What Were The Changes In John Proctor

’s Character Throughout Essay, Research Paper

In The Crucible, John Proctor initially portrayed a sinful man whom had an affair, struggling to

prove to his wife that he should be trusted again. The dishonesty of the betrayal of Elizabeth and his

marriage to her changed, though, by the end of the play. This transition in Proctor’s character

showed he transformed from a deceitful man and husband, to one whom was true to himself as well

as his beliefs. This paper will discuss Proctor’s change in character and his struggle with getting to

the point in his life where he was finally at peace with himself.

In Act I, John Proctor displayed his guilt about having an affair with Abigail Williams, a young girl

of seventeen “with an endless capacity for dissembling.” Proctor convinced himself he was a sinful

man that had done wrong, and to have respect for himself once again, he must break off all ties with

Abigail. When Abigail mentioned to Proctor the relationship she and he once had, he said to her,

“No, no, Abby. That’s done with,” and, “Abby, you’ll put it out of mind. I’ll not be comin’ for you

more.” Even when Abigail tried to persuade Proctor to admit his love for her, he still denied it and

claimed he had no love for her any longer. She said to him, “I know how you clutched my back

behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I came 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.” In all of Abigail’s persuasion to try to get him to admit his love for her,

Proctor replied, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before

I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” Proctor saying to

Abigail that they never touched was his way of trying to get through to her that the relationship

between the both of them had to end here. In Proctor’s mind, saying that to Abigail was a

finalization of their affair and gave him the closure that he needed to truly forget what he and Abigail

had.

The affair between Proctor and Abigail also had made his love for Elizabeth grow stronger. The

guilt of the affair made him realize how Elizabeth was a good woman and deserved more than a

cheating husband, and he refused to allow Abigail to speak maliciously about her. Abigail said

bitterly to Proctor, “Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be -,” in which he

interrupted angrily with, “You’ll speak nothin’ of Elizabeth!” Abigail, realizing the respect he now had

for Elizabeth as to not let her speak of Elizabeth in such a manner, then tried to convince Proctor

otherwise, saying, “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a

cold, sniveling woman…” The anger he felt at this time was not only toward Abigail, but also toward

himself. He felt he had sinned greatly and did not provide Elizabeth, a good wife and mother of their

three children, with the respect and loyalty that one would expect out of a husband.

Act II brought across Proctor’s need for true forgiveness from Elizabeth to officially put Abigail

out of mind. He at first tried to assure Elizabeth of his love for her, despite the affair and their

“separation”. Trying to assure Elizabeth of his love for her was also a way for him to assure himself

of his love for her. He said to her, “I mean to please you, Elizabeth,” in which she replied with

hesitation, “I know it, John.” Proctor noticed this hesitation, and later came to realize that something

was bothering her. He also sensed their separation when he said with a good feeling, “…On Sunday

let you come with me, and we’ll walk the farm together; I never see such a load of flowers on the

earth Lilacs have a purple smell. Lilac is the smell of nightfall, I think. Massachusetts is a beauty in

the spring!” and she merely replied with, “Aye, it is.”

It is her suspicion of Proctor and Abigail that had Elizabeth troubled. When Proctor mentioned

speaking to Abigail alone, Elizabeth questioned him about it, and in reply to his excuse for being

alone with her, she said, “Do as you wish, then,” losing all faith in him. He felt hurt by Elizabeth’s

suspicion and felt she judges him and that he does not have her forgiveness. Getting angry with her,

he said, “No more! I should have roared you down when first you told me your suspicion. But I

witted, and like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed! Some dream I must have mistaken you for

God that day. But you’re not, and let you remember it! Let you look sometimes for the goodness in

me and judge me not!” Proctor felt that since he chose to confess to her rather than lie and deny her

accusations, she should give him more credit than she had been giving him. He thought that she

should think him a good man because he was only obligated to confess his sin to God, but he

confessed it to her. Elizabeth than tried to support her suspicion and said, “John, have you ever

showed her somewha

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