The Crucible and John Proctor

 1. What was your reaction to John Proctor’s final choice? At first I was shocked until I realized his reasoning. He probably felt that he found God, and he even confessed to Elizabeth about his cheating. 2. At the end of the play, Elizabeth Proctor says that her husband has “his goodness.” What do you think she means? She means that there is no use in trying to convince John because now that he found his God/point in life, she can’t take it away from him or convince him. 3. Explain, in your own words, why Reverend Hale urges the prisoners to confess to a lie. What does this suggest to you about the way he has changed? He changed because now he is somewhat like a living contradiction because he shouldn’t be doing works of the Devil like trying to make people lie, when he is a holy man of God. He urges the prisoners to confess to a lie to try to keep John alive. 4. Who do you think is the most courageous character in the play, and why? I think John Proctor is the most courageous in the play because of one courageous act where he admitted to Rev. Hale the true reason why he is barely in attendance at church. 5. The word crucible means “a severe test or trial.”

Why do you think Miller chose to give his play this title? I think Miller gave his play this title because in the courtroom, the questionings are putting the people under “heat” or pressure like a difficult test. 6. How would you describe the evil forces that Miller presents in this play? I would describe them as something similar to a modern day terrorist. The evil forces in the play are as scary to the people of Salem like a terrorist is scary to the average American today. 7. In what ways do you think The Crucible is a criticism of McCarthy and his ways? It is a criticism because during McCarthy’s congressional investigations, he suspected Communists out of people who would have never been thought to be Communists like men of the State Department, and this ties into The Crucible because you wouldn’t expect any “witches” or any evils of any sorts from a town of Puritans. 8. Think of a 20th century person who suffered or died for his or her beliefs, and compare this person to John Proctor. I choose John F. Kennedy because I believe he died from conspiracy due to his beliefs. Although the conspiracy part is irrelevant, he died for his beliefs to bring justice amongst Americans, liberal rights, and to end the war in Vietnam.