John signs the confession but refuses to tarnish his reputation; “Because it is my name... Because I lie and sign myself to lies!” (143). John doesn’t want the town to think poorly of him. He doesn’t want his tarnished name hung up for the whole town to see. He then tears up the document. John will not confess and he is hanged for his refusal to publicly admit to conspiring to witchcraft.
- He realizes Danforth will post confession on church door, so his reputation, his family and unborn child will be ruined. • Another, proclaims, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!” - Significant, will not allow Danforth to use him and ruin his honorable name. - Proctor continues, knowing twelve other innocents already been executed rather than confess to a lie. - Could save his life by an untrue statement of being involved in witchcraft.
He tries to accomplish his goal by hiding his sin but is distressed because of his pursuit of what he believes to- be happiness. Towards the end of the play his struggles eventually end in his downfall. His courage to stand strong in his beliefs leads him to death at the gallows. His personal struggle with Elizabeth is resolved as he makes his decision to refuse to confess to witchcraft. Elizabeth sees his inner goodness shine when he refuses to lie about being involved in witchcraft, and she realizes how unfair she has been.
He councils convicted witches to confess, so that they won't be hanged. Hale is knowingly counseling people to lie. He's lost all faith in the law, and there's a good chance his faith in God is a bit shaky as well. Hale's last effort to wash some of the blood of his hands fails. He's not able to convince anyone to confess.
In each case, both characters experience guilt due to a past breaking of faith and both hope to reconcile these acts with themselves and with others. Perhaps a direct result of Amir’s role as the narrator, the most significant act of betrayal in The Kite Runner is Amir’s betrayal of Hassan. Amir failed to stand up for his best friend and half brother Hassan, because he feared Assef, and he feared for his own fate. He did not want to risk the chance for him to be a victim of sodomy as well. “I opened my mouth, almost said something.
In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthrone, the scaffold represents the judgment of God and the Purtian Society to the sinners. Dimmesdale struggles to confess his crime, but eventually he reveals his sin because he can no longer bear the enormous pain causes by the burden of guilt. The scaffold serves as a reminder of Dimmesdale’s sin, a reliever for his guilt, and a grave for his heart. When Dimmesdale questions Hester on the scaffold knowing that he is the sinner, he wants Hester to reveal his sin instead of coming forward himeself like a man. His lack of strength to confess and the fear of revealing the sin take over his heart, and even display on his face, “Notwithstanding his high native gifts...an apprehensive, a startled, a half-frightened look - as of a being who felt himself quite astray and at a loss in the pathway of human existence, and could only be at ease in some seclusion of his own” (72).
Alienation among many throughout Nathaniel Hawthone’s The Scarlet Letter, the main characters suffer psychological damage as a result of different forms of alienation. The character traits they posses make them more susceptible to certain types of alienation. Since Dimmesdale cannot reveal his secret to anyone, he can not share his pain. All the pent up guilt he has stored with in eats away at him, slowly deteriorating his body and soul. Dimmesdale’s masochistic and pious attributes greatly contribute to the extent of his alienation.
With the knowledge that this innocent man would then be accused of witchcraft as well, the courageous Giles refuses to reveal this innocent man’s name. This direct defiance of the court took great courage, but lead to an accusation against him. He sacrificed himself for another, and there is no greater sacrifice. Believing that he would not get a fair trial, Giles decides to not plead “aye” or “nay” against the charges brought before him. He did this so that his land could be passed to his children, but the way they make accused individuals plead is by placing large rocks upon them until they plead.
He constantly lies to his wife about where he is and what he is doing. Unfortunately, his marriage is crumbling down quickly through lack of communication and intimacy. Though these factors are not only the causes of his deteriorating relationship, his secrecy of his homosexuality becomes a problem. His wife confronts him with wanting to know the truth, he responds, “Does it make any difference? That I might be one thing deep within, no matter how wrong or ugly that thing is, so long as I have fought, with everything I have to kill it...Im a shell”(46).
He felt as if his mother had betrayed him and his dead father. His motivation was to act insane to take revenge on his uncle but he lost control of himself. He wanted his uncle to confess to killing his father so he wrote a play that explain how the murder took place and wanted to see how his uncle reacted to the play. If he showed any type of guiltiness then he knew for sure that the ghost was not dishonest