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Weakness plays an important role in the story, for most characters have their own weakness or flaw that controls how they react to the unveiling tragedy around them. The diction and tone of John Proctor throughout the story reveals his weaknesses and fears. In Act I, Proctor tells Abigail, “I will cut off my hand before I’ll reach for you again.” (Miller 22)This short quote reveals to the readers that John and Abigail were once in a relationship. Although Proctor denies all feelings for Abigail, he exaggerates to prove his point. John Proctor regrets his lust and feels that he betrayed his wife Elizabeth; Proctor’s self-pity can be seen in Act II. Proctor rises as he is agitated by the pressure that he feels from Elizabeth; John interrupts her and said, “I should have roared your down when you told me your suspicion, but I wilted, and, like a christian, I confessed. Confessed! I had must have mistaken you for God that day.” (Miller 52) In this excerpt, Proctor shows that he has remorse for telling his wife of the affair and that he should have left his problems to himself and God. Proctor emphasized on the word confessed as if he could not believe it. Proctor was furious towards himself for breaking under the pressure. Proctor feels weak for confessing to his wife, for all confessing did was bring shame onto him from inside his own home. These weaknesses displayed by Proctor, along with Arthur Miller’s literary devices, reveal an important key to the theme of “The Crucible”

Although many characters have weaknesses, some characters overcome their weaknesses. The characters that overcome their weakness can be seen as courageous. In Act III, Proctor cries to the court, “I thought of her softly, I lusted, and there is promise in such sweat.” Proctor’s courageous confession showed that he would rather have justice for those who are to hang, than to save himself. As proctor cries out is sins in front of the court, it creates a mood with the reader. Another character that shows great courage in “The Crucible” is Reverend Hale. In Act 4 Reverend Hale states “it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride.” (Miller 122) This quote from Hale takes place in a very important place of the story. Hale has returned to Salem to try to convince the accused to confess rather than die over a lie. Proctor knows that by coming back to Salem, there is great risk of being accused himself, by the girls or by the court. Hale’s diction and tone makes this statement come across with spite towards the judges of the court. Many characters show courage in different ways

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1) In the first couple pages of The Crucible, Abigail Williams is immediately characterized through her dialogue. Her attitude does not support the theme of weakness. In everyday life, some people show weakness, where they may be nervous in certain situations, while stronger people may take charge in those situations. In the novel, The Crucible, strength is revealed in a different way. Abigail Williams conveys her authority and strength over the other girls in the line, “...Let either of you breath a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you…” (Miller 19). Abigail and indirect characterization of her personality in the preceding line shows that she is manipulative and commanding to the other girls, proving she does not show signs of weakness. This is a completely different concept of showing strength. Additionally, Abigail Williams’ controlling standpoint in The Crucible is also portrayed through diction of Arthur Miller. The author uses strong diction to form a better understanding of certain quotes. Abigail’s arrogant personality appears throughout the whole novel, but especially in this quote, “Don’t lie! She comes to me while I sleep; she’s always making me dream corruptions!” (Miller 41). Abigail made this statement to throw shade on Elizabeth Proctor, as she does throughout the novel. The strong diction of Arthur Miller in this quote adds to the imagery created and gives a better sense of the negative connotation of the dreams Elizabeth made Abigail “dream.” Because of these quotes, the novel supports that her personality does not support the theme of weakness.
2) Abigail Williams and her attitude also do not support the theme of truth. Her dialogue in the story helps prove that she is not a trustworthy girl. In the novel, she tells many lies, but throughout the entire story, Abigail blames Elizabeth Proctor to help cover the fact that she has an affair with John Proctor. “She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her! Let her turn you like a—” (Miller 210). At the end of The Crucible, John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor’s husband, confesses to Elizabeth and the court about the crucial affair he had with Abigail Williams. This relates to the previous quote, proving that Abigail is completely lying about Proctor’s wife, trying to cover the fact that she has an affair with him. Abigail also continues to lie in the final Act, when she says, “Why do you come, yellow bird?” (Miller 117). During the scenes in the courtroom, Abigail lies and says she sees a yellow bird flying in the rafters. She does this to, again, try and cover the fact that she lied and to get the attention of the courtroom off of her, since she knows she lied. Both of these quotes prove that Abigail Williams does not support the theme of truth.

