So, what did you think of the ending? In paticular, did you supoort the choice made by Proctor and Rebecca? What did you make of Elizabeth and Hale's reactions? Did everyone get what they deserve? Think of the ending blurb, "Echoes Down the Corridor," and the information it provides about Parris, Abigail, and the theocratic system. Finally, what are you going to write about in your papers?? Post your thoughts and reply to two classmates.
125 Comments
Liv Winnicki
10/10/2013 07:07:46 am
John Proctor was very heroic, I don't think many people could honestly say that they would the truth of over life. It puts emphasis on how powerful the truth is. And it led to many other people saying they were not going to make up a false confession. The false confessions are what kept feeding the Salem Witch Trails. The more people that lied about being possessed by the devil, the more everyone believed that this all was really happening. Lies were the foundation for this all happening and if no one stood up, it would probably go on forever. john proctors pride was a very important part of ending the crucible because it showed how much it would cost to end this all. it costed many lives all because of some stupid lie.
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Brian Chamberlain
10/10/2013 11:34:08 am
I agree that John Proctor was heroic.There was also a supporting cast around him. I found Giles to be very cunning in the end. I like the way that he stood up to the authority and would not say "aye or nay to his indictment". In doing so he was able to pass the family farm onto his sons. The scene where they put the stones on him was powerful. When they finally think he has had enough and is going to give in, he says more weight. He kept his spirit and was giving it right back to them.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:20:50 am
Agreed, Giles is the man. He, along with his wife and Proctor, finally break the cycle through sheer willpower.
Amy Cavallo
10/13/2013 07:33:23 am
I also found the scene with Giles and the stones immensely powerful. They were literally torturing him in an absolutely horrid and excruciating way and he still refused to give up any information. And, in the movie, you can even see how hesitant Danforth is to continue the torture after a certain amount of time because they are actually fearing that Giles will die if they keep going. However, Giles is a man of his word and refuses to say anything about his informant. This shows how honorable and admirable Giles really is. He doesn't even give a second thought to possibly saving himself by telling who gave him his information. He just asks for more weight.
Matt Reardon
10/13/2013 10:16:24 am
Giles truly is the only genuine piece of sanity in Salem. Giles carries a lot of humbleness and intelligence with him. I completely agree that the last scene with Giles is very powerful to read and see how he stands up to the madness around him.
Ann Palma
10/13/2013 03:37:22 am
Basically the whole Salem Witch Trials were fueled by a web of lies. People lied to have their enemies convicted as witches and those who were accused lied by admitting to a false reality. Without John Proctor sticking to his morals and refusing to lie, the Salem Witch Trials would never have ended. All they needed was one person who was well respected in the community to show the public that if you die because you refuse to lie, at least you died in truth.
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Grace Giffen
10/13/2013 11:58:34 am
Remember though that even though John Proctor and Giles stuck to their morals, the Salem Witch Trials continued. People continued to blame the devil for the denial of witchcraft in the accused. It's not until enough people stand with their morals that the truth is realized.
Aliyyah Godsey
10/10/2013 07:08:34 am
Reading and watching the end of The Crucible by Arthur Miller really got me thinking. It was so sad to to see how even when John Proctor is up to die he doesn’t cave in but he shows pride and love for God. The story also made me really angry, one; because I felt like there was no justice for the ones that were killed. Two; Because Abagail just left and didn’t have to face the consequences of her lying and deceit. Seeing how nearly everyone in the story were so irrational in their thinking just made me feel even worse for John Proctor. Throughout the story he gave his every breathe to give logic to the people, but everyone was so tied up in their belief that they didn’t even stop to think. In all, the ending had so much power in it, when John Proctor decided he’d rather die than let them take his name and ruin it. It not only showed how strong of a character he was but it really magnified how it was during that time and how irrational the people really were.
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Mya Alexice
10/10/2013 09:53:56 am
I totally agree with the part about there not being revenge for the people already killed. The people who let them be condemned, (Danforth, Parris, etc) are virtually untouched by the end, and even Abigail barely gets what she deserves.
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Lauren O'Brien
10/10/2013 10:52:12 am
I agree with your feelings exactly, Aliyyah! I am angry over the fact Abigail is able to easily escape Salem and live the rest of her life, as far as we as readers know, without facing the consequences of being the antagonist and reason for many peoples' deaths and trials during the Salem Witch Trials as well. I do feel some remorse for Proctor, yet I am also happy for him as now he can finally escape the burdens of the Trials and ignorant society. He is an incredible man, and one of the only few who stays loyal to himself throughout the play.
