Die Honorably or Live Dishonorably

Die Honorably or Live Dishonorably

Honor, dignity, and integrity are traits that are becoming more and more rare in our society. The Crucible, a play written in 1952 by Arthur Miller, is based on the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and parallels the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the 1950s. In the play, Miller attempts to focus his themes around traits such as honor, dignity, and integrity, and as a result, the theme “is it better to die honorably or live dishonorably” becomes vital to the story and well conveyed throughout it. The characters that exemplify this idea are John Proctor and Giles Corey, both of whom die by the end of the play, and Reverend John Hale and Abigail Williams, who live through the trials.

John Proctor is an honest, though harsh, man who is clearly the protagonist of The Crucible. Before the beginning of the play, John had an affair with Abigail Williams, a girl who worked in his household, which was abruptly ended when Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife, fired her. This event causes Abigail to desire revenge against Elizabeth while she still pines for John. Once the trials are well underway, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch, which leads to her arrest. John goes to the court in defense of his wife, where he reveals that he did indeed committed adultery with Abigail in an attempt to expose her as a fraud and a liar. Unfortunately, John’s appeal falls on deaf ears and he is arrested as well. While his wife manages to get a temporary stay of execution, due to the fact that she is pregnant at the time of the trials, which in the end saves her by insuring her life until the chaos, hysteria, and persecution comes to an end, John is sentenced to death. The play ends with his hanging, but his death puts an end to the trials.

Though he does make some mistakes, John Proctor is essentially a good man. In act one, Proctor exchanges angry words with Reverend Parris and says, “I may speak my heart, I think!” (30). Parris is more concerned with money than God, and John honestly speaks of how wrong that is even though it would get him into trouble. When Reverend Hale asks him why his third son is not baptized, John tells him, “I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my baby” (65). He sticks to his conviction, while, again, it will cause him some problems. While trying to exonerate Elizabeth, he declares himself a lecher, stating “I have known her, sir. I have known her” (110). He is willing to ruin his name and reputation to save his wife, demonstrating for the first time in the play that he is truly devoted to his wife. Finally, at the end of the play, when asked to sign a confession, John refuses, crying out that he would not “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (143). Even when facing death, he will not give into a lie, will not give up his name, and flat out refuses to sell his friends to save his own life. John Proctor became a martyr for what he believed was right and prevented further injustice and death.

Giles Corey’s character is not nearly as key as Proctor, but his story is just as tragic. Corey is an older man who works hard and is dedicated to his wife and family, but he is careless with his words at an inopportune moment and accidentally implicates his wife as a witch. Like John Proctor, he too goes to court to speak on behalf of his wife’s behalf, trying to explain that he “only said she were readin’ books, sir,