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The theme of truth in Miller's play is enhanced through the use of specific diction. In the beginning of the novel, all of the younger girls in the town were seen dancing in the woods by Reverend Parris. When Abby blamed Tituba for casting a spell on Betty, which made her fall sick, Proctor immediately knew it was all one big lie. In Miller's play, page 11, Parris told Abby “your name in the town - is entirely white, is it not?,” which references to the rumors in the town that she is not a proper girl and most do not believe a word she says. From the use of Miller’s descriptive word, “white,” or more specifically, “not entirely white,” Abigail’s questionable character is emphasized. A negative image is portrayed on Abby throughout the town due to the scandal to protect herself and knowing she is not pure and innocent. Furthermore, the color white can be symbolic for purity and the voiding of sin. The truth is finally exposed once some individuals figure out she has sinned through lying. Abby has never been a real puritan due to how deceitful she is.  She is not a well-respected young women in the town of Salem and her name is no longer recognized as white.
Weakness can additionally be a universal theme for The Crucible through the use of characterization. Abby sinned for lying about witchcraft and the commitment of adultery. John Proctor and Abigail Williams had an inappropriate affair behind the back of his wife. Their sins escalated due to the difference in age;  John being 30 and Abigail being only 17 , a minor, their relationship was illegal. Proctor emphasized how wrong it was to have a relationship with her when he said “I will cut my hand off before I’ll ever reach for you again (Miller 22).” Abby was thought to be Proctor's weakness from the townspeople, but he is able to be proper with her after recognizing his sin. “Put it out of mind, Abby (Miller 21),” which can also be understood in many ways. Instead of giving in to Abby’s desires, he manages to stay mentally strong against her mind games, staying loyal to his wife and showing hes in charge. Even though it was thought that Abby was Proctor's weakness, it was actually the sins he encountered through his time with Abigail.

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Weakness. Weakness has been a part of mankind for millennia. One such example is when John Proctor gave in to Abigail's Seduction. How is this an example of weakness well he was receiving a cold shoulder at home. His wife was very ill when this happened. He almost gave up his marriage, kids and home for just a few moments of pleasure. That is how weakness fits in to this story. Another example of weakness is when Abigail and the others accused many people of being witches and the judges gave in to these girls.

Courage. Courage Is the ability to do something and to frighten someone in the process of doing it. In the Crucible Giles Corey Said “More weight.”(Miller 125) this shows courage from Giles showing he will not give the names out of other people and he’s not afraid of death as well as frightening the people that are pressing him. John Proctor shows courage as well at the end of the book he says “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God

does not need my name nailed upon the church! God Sees my name ; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!” Proctor shows the courage to accept what he’s done and also the courage to stand up for what he believes in even in the face of death

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The way John Proctor shows courage is quite obvious. Towards the end of the book when being asked for the names of others who were with the devil, he mentions no one stating that “I have no tongue for it (Miller 131).” This single line to me shows the good will in him and gives him courage against standing up for what’s right, as he had the courage to defy the court that had been killing many. Another example of this is when he states, “I can, and there’s your first marvel that I can, (Miller 133)” after he finishes ripping up his confession. This part of the book radiates courage as because he ripped his confession he will now hang, but while he hangs the people will rise up against court stopping others from being hung. This quote shows that he openly accepts that he has to hang to save many others. Shown through these things contrast from what John Proctor thought of himself throughout the book, Proctor truly did have courage to his name.

