Character Traits of Elizabeth Proctor

Character Traits of Elizabeth Proctor

In the late sixteen hundreds, the fear of witchcraft was a major concern amongst New Englanders. Arthur Miller’s book, The Crucible, tells the story of a town’s obsession with accusing innocent people of witchcraft. All the accusers were young females who claimed they were attacked by demonic specters. Members of the community supposedly sent out these evil spirits, but in reality, the girls were doing it as sport. One such person accused was Elizabeth Proctor, wife of John Proctor, known throughout the community to be a noble woman. Throughout the book Elizabeth proves to be honest, untrusting of others, and determined.

Elizabeth’s honesty proves to be an important factor all through the book. This honest woman only lies once throughout the entire book. She tells this lie to Danforth in order to protect her husband’s reputation from being blackened in the village. Her honesty proves true when she is sent to jail for witchcraft, and she discovers she is pregnant. When she tells Danforth he says “ There be no sign of it- we have examined her body” (92). In the last act, while talking to her husband, he asks “The child?” She then replies, “It grows” (134). This proves she was being honest while in jail. Another instance of her honesty is when she is charged with being a witch. Although the punishment was less severe for admitting to being a witch rather than claiming to be innocent, she will not lie. It was this sense of honesty that helped to keep her out of harms way.

Elizabeth was untrusting to the people who had wronged her. She knew of John’s lechery with Abigail, who was their servant at the time, while she was sick. She came not to trust John while being sick, so she put Abigail on the highroad. “ And being what she is, a lump of vanity, sir-“(110) states Proctor. One reason she distrusts John, is that he has claimed he was not alone