Although his wife, Elizabeth Proctor is nice enough that can forgive his sin, John Proctor has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of running his good name. The affair between John and Abigail causes the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. Abigail became very jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. John realizes there is only way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess adultery. He knows what he should do, but he continues to deny, until his wife is put into jail.
He feels shamed for having broken his code of honor with Abigail, saying “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again.” This shows that he doesn’t want to go through what he did with Abigail ever again. At the end of Act IV, he rips up his confession because he doesn’t want his name being used to sway others. He says “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!
Parris feared that Abigail’s increasingly questionable actions and the hints of witchcraft surrounding his daughter’s coma will threaten his reputation and force him from the pulpit. “Abigail, I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.”(12) His pride makes him cover up the truth about what he saw in the woods. Parris could have said something about what the girls where doing so people would not have assumed that the girls’ sickness was due to witchcraft. John Proctor also wanted to keep his good name from being destroyed. Early in the play, he had a chance to put a stop to the girls’ accusations, but his desire to preserve his reputation keeps him from testifying against Abigail.
Rhetoric: Pathos- “The sobbing of his little girl would only prove how ccompletely he had failed.” (pg 46, Cooney) is pathos becauses it showing how Mary’s father wouldn’t die while seeing his daughter crying. This makes him vulnerable, making the reader feel sorry or pity for him. Most of the readers have been in that situation where they didn’t want to show a sign of weakness around their children. Ethos- “All hail Macbeth, cried the witches, who shall be king hereafter”this quote shows that Macbeth is very credible because the witches acknowledge him as a king. So whatever he says goes.
Conversely, Paul’s story is actually tragic in nature. Motherly love is supposed to be unconditional and unwavering; Paul however, never seems to be loved by his mother no matter what he does. Both Emily Grierson, the southern lady and Paul the young child suffer from Oedipus complexes. Emily loved her father and refused to give up his dead body for three days after he died. She attempts to replace him with a man that is similar, her lover Homer Baron, who carries a horsewhip like her father.
Although all of the pieces of tone are present in the review, the catalysts of the essay are his diction, sentence structure, and subject. These important pieces are what clearly state his message and his tone throughout the essay. Throughout the review many words made an abundance of occurrences. Atkinson intentionally uses words such as “powerful” repetitively to enforce the overall mood of the review. The word powerful makes it clear to the reader that Atkinson was heavily impacted by the performance.
He asks Reverend Hale to resolve his curiosity about what his wife Martha might be reading behind his back, but instead rouses the town’s suspicion of Martha being a witch. He says to Hale, “I never said my wife were a witch, Mr. Hale; I only said she were reading books!” (71). Giles feels guilt for being responsible for his wife’s imprisonment and tries to defend her in court. Consequently, Giles refuse to give the name of the man who can substantiate his claim that Putnam is killing his neighbors for their land. If he gives the name, he would have to take on the guilt of selling out his friend.
People do not want to admit when they are defeated, just like Macbeth in this scene. The subject matter in Macbeth seems to be the desire to be great at any expense, and the panicky world that one can create for them when they try to achieve greatness at all costs. Denial is present as well as a lack of regard for anyone but Macbeth and his desires. Wives and sons are killed just to avoid something that is not certain. Only at the end do the witches’ predictions come true with the defeat of Macbeth.
He is a paradox in that no matter how hard he tries to clear his name, he cannot bring himself to forgive himself of his sins. Before the start of the play, Proctor has had an affair with the antagonist of the play, Abigail Williams. We see his struggle to forgive himself for his sins and clear his conscience throughout until he eventually refuses to live a lie and sign a confession of witchery to save his life. Proctor purifies his soul by telling the truth and saving Salem from the witchcraft hysteria. Proctors relationship with his wife is often associated with the cold, or harsh weather.
Macbeth, on the other hand, does not like a possible future by the withes prophecy: that he will kill his King. This shows the difference between Lord and Lady Macbeth. It is only after much nagging and cajoling from his wife that he decides to go through with it, and then half heartedly. His wife uses insults, demeans him, and makes him feel less than a man, so Macbeth finally gives in. While Lady Macbeth is the one who sets the ball rolling, it was the witches that put the ball at the top of the hill.