to keep it from such dogs.”
The truth is always the right path to go. Being hung does not make him the best person but you can see the potential of the honest good man inside of him. He was not the same man who cheated on his wife wanted to give up on everything and by the end the truth was out and it was stood by. More respect and honesty was gained in the decision then throughout the entire play.
