John Proctor example essay topic

791 words
The Crucible & Guilty by Suspicion Essay Imagine the feeling one must have if all they ever knew or loved was torn away from the min an instant as a result of an untrue decree. This is the feeling that John Proctor, the main character from the play, The Crucible, experienced as he was making important decisions affecting his life during the Salem Witch Trials. Another character, David Merle, from the movie, Guilty by Suspicion, experienced the same feelings as he became involved in the American RedS care. Both of these characters underwent a crucible, thus they both experienced a severe trial or test. In my opinion, I believe that John Proctor faced a more difficult struggle compared to David Merle. In John Proctor's situation, John was convicted by the theocracy, a government of officials regarded as divinely inspired, of having dealings with the devil.

He was later given a chance to save his life by confessing to having dealings with the devil. John now had two choices to make, this was his crucible. He could either testify to the government that he had dealings withthe devil, which would be a lie, or he could testify to the government that he was innocent to compacting with the devil, which would be the truth. Consequences of Proctor lying would be his life saved, his family being saved, keeping his possessions and job, but losing his dignity.

Consequences of Proctor telling the truth would be a hanging to his death, but being done with keeping his integrity. In David Merle's situations, David has been called upon by the House Committee on Un-American Affairs to testify about his relations to the Communist party. David now had two choices to make, this was his crucible. He could either testify to the American Government that certain friends of his are Communists, which would be a lie, or he could testify that he is not a Communist, and not incriminate his friends by giving their names out. Consequences o Merle lying would be keeping his normal life, job, and possessions, he would be directing a new film, spending more time with his son, but not keeping his integrity.

Consequences of Merle telling the truth would be going to jail, loss of job and possessions, being denied the right to work and earn a living, a loss of friends, but all with keeping his dignity. Both of these characters are now being faced with a difficult situation; they both need to make decisions that will affect the outcome of their lives. What factors will these two characters take into consideration while contemplating their decisions. Some people will choose their family and career over honor, while others will do vice versa.

In turned out that John Proctor decided to tell the truth; he was hanged to his death and lost all that he loved. David Merle made the same decision; he was sent to prison and lost his family, friends, and career. Both of these characters told the truth because they thought of their integrity to be paramount over all other factors. John Proctor faced the more difficult struggle in my opinion because he had to make a greater sacrifice to keep his integrity, his life. But why is it important for an individual to keep their integrity To understand integrity, one must also understand impeccability. Impeccability means that every action one takes, every communication one says, must be with the intent to perfectly align with the person that one wishes to become or are in the process of becoming.

Impeccability then leads to integrity. Integrity is the by-product of impeccability. Integrity means that one's actions are aligned with this perfectly balanced aspect of who one is. Integrity is the idea of walking one's talk, staying in the heart, and not being afraid of being one's full self even i fone thinks it may hurt another.

Integrity is important to keep because it is the only thing that one possesses that defines their entire life; it is the epitome of pride. If one loses their integrity, their life is not worth living; the definition of their existence has vanished. Society can benefit when they observe a predicament like John Proctor's or David Merle's. When an occurrence like these happen, the outcomes serve as a tool to reinforce the integrity of all citizens.

When people see the sacrifices these people made to keep their pride, they develop an appreciation for them because they want to be just like them, being confident about their integrity. 35 b.