The Crucible

September 27, 2001 English The Crucible Pride, a simple five letter word that has played an important role throughout the history of man kind. The word pride caused ancient Egyptians to make amazing monuments like pyramids and golden tombs, it caused the French to build a world known monument, the Eiffel tower, but has also taken the lives of many men. Wars, battles, crusades, murders, hate, cold-heartedness, and many more, are great examples of when men think too much of themselves and have excessive pride and would rather have their prides than their own lives. The Crucible is a story that takes place in a small town and it is about this girl, Abigail Williams, that has an affair with a good man, John Proctor, but then he denies her but she still wants him. She wants him so much that she wants his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, to die because she thinks that she can take her place next to John.

She makes the whole town believe that there are witches among the town and Reverend Hale believes that it is his duty to eliminate these witches. Trials are made, and innocent people are accused for stupid reasons, excessive pride being one of them, but then, the people that are accused have the choice of dying with dignity and pride, or live by falsely confessing to witchcraft. Throughout the book The Crucible, excessive pride is written subconsciously throughout the whole book and it is particularly obvious in the role of three of the major characters; Reverend Hale, Elizabeth Proctor, and John Proctor.

One of the main characters in the book The Crucible, Reverend Hale, shows many signs of excessive pride throughout the whole book, he show his excessive pride in many different ways but a particular example is in p. 39: “Have no fear now, we shall him (lucifer) out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face.” He basically is stating that he will do God’s job of hunting down the devil and making sure that he will no longer bother this town. Reverend Hale shows excessive pride by saying the previous quote because he is trying to make everybody think that he can do a job that no man can do, which is to find whatever is bad in the town and eliminate it. He also shows excessive pride because he is assuring the people that he can do this impossible task, practically by himself, but he later realizes that he couldn’t.

“There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head?” p. 131 By saying the quote above, Reverend Hale admits that he couldn’t do the job that he promised all these people that he would, and that now, because of him innocent people, some of the town’s best, are going to be killed because they have been accused of a crime that they would never in their lives commit, and now he cannot do anything to stop the murder of the people that he accused of witchcraft.

Another character in the book The Crucible who can be easily accused of having excessive pride throughout the book is Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife. Throughout the book, she holds contempt against her husband mainly because her pride was completely crashed to the floor once she found out that her husband was having an affair with Abigail Williams. She uses this pride to mistreat in a way her Husband: ” Oh, Elizabeth, your justice would freeze beer!” p. 55 The quote above was said by her husband during an argument that they had about John Proctor seeing Abigail in private. Her pride is still hurt, she still doesn’t trust, she still thinks that he could still fall under temptation and that he will crush her pride even more, therefore she thinks that the only way that she can still have the pride that she has right now is by holding contempt against John and by making her suffer for what he did so he will not do it again. But, it is too late when she realizes that if only she would have more love, things could have gone much better.

“O have read my heart this three month, John. I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery.” P. 137 She finally admits that her excessive pride affected a lot what happened and that if she simply would have been more loving and tried to forgive more, things would have gone much different, maybe John wouldn’t have had the affair, then, he Abigail wouldn’t have had to lie and accuse all those people and maybe they all would have lived in peace.

John Proctor is one of the main characters in the book, and his actions are a perfect example of excessive pride, John eventually ends up dying just because of his pride. Throughout the whole book, all of his actions are based upon his pride and any action that requires a little compassion and care, he would take as an assault against him and his pride.

” When will you know me, woman? Were I stone, I would have cracked for shame this seven month!” p. 62 He basically states in the quote above that just because he has been trying to satisfy her and that he is actually trying to make up for the huge mistake that he committed by having an affair with Abigail, he should be ashamed of himself because he hasn’t been the “man” of the house and that he is basically controlled by his wife. Unfortunately, John Proctor does not realize of the strong “case” of excessive pride, and eventually ends up dying for it.

“”¦How may I live without my name? I have given my soul; leave me my name!” p. 143 He gives up his life, just because if he lives, his reputation will be ruined, his name would have been the name of a person that lied to save their live, so by saying the quote above, he is saying that it is better for a person to lose their life than to lose their name.

Elizabeth Proctor and Reverend Hale, two big examples of the consequences for having excessive pride in the book The Crucible, but perhaps the biggest one in the whole book was the case of John Proctor, who eventually ended up dying just so he can have his pride and name. Elizabeth’s excessive pride was much less affective than that of John’s because her excessive pride just left her with the regret that if only she had been a more loving wife, perhaps her husband would have never had the affair with Abigail Williams. Reverend Hale’s case was a little more severe than Elizabeth, but not as strong as John’s, his pride left him feeling guilty because thanks to his pride, innocent people were accused and hanged.

John’s Excessive pride took his life, which was pretty selfish of him because he preffered his pride over, first of all, his life, and second of all his family that depended on him to support them, his wife, his children, he even had and unborn child that thanks to the decision he took, will grow up with no father by his side. So, throughout the development of the stories it is quite obvious how the characters’ pride is slowly melting and melting from hard and solid pride that doesn’t even compare to that of a Canadian to Canada, to a liquid and pride that leaves them with nothing but regret, guilt, and death.