The Crucible: movie vs. play

As John Proctor and the two others accused of witchcraft are taken to the gallows, the viewer is reminded of Jesus and the crucifixion with a merciless crowd following. Just like Jesus, Proctor too is about to be killed even though he is innocent. This symbolism invokes sympathy for John Proctor and the other innocent characters. Right before the characters are hanged, they recite the Lord’s Prayer in unison. This confirms that the “witches” are innocent because the Puritans believed that a person who associated with the devil would not have been able to recit

The major effect of the additional scene is the symbolism of John Proctor’s character. Although Miller may have intended Proctor to be seen as a Jesus figure in the last act of the play, the movie carries this analogy farther. Not only with the character’s journey to the gallows, but also with the order in which the characters are hanged. There are three “criminals”, just as there is in the Bible and John Proctor’s place is in the center, just as Jesus’. After John makes the decision to keep his name and die, he seems to humbly accept his death, just as Jesus did.

The Crucible would be classified as a tragedy and John Proctor as the tragic hero regardless of whether or not the extra scene is considered. Proctor proves himself a good man and the hero in the last act when he chooses his name over his life. His tragic flaw is his extreme sense of dignity; if he had admitted committing lechery in the beginning, he could have exposed Abigail before he or his wife were accused. Both fear and pity are further achieved in the new endin

Some topics in this essay:
John Proctor, Lord’s Prayer, John Proctor’s, McCarthy Trials, Salem Witchcraft, Jesus’ John, john proctor, Jesus Proctor, Crucible Miller, , Arthur Miller, tragic hero, lord’s prayer, john proctor’s, miller intended, mccarthy trials, extra scene, additional scene, hanging john proctor, characters hanged, sympathy john, sympathy john proctor,