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Elijah Sullivan
10/13/2013 12:21:45 pm
I completely agree! Abigail didn't get the punishment she deserved, and so many innocent lives were taken for crimes they didn't commit. John Proctor had so much dignity and it really makes me wonder how many people would actually do what he did.
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Haley Watson
10/10/2013 07:16:43 am
The most shocking part of Act 4, in my opinion, was Elizabeth's 'breakdown' with Proctor.In Act 2, Elizabeth is cold and distant from her husband.However, in the final act, her emotions take a total 360. It may have been caused by the pressure put on her and Proctor at that moment (I believe if your husband could be possibly executed, I'd definitely expect emotional distress) , or perhaps Elizabeth did love Proctor. In this moment, Elizabeth acts as a "Puritan woman." Puritan women were expected to devote themselves to their families,and more importantly,to their husbands.Anne Bradstreet's poem, To My Dear and Loving Husband,can easily be compared to Elizabeth's heartfelt confession to Proctor.
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Ava Merz
10/10/2013 09:57:48 am
Haley, you make a great point by connecting Elizabeth's actions to the life of a Puritan woman. But, not only was Elizabeth an example of a Puritan, but you made me think of Abby. Abby tried to change others' thinking by appealing their feelings, hopes and loyalties to THEIR family. And, in this case, family is husbands. They devoted themselves to their husbands, but what happened? The men didnt protect their wives, the woman were accused and sent to jail. What does that say about the men?
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:35:05 am
It says that in a patriarchy (male-dominated social regime), women can't win :(
Hannah Wallis
10/10/2013 07:19:18 pm
I really love your mention of Elizabeth and Proctor at the end of the play. As the audience we could only assume that Elizabeth still hates Proctor for cheating on her with Abigail, however, we see that she is full of love for him. It actually made me upset when she was talking to him. It shows that even though Protor out her through hell and back, she stood by him despite all her anger and misery.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:31:50 am
Awesome connection!
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Zack Sabat
10/13/2013 11:03:57 am
I agree with what you said about Elizabeth's emotional breakdown. It definitely shows a lot about her as a character. Also, I really like your comparison of Elizabeth to Anne Bradstreet. This also shows that Elizabeth was a, "Good Puritan Woman," before she was accused of witchcraft and voodoo.
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Bridget Kelly
10/13/2013 12:02:49 pm
I totally saw what you said about Elizabeth's breakdown! It almost seemed like some other character was talking to Proctor when she was actually conveying emotion and feelings towards him. It does sound odd saying that a couple "conveying emotion" is out of character, but Proctor and Elizabeth were definitely not your typical couple!
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Mike Hanlon
10/10/2013 08:33:36 am
I really didn't like the ending of "The Crucible"-at least the book-I felt like there was too much hype and not enough "bang". Yes it was good, but it wasn't what I was hoping for and my expectations just weren't fulfilled. Now in the movie, I was pleasantly surprised. The our father at the end of the movie really added a good emphasis to Proctor's final battle. No it wasn't my "Big Bang" but it was quite enhancing.
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Mya Alexice
10/10/2013 09:55:49 am
I agree. Maybe Miller regretted writing that suckish of an ending in the play, and when he got a chance to redeem himself, he did, though I thought the movie ending was only a little bit better.
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Ricky Wild
10/10/2013 10:23:36 am
Honestly, John Proctor being hung was a very intriguing ending to me. I enjoyed everything about the ending accept one part; Abigail. I think Arthur Miller took the easy way out saying Abigail ran away. I would go maybe as far to say that if Miller ended the play including Abigail in it, it would be a perfect ending. Proctor, almost a saint, and Abigail, a devil, could both come to there demise or finish the novel. All in all, I truly enjoyed this play.
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Jose Montealegre
10/10/2013 11:02:26 am
Yea, I agree with your point. I mean, Abigail should have gotten some type of justice and Miller doesn't go in depth explaining her escape. Yes, she does become a prostitute, but I feel like there should have been more to the story. I was really just hoping for her to die.
Samantha Havens
10/13/2013 08:34:51 am
I agree with what you said about Abigail completely! Abigail was one of the most important characters throughout the novel and I would of liked to see a lot more of her in the ending. Overall I loved the book; however, I wish the ending was different.
Brian Chamberlain
10/10/2013 11:10:07 am
I agree that the movie provided more closure, and I also liked the Our Father scene. What I find so interesting is that most of the time the movie does not compare to the book. The book is normally so much better. It intrigues me that so many of us had a stronger response to the movie. Myself included.