Not only does John show courage, he also has a fault as he exerts weakness as well. One part of the play where this is exposed is when Proctor states, “I gave that girl a promise that a stallion gives a mare, (Miller 59)” referring to his affair with Abigail. This affair shows that he had a great moment of weakness, and ended up being unfaithful to his wife, and went to Abigail. This shows that weakness is something you want to overcome, as because John hid his affair, Abigail later went on to drink charms in the woods and start the accusations of the witch trials. His weakness is also exposed within the lines, “I want my life. I will have my life. (Miller 127)” These lines show that after being begged by the court to confess, he finally does, by which will justify the hangings, leading to Rebecca & Martha Corey’s deaths being pointless, as well as paving the way for many others to hang after him. This shows a great moment of weakness for Proctor, as he for a moment gives up his good name, but does later on redeem himself using his courage as stated in the last paragraph. But these two examples do need help conveying their message. Through the use of tone during both of these quotes manage to convey the weakness of John Proctor.

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In the beginning days of the witch trials, many people are already getting accused and  John Proctor has the chance to tell the truth that the girls are pretending. His wife pressures him to tell whatever information he has to the court. “ I think it is not easy to prove shes fraud and the town gone so silly. She told me in a room alone - I have no proof for it.” ( Miller 51) He now knows it would be the right thing to do but hesitates knowing the whole town has fear of witchcraft and does not want to get caught up in it. After not telling the court he pays the price allowing Abby to accuse more people building up her case. The breaking point is when Abby accuses his wife of witchcraft and she is sent to jail. He now has to tell the court of his adultery crime and convince the court that Abby has made this whole thing up.  “ Danforth-You misunderstand sir , I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime. It is not just “(Miller 119). This statement shows us the judges cannot go back on their trails and John is too late to tell the truth or change anything. If the court ended up siding with John Proctor it would damage all the judges’ reputations. Thus, we see that if John would have told the truth at the beginning, the trails would of never started preventing over 200 people from being wrongly convicted.

Another aspect John shows us he is a very courageous man in many parts of the story. John knows he did wrong to have a relationship with Abby and stands up to her. John does this by saying “ I may think of you softly time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I reach for you again. “ ( Miller 23). John is telling Abigail he doesn't want to be with her and he wants her to stop thinking there's a future between them. The author uses diction in the quote above to get his point across he could have  just said abigail I don't want to be with you. By using this word choice we see John wants to make things right again even if it will end up hurting him too. Another example comes later in the story when John is in court and has the courage to admit about his affair with Abigail. “ Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!” ( ) . This quote is saying he wants to keep his name good in the village, he has already gave them everything. It also shows he is willing to die even though the witchcraft trials is based on lies once again showing his courage doing what's best for the town not just himself.

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In the beginning, the people of the town are riddled with fear and weakness of mind. They are very easily manipulated and used by Abigail and the other girls and the town begins the dive towards ruin. One of several shows no weakness and a stronger mind to the things that Abigail and the others were doing: John Proctor. “I like not the smell of this ‘authority’..” (Miller 31). With the chaos ensuing on the entire town, John Proctor had no weakness of mind. He was able to see through the innocent facade that Abigail and the others cast upon the people and he spoke up against it, showing he had strength and no weaknesses to be exploited by the girls themselves. Here, Proctor is saying he knows what’s going on and knows the truth about the girls’ true stories. The knowledge of this was expressed using a few tools of Characterization, such as his actions and diction. Proctors word choice and how he said he felt about the situation in the town expressed the truth of the fact that he knew and refused to bend to the towns momentary lapse of strength and plummet into a weak mindedness.

Slowly through the play, we see that courage is seen being used. John proctor is another good example, along with Giles Corey. For Proctor, he musters up the incredible courage to confront the courts on Abigail’s lies and the affair that had gone on between them, risking his pride and his name for the sake of the others accused and his wife. Giles on the other hand, tragically died. He refused to lie, and he was pressed because of this, “More weight…” (Miller 125). He had the courage to stand up to the courts who wanted him to tell a lie and betray his friends, and he refused, dieing with those last words upon his lips. That takes real bravery and contempt with one’s fate to do something like that and he had his courage and heart in the right place when it counted most.

