Crucible Essay

Stephen Simmons
AP English 11/Mr. George
12/30/09
Redemption
Redemption is no stranger to the history of the world. It signifies the spiritual and emotional disparity that humans face when seeking forgiveness. Why do people in fact seek redemption? Is it to achieve self gratification, or to cleanse the soul and wash away all the wrong that was done to it? Unfortunately, that question still lingers because one’s motives are likely to be different than another’s. However, one specific act that is more commonly known in our society today, from which many people seek redemption, is the sin of adultery. Commonly those who commit such a horrible crime do not take too seriously to its physical and emotional repercussions. Men or women who disrespect their significant other, whether shackled by the commitment of marriage or in experimentation of love’s very meaning, suffer the feeling of regret. Regret is a devilish feeling; it is a ravenous vulture that tears into our souls, rotten with remorse and guilt. It is how one attempts to cope with this feeling and attain redemption that makes or breaks them as we learn in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. In The Crucible, John Proctor suffered regret and guilt from committing adultery. These feelings haunt him throughout the book until he finds his sins redeemed in the eyes of God after searching everywhere else.
John Proctor in The Crucible had an affair with Abigail Williams, and after doing so, began his journey towards redemption. Proctor attempts to rid himself of his guilt by confessing his wrongdoing to his wife: “I wilted, and, like a Christian, I confessed...Some dream I had must have mistaken you for God that day. But you're not...and let you remember it! Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not” (Miller 55). Mrs. Proctor did not take too kindly to this, and Proctor realized that Elizabeth was not God and could not redeem him. This did not shatter the bonds between them, though they were weakened. From a moral standpoint, Proctor made the right decision in deciding to tell his wife. The deed, however, was done and shortly after he tried to brush the seriousness of the topic away and pleaded that what he had done was not as serious.
Proctor did not find redemption in conversing with his wife because nothing was achieved in their argument. The only thing set in stone was Proctor’s confession to the court: “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man...My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before” (136). After failing to achieve redemption the first time, Proctor went to the court and confessed his sin, for himself, as well as the lives of the accused. This confession was also Proctors attempt to discredit Abigail. In doing so, Proctor achieved very little and brought an even worse reputation to his name.
Proctor has already failed in achieving his goal of redemption and forgiveness twice, so he must now look further into himself to realize what he must do. It is important to note that in Salem during this time period, there was no ritual for the washing away of sins. Once one sinned, they were stuck with that sin until the day they died or until something took its place. In our society today, people break laws and commit felonies all of the time, seeming to do so with no remorse. This, in fact, can not be true. Not everyone is a heartless sinner who thinks of themselves before others, and who cares only about their needs. Some people become so overcome with stress and guilt that their view of life is completely changed. For example, one of the most popular American rappers, Eminem, used to be a drug addict, and now he fights against drug use in the world’s youth. So how does one cope with the terrible feelings of guilt and disappointment? They replace it with something better. Drugs are an addiction, and to cope with that and eliminate them from his lifestyle, Eminem rapped instead of doing drugs. Now that his addiction is replaced, he openly fights against it using his music and character.
Proctor does something very similar to this. Although not a concrete figure, God replaces the sin in Proctor’s soul, which exemplifies his religious nature. After realizing that redemption and forgiveness can not be found in a human soul, Proctor looks to God, and finds what he is looking for: “Then who will judge me?...God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?” (138). Proctor replaced his sin with love for his wife, children, God, and everyone else. It is not until we love others that we truly love ourselves.
As is exemplified by Proctor, guilt and regret are feelings that can never really be washed away from the soul, but feelings that can be replaced with happiness and forgiveness. As humans, we are never really forgiven because we never really forget what happens. We are forever scarred and forever remembered, which represents how Proctor embodies Christianity. He gave his life for the accused and deceased because he could not simply sit back and watch as the innocent died and he left the earth as a sinful martyr. It was because of Proctor’s name and his love for the people that he, like Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself for everyone else. Because of that, he will be forever remembered by the people and, more importantly, by God. Forgiveness is only a concept when in terms of people; it is a blessing when in terms of God.
Sinners are just people like everyone else. They walk, talk, breathe, and sing, but it is what they do with that sin that makes them indifferent. If one chooses to coexist with that sin, which is always the case, and not let it affect them personally, then they are fine. However, one who chooses to live with that sin and let it eat away at their soul and drive them to the point of insanity without fighting back, will perish and leave the earth as nothing. John Proctor’s death, although mourned upon, represented a new beginning and a new hope. The events leading up to that concluding scene in the novel consisted of attempts to achieve forgiveness and discovering ways to cope with sin. Evidently, Proctor eventually achieved his goal and died an idolized martyr. He died a man of the people, as well as the church. He beat the court, was redeemed, and cheated death. Proctor was a legend, and legends never die.