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Katie Carroll
10/10/2013 11:21:28 am
I agree with you. I feel like as Proctor was ripping and crumbling the papers, you expect a huge uproar. Then, the next page John was hung. The way that Miller built to the ending was so disappointing, but necessary because if John never died the cycle would have had to keep going on until everyone was dead.
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Gabby Amorelli
10/10/2013 11:45:39 am
I totally agree with you! Throughout the whole play, I was waiting for this big bang and it never happened. It left me feeling like there was something missing. Like I said in my post, Miller isn't stupid so, he definitely had a purpose in ending it this way. I feel like not everyone would be happy with any ending so it makes sense.
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Jack Anderson
10/13/2013 03:14:42 am
I agree with Mike on the point he made about there being too little "bang". I feel as if the ending didn't resolve much. I know that John Proctor's sacrifice led to more people refusing to confess and everything, but it was a very gradual shift. The ending was much more of a beginning rather than an end. The epilogue sums it all up, giving the results of the crucible, which brings some finality to it but I just wish that the last act had more of a definite action which ended the Salem Witch Trials.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:37:59 am
I wonder if he wanted it to feel like a beginning more than an end. That's definitely how it comes off - especially since the epilogue ends with the lines "the power of theocracy was broken." A space has been opened up for something new, a democracy. But of course we know, as Miller knew, that corruption would strike again. So maybe he didn't want a "big bang" at the end because he didn't want it to seem like the struggle had been won.
Eric Banal
10/13/2013 12:50:17 pm
I thought the end of the Crucible was very dramatic and had a huge bang. It really showed us how crazy the whole Salem witch trials were and how someone with as much power as Proctor could be victimized. It also showed that Proctor was very courageous and somewhat heroic.
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Sophia Mazzini
10/10/2013 08:39:59 am
The ending of The Crucible left me speechless, I simply did not know how to react. John Proctor gave his life because he knew that he had to be the ultimate sacrifice in Salem. Abigail's purpose for her lies of witchcraft was to eliminate Elizabeth Proctor, which John Proctor knew. After he tried continuously to tell the people of his knowledge, he knew the only option left was to scapegoat himself. After John was hung, I instantly thought about how Abigail would react to the mess she created. She had already killed so many people through her lies, but her purpose was to have John Proctor to herself, definitely not kill him! The way Proctor sacrificed himself truly showed what kind of person he was, and allowed the reader to understand this character completely. After reading the last Act, I was sure that all John Proctors efforts throughout the story were not only to stop Abigail, but to prevent any more deaths "in the name of God"
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Gabby Amorelli
10/10/2013 11:17:55 am
Sophia, I never thought about how Abigail would react if she were there. It makes me think that if she was, hopefully she would realize how insane she was for all of this. This gets me thinking that she might be smarter than what she really is. She seemed like she craved any type of attention and creating a crazy story about witches gave her just that. Being human she must've thought that eventually people wouldn't believe her. Her plan was to flee at that point because it wouldn't matter her reputation in the village, she wasn't there but, she was remembered. In her eyes, it seemed like a win-win situation.
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Katie Carroll
10/10/2013 11:28:28 am
When you talked about how Abigail reacted it really made me think of Omelas. The ones that walk away are the ones that don't think its right, but they leave and don't come back. That's the same thing that Abigail did, she ran away from something she knew was wrong and never looked back.
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Anya Carney
10/10/2013 12:01:05 pm
I also never really put into thought how Abigail would react if she were in Salem still. Would they have hung her also? I also love what you wrote when you said, "She had already killed so many people through her lies", Sophia. I never really thought that if she hadn't lied from the beginning everything could have been different.
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MR. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:40:58 am
I think she would have been hung if she stuck around Salem - although maybe people were so sick of hanging they would have just exiled or kicked her out like Parris.
Samantha Reynolds
10/10/2013 09:30:52 am
Reading the end of The Crucible had me on edge, at first I was like "wait I know that did not just happen?". Then when we watched the ending I saw it differently. The ending really showed more emotion to me and really got me sad. The fact that John Proctor died was really touching to me. He rather die than let them use him name and ruin it. At first, I enjoyed the book however toward the end I really started to get irritated. Three things had irritated me one, all the people that were accused and were killed never deserved it and weren't given justice. Two, John Proctor was a person everyone trusted and in the end he still had to die. Three, Abigail got no punishment for all the things she did, she got to just run off before they could get her. After reading this I noticed how John Proctor spoke the truth to the people and being they were all caught up in the whole accusing someone of being a witch, he in the end was up to be killed. It really showed how strong of a man he was; he showed them that you people where the ones who put me everyone else up here.