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One of the essential themes is courage. An example of courage is when John Proctor says, “Because it’s my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! (Miller 133)” This quote happens right as John rips the paper up. It shows that he is courageous because he would rather die than allow the witch trials to go on any longer. Another example of courage is when Giles Corey says, “More weight.(Miller ” This is when they were pressing him to death. The author uses syntax to show that Giles would rather die than give the names of others. Miller does a good job of using literary tools to develop courage.
The next theme is weakness. Weakness is shown throughout the story but especially when John has an affair with Abigail. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I reach for you again.” This quote is important as it tells us that John Proctor was weak and had an affair. Reverend Parris is another character who shows weakness in the story.“We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house.” This quote is from Reverend Parris talking about how he doesn’t want people to know that witchcraft is going on in his house. Miller uses good diction by saying, “Howl,” which shows how serious the matter will be if people find out. This quote shows Parris’s weakness because he is more worried about his job than he is about confronting the issue of witchcraft.

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Puritans, believed in a simple way of life.  They believed all of their teachings should come from the Bible, and that sinners should be punished for not following the ways of the Bible.   In the beginning of the The Crucible, we meet Abigail Williams, who is one of the girls accused of practicing witchcraft.  Abigail’s uncle Parris says to her “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”  (Miller 11).  This sentence shows how set in the ways the Puritans in this area are about their beliefs.  Parris is so worried about how his nieces’ actions will damage is his reputation.  In another passage Parris states “Your name in the town-it is entirely white, is it not?” (Miller 11).

This again shows how important it is to live a Godly life.  The color white is used to symbolize purity.  Parris is hoping that Abigail has not ruined their family name in the town in which he has worked hard to become a leader in.  He does not want to be embarrassed by her actions.  Had Abigail not been a puritan living in Salem, she would not have been criticized as harshly for her actions.

Eventually we find out that Abigail has had an affair with John Proctor, a farmer in the colony.  John and his wife Elizabeth have a servant named Mary, who has been involved in the witch trials.  Upon returning from Salem, John confronts Mary about where she has been.  When she explains that she has been to the trials, John says, “It’s strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women” (Miller 56).  This once again eludes to the authors plan to point out the puritan ways of thinking and living.  When Mr. Hale comes to the Proctor home, he points out that Mr. Parris has been keeping record of Proctor.  “I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day” (Miller 61).  This is Arthur Miller’s attempt to again show that religion is a vital part of the Puritan beliefs.

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In the beginning of Act 1 of The Crucible, the theme of courage is shown. “Oh, I marvel how such a strong man may let such a sickly wife be-” then John cuts her off. In this quote Abigail is jealous of John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail Williams is only 17 years old and she is attracted to a much older gentlemen. Abigail is willing to do anything to put a stop to Elizabeth, so then he is all hers. This text supports the theme of courage due to the fact Abigail has the audacity to confront John about his wife in front of Elizabeth. Abigail continues by saying “she is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling women, and you bend to her!” Abigail in this quote is trying to protect herself from what she has done by accusing Elizabeth Proctor so then she doesn’t look bad because of what she did in the forest with Tituba. This quote also supports the theme of courage due to the bravery that Abigail has. Abigail knows what she did in the forest and has enough bravery to go around and blame others for what she has done, starting with Elizabeth Proctor. Overall, Abigail Williams and John Proctor both show a theme of courage when confronting each other in the beginning of Act 1 of The Crucible.

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the theme of weakness is shown in the play. Witchcraft is what everyone in the town of Salem feared. “The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone.” This quote is referring to every christian in The Crucible. The Devil is a sign of weakness and the only way to become strong and prosper is to worship the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This quote supports the the theme of weakness. Witchcraft is the only sign of weakness in the play and causes harsh consequences to people who are and are not accused. “A fire, a fire is burning! I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face!...God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” In this quote, the fear of witchcraft is everywhere and if you are involved in the devil’s workings, God will punish you for what you have done. This quote supports the theme of weakness in a harsh and threatening way. The devil’s works are so threatening it can cause people of Salem to turn on each other, break relationships, and even causes people to become hateful. If you worship God you are strong and will be saved when you crossover. In conclusion, witchcraft is a sign of weakness and you will not be saved if you are involved in any sort of the devil’s workings. You will be punished by God and see fire burning.

