Proctor is Hanged!

On the morning of August 19, John Proctor was hanged for being a witch. He had used his magic to compel the witches into believing that they did not do witchcraft, and that they had been lying to the court. Along with this, there were rumors of him having an affair with Abigail Williams, one of the bewitched. These rumors had not been proven by the court. Nonetheless, Proctor had been accused for his involvement with witchcraft, and his execution was conducted without any delay.

Deputy Governor John Danforth claimed that Proctor was mad for behaving the way he did. He had given John Proctor a choice to choose; confess his sins and receive light punishment, or to stay silent and face the gallows. Despite what Danforth said, Proctor still decided to not confess to the court. According to Danforth, when trying to convince him to prove his innocence, John Proctor exclaimed: “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!” (143). Despite how little of it he has left, Proctor took pride in his honor and dignity. Still, this had not affected the outcome of his situation; a dead man with a noose around his neck.

Even his wife, Elizabeth, was not able to persuade John into deciding the correct path to follow. Recently, it was revealed that she was pregnant with Proctor’s third child. An eyewitness saw the two have a conversation right before Proctor’s execution. (To read more on this conversation, see our exclusive article about their encounter.) Afterwards, Proctor was about to inform Danforth that he was to confess his sins. However, when he learned that his confession would be pinned to the door of the church, Proctor denied his confession. The witness heard this particular outburst from Proctor: “I have three children – how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?” (143). Despite his third child coming on his way, Proctor could not have lived without feeling shame because of his actions. He could not have taught his children to be great people with strong morals, with his own being so weak.

Even though his actions resulted in the consequence of his death, Proctor still had pride in what he had done. Just before he was led to the gallows, he had said this to Elizabeth, who was crying: “Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!” (144). Even Rebecca Nurse supported his decision, since it is what Proctor thought was right. He stuck onto his morals like a barnacle on the side of an old ship, never letting go even through the harshest of waves. In the end, Proctor was convicted and sent to his death.

What would you have done in his situation?  Proctor’s choice was not an easy one to decide. For some, it may have been an obvious choice, but Proctor’s integrity was at stake here. If he were to have chosen to confess, his standards of morality would have been shattered into a million pieces. Proctor would’ve had to live the rest of his life with no guide to follow, no rules to adhere to. Would he still have the honor to hold up his head in public? Nonetheless, his decision will most likely be noted as one of the most memorable points during these turbulent times.

-Justin Choi