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Ava Merz
10/10/2013 09:50:01 am
Sam, you intrigued me when you said "he showed them that you people were the ones who put me/ everyone else up here." Not only is Proctor trying to save the sanity of the people, but he is also in a way, pressing upon them some guilt. This guilt made the people of Salem really think about their ridiculous views of life at the time. Im sure they all probably thought of how wise Proctor is, and how stupid they were.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 04:09:33 am
Good points, Sam. The ending might not be as dramatic as most modern readers prefer, but if you put yourself in the shoes of a person who witnessed Proctor's death you can see the impact it would have had. This is why the movie ending works so well, at least to me. Proctor shames the ones who need to be shamed with his stand and sacrifice. I'd like to have gotten at least a little more of Elizabeth's reaction, though.
Ava Merz
10/10/2013 09:45:15 am
I thought the ending of "The Crucible" was fitted or expected; but it really focuses on Proctor's character. Proctor was a man of truth, and he never let the chaos of Salem take his mind away. He is a true leader who stands tall, and stays "alive", unlike any other characters. He never lost his sense of righteousness. The author, Badaracco, once said "Good leaders... know how high the stakes are for themselves and others, when they make an important decision, and they are alone in making the final call." Proctor made the most important call in the whole play. He sacrificed his life for the sanity and well-being of others. Proctor was never led into pressure to high principles and certainites. I think Proctor's decision in the ending of the play, told us who really was the leader overall.
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Lauren O'Brien
10/10/2013 10:47:02 am
Ava, I completely agree with your ideas of Proctor being a true leader. He does not die in vain, as almost all the others hanged in Salem do- that is for sure. Instead, he dies with pride, and in a sense it is necessary so the people of Salem can return to life as normal. He is able to evade the mass hysteria which society falls into, causing him to be the most fit character for the "ultimate scapegoat".
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Anya Carney
10/10/2013 12:11:01 pm
Ava, your post really made me think about how Proctor almost is the base of the whole storyline of the Crucible. Without the decisions he made, Abby wouldn't have wanted to kill Elizabeth, and most importantly, the trials wouldn't have ended as soon as they did. Proctor made himself the scapegoat, which also makes me think of the Ones Who Walked Away From the Omelas. Everyone else was happy because one person was the scapegoat.
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Pat Monaghan
10/10/2013 01:02:35 pm
Thats a great point Anya. Proctor totally started this whole thing. I'm sure he didn't have all of this in mind when he cheated on Elizabeth with Abigail but it happened nonetheless. Abigail is definitely not all to blame for this mass hysteria. It also makes me think of the whole "God is Dead" thing. Maybe he said "God is Dead" because God was actually punishing him for his sins at that time in the play and Proctor doesn't think he did anything wrong. Proctor started the whole thing and it was fitting that he ended it.
Mya Alexice
10/10/2013 09:51:52 am
As a writer, I look at things differently. And so when we read the ending I just- *sigh* it sucked. At the end of a book/story/play you need closure, and a big, big climax. I thought the climax wasn't the highest point in the story, and there was almost no resolution. Shame on you, Miller. Tsk, tsk.
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Jose Montealegre
10/10/2013 11:08:04 am
I agree Mya. There should have been a better closure and bigger climax. Also, things sould have been explained better, like the escape of Abigail. It does stink, but I guess Miller just left us thinking.
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Ricky Wild
10/10/2013 11:13:29 am
As a writer, I looked at Miller's plot the way he intended. And so when we read the ending I was absorbed in what he said. At the end of Miller's book/story/play he closed the book very well. He closed the book with something, when imagined, that is a gruesome intense way to end a book. He closed it with a human being hung from a rope by his neck. He closed it with a man fighting to keep his name worth something more than his cursed soul. But, nothing I described is a big, big climax. I honestly found the climax to be the highest point if this story, serving a huge resolution. The resolution was that one man or victim's demise or destiny, can change a society. A common reoccurring theme in literature, history, and religion.
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Jazmin Graham
10/10/2013 12:09:33 pm
I totally agree with you. The "ending" wasn't really an ending. Everyone just died or became prostitutes and that's it. I was expecting a little more.
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Adel Soliman
10/13/2013 08:22:10 am
As much of a story as it is though, it is still a play of historical events. There were not many ways to spice up the ending without bending history too much. Even the characters in the play were real people so to change what one of them did would be straying away from the purpose of writing a historical event.