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In the ending of act 4 of The Crucible the theme courage is shown by John Proctor.“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 133) In this quote I think John is saying he has already given up enough to the court at least let him have his name for respect and honor of his kids and family so everyone doesn’t know he lied about speaking with the devil. He feels he’s a part of the reason all these innocent people have been hung and he is not worthy of them. Likewise this quote “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.” (Miller 131)  is showing courage torwars what he believes in. I think this quote means that he speaks and believes in what he thinks. As, he will not say anything  to judge or shame someone for believing different than what he does. Since it's none of his business and that everyone has the right to believe differently. Overall, this theme of courage shown by John proctor is a huge key factor for our story and how his acts of courage help everything play out in the story.

Once, again towards the end of The Crucible we see our second theme of weakness being brought into the story.  Here in this quote we see the weakness start to come settle into the village of salem."Now Hell and Heaven grapple on our backs, and all our old pretense is ripped away make your peace! It is a providence, and no great change; we are only what we always were, but naked now.(Miller 76) I think the meaning of this quote is that Proctor is finally starting to lose his faith and believe in the village. Everyone is turning on one another saying that they were with the devil or they did some witchcraft like stuff  and others are lying about it so they won’t be hung. Likewise, this quote that shows weakness is somewhat relating to the same situation as the first one. “ You are pulling down heaven and raising up a whore!” (Miller 111) This quote said by John proctor is meaning that Mary Warren is giving into the power of abigail instead of confessing and saying the truth about what's been going on. The court believes whatever the girls say and proctor has no more belief inside him due to all of the lies and people accused of nothing. This theme of weakness put a big twist to the story showing how strong abigail is and how effortlessly the court is about actually finding out what's going on.

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Miller effectively uses tone and diction to show John’s courage and willingness to stand up for his name. Prior the following quote, Danforth asks John to sign his confession and after he refuses to he is asked for an explanation as to why, his response is “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; Leave me my name!”(Miller 133) In this quote John is saying that by signing that confession he is no better than abigail and the other girls that have lied. Miller’s tone in this quote allows the audience to feel the severity. In the following quote Danforth tells John he has not sold his friends and John replies, “Beguile me not! I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!”(Miller 132)John is saying that how can he live with himself knowing that his friends were hung because they refused to tell the lie that he told. Miller used diction to reinforce Johns willingness to protect his name and clear his conscious. Miller uses tone and diction to show John’s Courageous actions to keep his good name.

Weakness it the second theme of this play. Miller uses plot to show Johns weakness throughout the play. John shows weakness by committing adultery and in this quote he admits to it, “Excellency, forgive me, forgive me. She thinks to dance with me on my wife‘s grave! And well she might!—for I thought of her softly, God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat! But it is a whore‘s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands, I know you must see it now. My wife is innocent, except she know a whore when she see one.”(Miller 102) In this quote John says that he had an affair with Abigail and that is ultimately the reason for his wife being accused. Miller uses the plot of the play to build onto Johns character giving the reader a different side of John Proctor.

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Truthfulness, the state of a statement being true, is something that Abigail Williams does not have. Abigail Williams, the niece of Reverend Parris, accused 150 innocent people of witchcraft. This is only one thing that right away tells us that Abigail is lying. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller did a very good job at giving us hints that everyone that she convicted was innocent for example we are told “Hale weeps in frantic prayer, and the new sin is pouring in upon her face, and the drums rattle like bone in the morning air” (Miller 134). This quote tells us that Hale, one of the many, of the people accused obviously didn’t sign to the Devil because they were able to recite a prayer before their death. Another way you can tell that these people Abigail has convicted was truly not guilty is because one of them, Mary Warren, starts to go crazy as the rest of the girls repeat her as if she was hypnotizing them. This is just one of the themes that can be seen in the play.

Courage, courage is something that Abigail has a lot of. The readers can tell that Abigail has a lot of courage in many ways. One way that you can tell she has a lot of courage is because she gets in front of the court and lies to their face telling them that Mary Warren is guilty of witchcraft. That is only one way that we can tell. Another way we can tell is because Abigail doesn’t care who she convicts, whether it's the important rich people of Salem or the poor lower class. One example of this is she convicted Giles Corey’s wife of witchcraft, and he just a farmer and on the other side of the spectrum she has convicted Goody Proctor, John Proctor's wife a well know and rich family.

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One way in which courage is expressed in the story is through John and Elizabeth Proctor. Put quote in as evidence of theme John was willing to risk his life in the end in order to keep his name pure and go to heaven. Elizabeth never lied out of her desire of going to heaven. They both may have faced hardship on Earth, but in the end they did the right thing and that’s what takes courage. (Miller 133)

Ways in which the author emits his take on weakness is through the teenage girl characters’ actions. Put quote in as evidence of theme The girls are controlled by Abigail and follow her every action. Wen Abigail claims to have seen a yellow bird in the courtroom, the other girls agree and take after her due to their weakness and lack of courage. (Miller 106)

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Courage takes part throughout the story with John Proctor. He is courageous in the fact that he doesn’t want to be under Abby’s thumb anymore and sticks up for himself as he says, “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. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” (Miller 22)  This statement made by John Proctor shows us that every once in a while he has feelings for Abigail, but he hides them. This could also show us that Proctors love for Abigail is very shallow as he says, “I will cut off my hand before I ever reach for you again.” This statement really goes to show us how much Proctor actually doesn’t like Abby in the sense of love. Miller’s diction in the statement above really helps to concrete that fact. Miller uses the statement of, “I will cut off my hand before I ever reach you again.” instead of saying something a lot less harsh and not as meaningful. We see that Miller’s use of diction really gives off a negative connotation. The original statement supports and solidifies the fact that John Proctor shows acts of courage. With that said, later in the story Proctor also shows courage when he is faced with a life or death choice to make. He says, “Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before.” (Miller 126) This statement shows that when faced with a difficult and life threatening situation comes up, Proctor would rather do the right thing and suffer over doing the wrong thing and feel good about it. Miller’s word choice or diction really helps show us how bad he feels about what he did. This is good for the development of the character John Proctor. This is said because he uses the word “rotten” to describe him affair with Abby. We know that when John Proctor is faced with a difficult choice he will most likely do the right thing according to the actions that he made in the play.
Another character trait that is developed and could be seen as a possible theme would be weakness. Throughout the story Abigail Williams shows the trait of weakness due to her actions. The first example in the story happens when the girls are asked to come clean about what happened in the woods. The words said by Betty, “You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (Miller 19) helps to show this, but this may not be seen as weakness to many readers because it is selfish of Abigail to try to kill Proctor’s wife by drinking the charm, but this turns to weakness because of the thought that she has to kill the wife of a grown man with children, just so she can have her way. The mood created by this statement helps to further show the thought of weakness because of the fact that Miller chose Betty to sound worried by making all of her sentences said end with exclamations. This shows that Betty is nervous about the weak actions that Abigail committed. This helps to show that Abigail is weak. Abigail also, when faced with the whole town of Salem questioning her, leaves town in a hurry when she is most in question. The statement made by Rev. Parris, “There is news, sir, that the court---the court must reckon with. My niece, sir, my niece---I believe she has vanished.” (Miller 116) This is an interesting thing that comes out of Rev. Parris. This shows the obvious that Abigail leaves town. The biggest part about this time in the play is the fact that everyone is tired of the trials. Maybe if Abby would have stayed in Salem, she would have been treated different, or maybe not who knows. The way Miller thought out the plot and had Abigail to leave and vanish out of nowhere shows that Abigail displays a trait of weakness, and through the actions like leaving the town it shows that ultimately Abby is scared deep down.

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One of the themes that is displayed throughout the entirety of the play is truthfulness, and this theme is very present in the Proctors’ personalities. John Proctor even believes that his wife is so honest that she would never tell a lie, saying “In her life, sir, she have never lied. There are them that cannot sing, and them that cannot weep—my wife cannot lie,” (Miller 66). Proctor says this of his wife to Judge Danforth just after he confessed to lechery in order to save his wife. He says that Elizabeth is aware that he is a lecher and that she will confirm it to the court since she cannot lie. The Proctors’ honesty shows that they will do anything to stand up for each other and for what is right. Mary Warren also tries to tell the court the truth about the accusations, claiming “I never saw no spirits,” (Miller 64). Mary Warren realizes that what she and the “afflicted girls” have done to the people of Salem is wrong, and she realizes that Abigail is taking it too far. She agrees to go against Abby in court, but when all of the girls turn against her and accuse her of witchcraft, Mary Warren’s weakness gets the best of her and she gives in to Abby.

Another theme used in The Crucible is weakness. Many characters show weakness at least once in the play, but more than anyone else, Mary Warren is a great example of this theme. She falters when telling the judges the truth about Abigail and the girls, and she gives in to her weakness and accuses Proctor of bewitching her. Mary Warren says “No, I love God; I go your way no more. I love God, I bless God… Abby, Abby, I’ll never hurt you more!” (Miller 71). This quote shows that Mary Warren was very weak and easily manipulated; when Abby and the girls start to turn against her, she goes against everything she was just claiming and accuses another person of witchcraft. The people’s chance of ending the court’s nonsense was lost because of Mary Warren’s weakness.

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In the beginning John Proctor is being troubled by his past lover Abigail Williams. He talks about the affair he had with her and that shows the theme weakness in the play. Proctor says to Abigail, “Abby I will cut off my hand before I’ll reach for you again.”(Miller 21) The author used imagery in this quote and it gives us a visual representation of how he will feel if he cheats again. By using imagery it helps with the theme weakness. He knows that it was wrong to feed into the temptation so he is trying to persuade her to not believe in them being together. In the end of act four John shows another sign of the theme weakness when he is defecting on signing the confession. John says to Elizabeth, “ Would you give them such a lie? Say it. Would you ever give them this? You would not; if tings of fire were singeing you you would not! It is evil. Good, then- it is evil, and I do it.”(Miller 128)  The author uses imagery in this quote too. We can picture in our mind the singeing he would feel. He is conflicted with this decision because he knows he has lied and has done bad things in the past. He tries to think what would be morally right for him and God. Through his troubled life it gives us a better understanding to the work as a whole, while giving us the theme weakness.

Throughout the story Abigail Williams tries to coerce John with her manipulated ways, to abandon his wife. John has to be strong during these times or he will fall into the trap of adultery once again. In act three he is pleading to the court because he feels guilty and he wants to save his wife. Proctor says, “She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave! And well she might, for  i thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such a sweat.”(Miller 102) The author uses diction to emphasize how hard it is for him to not be tempted by the young Abigail. He decides to stay with his wife Elizabeth because he loves her dearly. Proctor has his strength and he is courageous when he is asked to sign the confession. The author describes Proctor as, “His breast heaving, his eyes staring, Proctor tears the paper and crumples it, and he is weeping in fury, but erect.” Then Hale exclaims, “ Man you will hang! You cannot!(Miller 133) This shows the courage Proctor has because he is risking his life to save his name. The author uses imagery to describe his emotions and actions to this courageous act. The readers can get a full picture in their heads about his mood. Through his acts in these parts of the play readers can conclude that one of the themes in this play is courage.

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Again, Arthur Miller uses tone and diction to show us how John’s strength trying not to confess to the lie begins to weaken, and shows how much weakness is in this story. People can fall victim to peer pressure and temptation, this is one of the big reasons the trials carried over for so long. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby.” John talking to Abby about when John touched her inappropriately while Elizabeth Proctor was sick. This highly emphasizes weakness because John tries to be a strong person but he fell victim to temptation with Abigail. He uses the sentence “I will cut my hand off before I'll ever reach for you again.”We can tie weakness into this theme because it is heavily repeated throughout the story. Therefore weakness is a big part of the theme.

Not to mention, truth is used heavily in this story. Miller emphasizes it by basing people living or not from the trials on truth. Would you confess to save yourself? John is a good example to use for this kind of theme. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Arthur Miller, The Crucible). Arthur Miller uses repetition in this quote to emphasize the theme of truth. John will not let the court put his confession on the church, because he will not be damned to hell for lying about doing witchcraft. He uses diction and tone to help us understand the pain John is going through after he rips up the confession, he realises he is going to be hung, but he wants to keep his name from being soiled. Thus continuing the theme of truth.

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John Proctor is an honest man, but his weakness is Abigail Williams. Even though Proctor is a married man, he had an affair with Abigail Williams, the girl who used to be his family’s maid. When the town starts to talk about witchcraft Proctor goes to Abigail’s uncle’s house to see what has happened. Abigail says to Proctor, “We were dancin’ in the woods last night, and my uncle leaped in on us. She took fright is all” (Miller 20). Proctor then says, “Ah, you’re wicked yet aren’t y’! You’ll be clapped in the stocks before you’re twenty” (Miller 20).  His smile widening as he speaks to her. Abigail lies about what they did in the woods and what had happened to Betty by saying they were just having fun and she got scared when she saw Parris. Proctor knows that she is lying and says that she’ll be in trouble soon. He knows that he should not be speaking to Abigail, but he can’t help himself and continues anyways. Miller indirectly characterizes Proctor as an easily induced man when he explains the way he smiles as he talk to Abigail. Proctor tries to leave but Abigail runs to him and says things that she thinks will make him want to stay. He finally says, “Child-” (Miller 22). Abigail then says angrily, “How do you call be child!” (Miller 22). Proctor responds by saying, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby” (Miller 22). Proctor wants Abigail to realize that he is an adult and she is only a child. He wants her to forget about anything that happened between them and move on. Proctor knows that what he did with Abigail was very wrong, but he also knows that he becomes weak whenever she talks to him. He starts to gain more power and stands up to her. The setting helps to emphasize Proctor’s struggle to not be tempted by Abigail because they are in a room together by themselves. Therefore, John Proctor is feeble when it comes to Abigail, but he knows it is bad for him and tries to distance himself from her.

Although he has his weaknesses, John Proctor also has a lot of courage throughout the play. When more and more people became accused of witchcraft, Hale went to all of the accused people’s homes to get some more knowledge of the people before they appeared in court. Proctor asks if he is there for the court and Hale says, “No-no, I come of my own, without the court’s authority. Hear me. I know not if you are aware, but your wife’s name is- mentioned in the court” (Miller 60). He starts to ask the Proctors questions about their religion and how often they go to church. Proctor openly admits as to why they don’t always go to church and why only two of his three sons are baptized. He says, “I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I’ll not conceal it” (Miller 62). Hale likes the Proctors and wants to help them as much as he can. Proctor is honest with Hale and says that he doesn’t like or trust Parris. This shows courageousness in Proctor because he admits to his wrongs. He does this to save his wife’s life. The author uses indirect characterization by having Proctor admit to multiple things he doesn’t do, but is expected. He is indirectly characterized as an honest man. Later in the story, Proctor shows another sign of courage. While he is at court and about to confess to witchcraft and save his life, he does something unexpected. Proctor signs his name on a paper to confess, but then immediately tears it apart. Hale says to Proctor, “Man, you will hang! You cannot!” (Miller 133). Proctor then says, “I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs. Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it” (Miller 133). Hale wants Proctor to lie and confess to witchcraft so that he is not hanged. Proctor does not want to lie and sign a paper for the town to see. The setting helps to support the theme of courage because he tells the truth to the judges in the court and accepts that he will hang. Proctor could have let judge Danforth hang the paper on the church door and lived, but he did not want to lie anymore. He did what he thought was right, and ripped his confession. Thus, John Proctor chooses death so he doesn’t have to live the rest of his life with a lie.