Katie4

    A conflict is created when a person�s character and/or beliefs is put forth against the beliefs of a majority. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is the work chosen for this particular conflict. John Proctor is the character who faced the conflict. The society was Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 at the time of the Salem Witch Trials. John Proctor and Salem, Massachusetts stand in direct opposition to each other during the 1692 witch trial, leading to the ultimate destruction of John for what he believes is right.
     Many things are going on in Salem, Massachusetts that lead up to the conflict. The community was becoming deeply divided. Neighbors were arguing over property boundaries, people were faced with religious matters, and the children were supposed to act like �miniature adults.� John Proctor was stressed out at the time, so he seemed to overlook these things. John had committed adultery with Abigail Williams, so he was also concerned about that. Abigail and some of her friends were caught out in the woods dancing, and were believed to be possessed by the devil. This event caused the Salem Witch Trials to begin. As the trials progressed, John became more interested. Although John stayed involved throughout the trials, he thought they were absurd and a waste of time. He knew there were no witches on Salem.
     Throughout the conflict, John was faced with four areas of opposition. John had many opposing opinions about Reverend Parris. Reverend Parris was greedy. He was not committed to the church or his role to God. He cared more about how he stood in society, rather than about his family or his job. John did not think these deeds were substantial for Reverend Parris. The second area was John�s opposition to the court. John thought that his wife being accused resulted from hatred by Abigail. John provided various types of evidence to the court to clear his wife�s name. When he brought a deposition to the court saying that Mary Warren had never seen spirits, he was accused of overthrowing the court. John argued with Cheever that the poppet found at the Proctor house was simply a gift given to Elizabeth by Mary. John stated that his wife was a godly woman, and would never lie; and she wasn�t possessed by the devil. The third area of opposition was John facing the �crying out girl.� Abigail was the leader, who all the girls followed. When Abigail proceeded with her outburst in court, so did the girls. John tried to convince the court that the girls were lying, but he did not stand a chance. The girls had had too much of an impact on the court. The fourth area of opposition was John versus the society. I think this opposition was the hardest, because John had to face a whole community rather than just one or two people, and the society believed deeply in the witch trials. He did not agree with the witch trials from the beginning because he thought it was just a symbol of hatred, or a way to get revenge. John felt that he was not being judged for being a witch, but because of his sin of adultery.
     John went through many different feelings throughout the entirety of the conflict. He felt as though he did not deserve to die a martyr�s death. He felt this way due to his affair with Abigail. After further thought and consideration, he thought that he could die a martyr�s death, by standing up for what was right, and what he believed in.
     If I had to decide on a man who could be described as a true hero, I would pick John Proctor. He was faced with an undoubtedly hard decision and chose to make the right decision. John Proctor was accused of being a witch. He had a choice to die honorably, knowing he made the right choice, and stand up for what he believed in, or he could have lived, but he would have had to lie and live with that decision for the rest of his life. John was willing to lose everything for what he believed in. In takes a great deal of courage to do this, knowing you could lose your life. John Proctor was a true martyr.