Ann Palma
10/13/2013 03:53:50 am
I completely agree with you Mya. To be honest, I was kind of let down by the ending of the Crucible. I was waiting for some big climax, like Abigail being hanged or something of that territory. However, I feel like if Arthur Miller changed the ending to where Abigail was killed, the Salem Witch Trials would have never ended. A new Abigail would step up to the plate to become the new ring leader and continue blaming his/her enemies of worshipping the devil. Its like if one steps down, another steps up. Someone will always acquire that position of authority and power to control everyone around them (will of power.) The only way to end the Salem Witch Trials would be to prove to the commoners that in order to rebel authority, you must prove their principles wrong by follow their rules.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 04:03:28 am
Yeah the story structure of The Crucible is REALLY weird. I feel like the real climax is at the end of Act III and Act IV is mostly falling action with a few upward lurches in the tension that aren't really sustained. However, I have to wonder (with Ricky) whether this was intentional. Just because something is intentional doesn't make it good writing, but maybe there is some effect he wanted to produce by leaving us WITHOUT closure. Did he WANT us to be frustrated? Why might a writer want that? Is it because the Salem Witch trials had no true "closure" since the same scapegoat instincts remain dormant in human beings, a dark genie that never stays in the bottle?
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Katelyn Johnson
10/13/2013 10:41:03 am
Mya, I completely agree. As an actress, I did not enjoy the ending as well. I also felt as though I needed some type of closure, but I do agree that might have been Miller's intention as well. This kind of leaves me torn. The ending was not very strong, but it did leave us to think.
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Grace Giffen
10/13/2013 12:04:10 pm
I also agree that the ending was too soon. I do, however, think that this ending creates more of an interest for the reader. For me, it made me even more curious about the Salem Witch Trials. It left me wondering about how many people were killed in the same way as Proctor before people finally realized the pointlessness of it all. I think Miller's intention was to leave the reader wanting more and to spark an interest for the audience.
Gabby Recalde
10/10/2013 10:06:40 am
Unfortunately, I have to say that I was not happy with the ending of the play, The Crucible. While I wouldn't necessarily call it a cliffhanger, the ending scene felt like it was missing something. In watching the movie's ending, I received the closure that I was only wistful for while reading the play. Arthur Miller made the end of the movie much more emotional than the play by adding in the Our Father scene. All in all, I truly enjoyed reading The Crucible. I can feel that it is going to have a lasting effect on me as a person.
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Amy Thomas
10/10/2013 01:29:02 pm
I totally agree with you Gabby! Those were my exact words after we finished the play: It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but it didn't give closure either. It definitely felt like there was something missing. After watching the movie, it sealed that hole of emptiness, and the scene with The Lord's Prayer was VERY emotional, I must say. It literally brought me to tears.
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Hannah Wallis
10/10/2013 07:22:55 pm
I agree with the fact that the movie ending was far better then the okay ending. The "Our Father" prayer at the end I believe is what really got people emotional, and really connected with the characters. At the end of they play however, the last thing you hear/see is Elizabeth crying out for John along with everyone else. I guess I was expecting something a little more.
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Gabby Amorelli
10/10/2013 10:10:51 am
I was very surprised by this ending at first. There was a purpose in leaving you with all these questions. Miller purposely did this to leave things to our interpretation. John Proctor knew that all this witchcraft was totally mischief and made up. I feel like Abigail fleeding made him feel more empowered to be the last scapegoat. Therefore, Proctor's voice of reason will be heard for years to come. Hence, "Echoes down the Corridor", although, John Proctor wasn't alive to spread his words, he died knowing what he said was somewhat influential on witchcraft. The other scapegoats simply died of self-pity but, Proctor was very unselfish. It reminded me in away of when God sacrificed himself for others knowing there will be something good in return for everyone else. "God is dead" is others but not to John Proctor.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 04:05:35 am
Oooh, I like this interpretation a lot. The idea of echoes down the corridor referring to PROCTOR. And explaining why "closure" would be inappropriate for the play in Miller's eyes. We have to figure out how to keep Proctor's spirit alive in our own time.
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Anthony Jimenez
10/10/2013 10:52:58 am
After reading The Crucible, I wanted to compare it to the movie. After watching it, I could say, I liked it better than the play, well at least the ending. I thought the ending in the play, was just a disappointment for me, because with everything going on in the play. I thought the author would wrap it up in a good way, rather then looking like he gave up, the end was obvious and clear. John Proctor knew the girls were always lying about seeing spirits or the devil, he laughed in their faces and when he was accused, he brought them down with him. He was a noble person and didn't want to be restrained so of course, he didn't want to be known as a coward.
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Mikey Brewer
10/10/2013 02:58:43 pm
I like the way you described how he laughed in their faces. It makes me think that, even though he didn't win the trial, what went on in that courtroom between John Proctor and the girls got to Abigail's heart especially because she knew very well that her shenanigan could only be held up for so long before it started to crumble right before her eyes and everybody in Salem realized that she was the one that everyone should be worried about. This explains why she left with all of Reverend Parris's money; she lost her own self-respect and dignity that she took from John Proctor when they commited adultery.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:44:20 am
Right, Proctor ends a hero and Abigail ends a disgrace. He truly gets the "last laugh" even in death. Or does he? After all, Senator Joe McCarthy is like the second coming of Abigail.
Jose Montealegre
10/10/2013 10:53:23 am
After finishing the crucible, most people will have mixed feelings about it. I personally thought the ending of the book was "okay", it definitely needed something more climatic. I liked how the movie gave you another view and a bit more scenes than the book. The ending of that one was definitely powerful. I think the most powerful scene in the play was when Proctor ripped up the signed confession. It was very brave of him of doing that. In the book, it says that Proctor already confessed his soul and that there was no need to take his name, but the judges wanted it as proof. John knew that he could not live with his name so contaminated, so he chose to die. It was a very hard decision, but he knew that this would be the only way of ending all of the chaos.
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Jose Ramirez
10/10/2013 07:57:33 pm
I agree as well, proctors ends up saving the village but costs him his life as well. It was a heroic act to sacrifice that would also help end madness in Salem. It was a difficult decision because no one truly wishes to die but it gave him a relief of happiness as well. Although it was a difficult choice he now knew his name was clean and could die in peace than live a life of guilt and have a dirty soul.
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Sean Provost
10/10/2013 09:24:06 pm
I agree with you, the book was a lot more anticlimactic. In the movie the author defiantly shows a lot more detail of how John Proctor was hanged. The movie showed Proctor's prayer, his last words, and I was more climatic.
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Ricky Wild
10/10/2013 10:58:03 am
Reading all these responses, I'm a little shocked that the majority of you didn't like the ending. John Proctor, a man of God, committed no crime and still took the blame. He didn't just take the blame but he was the scapegoat of an entire towns sins. Similar to how Jesus died for the world's sins. John Proctor knew the only way the town could be saved, was through his suffering. All John had to do was confess to witchcraft and he would be saved. He confessed, signed his name, and this wasn't enough for the court. Instead they wanted to sensationalize and mark his name everywhere. They wanted to show what power they controlled. John Proctor, being as intelligent as he is, realized this and stopped it. He shredded the papers and shredded his life. Knowing his soul was damned, he fought to keep his name alive. Inevitably John's confession wasn't enough unless they had the paper and he was forced to hang. This entire ending wrapped my brain into thinking about power, control, and confusion that I loved the ending. Philosophy is examining simple things such as love, authority, or even earth. With so much philosophy in this play I'm excited to write my essay on it.
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Lauren O'Brien
10/10/2013 11:23:51 am
Ricky, this is exactly how I feel about the ending! I really love it and am also surprised most people dislike it. I like your points about John trying to save his name, as his soul is already blackened with sin. I had not really put that together until I read this.
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Pat Monaghan
10/10/2013 01:10:41 pm
I understand where you're coming from Ricky but i have to disagree with the notion that John Proctor committed no crime. He committed adultery with Abigail. Just because it was not a scene we saw in the play doesn't mean it didn't happen. Also the only reason John Proctor took on the "sins" of the town is because his sin was responsible for them.
Matt Reardon
10/13/2013 10:20:41 am
Agreed, I thought the ending was powerful in a more philosophical way. It connects all the ideas of power and beliefs not necessarily through the characters' actions, but through their reactions and emotions. The scene where Giles is killed truly speaks of his courage. No one person was able to be tougher than Giles, he was always searching for "more weight" to fend against him.
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Brian Chamberlain
10/10/2013 10:59:24 am
Originally in class when we finished The Crucible, I was disappointed in the end. I did not like the fact that Abigail was able to run away without any punishment. I found her leaving in the middle of the night to be a cowardly act. It was upsetting to see the person who started the whole hysteria get away so easily. In the case of John Proctor, I felt that it was an example of the people in power winning. