Character Analysis Elizabeth Proctor
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In the late sixteen hundreds, the fear of witchcraft was a major concern amongst
New Englanders. Arthur Miller’s book, The Crucible, tells the story of a town’s
obsession with accusing innocent people of witchcraft. All the accusers were young
females who claimed they were attacked by demonic specters. Members of the
community supposedly sent out these evil spirits, but in reality, the girls were doing it as
sport. One such person accused was Elizabeth Proctor, wife of John Proctor, known
throughout the community to be a noble woman. Throughout the book Elizabeth proves
to be a moral, cold, and determined.
Elizabeth’s moral character proves to be an important factor all through the book. She gives people in the play and people today the example on how to treat others when she said, “I have sins of my own to count.” (Miller 137) People can’t go around judging others and not check themselves and be rightly so to judge. Before she knew of this she said, “I have read my heart”. (Miller 137). She was angry at John, but she had to examine herself first to see if she even has the right to do so. After telling John these things, she eventually got to John as he contemplated confession. John rejected and her moral sense triumphed over all the lies.
Elizabeth was a strong, cold woman. She knew of John’s lechery with Abigail, who was their servant at the time, while she was sick. She came not to trust John while being sick, so she put Abigail on the highroad. A wife that would be more
intimate with her husband and loving will have a less chance experiencing this lechery.
She even said, “it needs a cold wife to prompt lechery”, (Miller 137). around the end of the play. One reason she distrusts John, is that he has claimed he was not alone with her. He later says that he was, in fact, alone with her for a short while. It takes a person of strength to be able to take that lie he gave and still control herself in the manner a wife should do. It was her inner strength that showed her that “it were a cold house she kept”(Miller 136). and needed to fix that problem.
Another strong character trait of Elizabeth was her determination in what she
believed. She was a Christian woman who was tied to her beliefs. She stated this about
witchcraft to Hale “I cannot think the Devil may own a woman’s soul, Mr. Hale, when
she keeps an upright way,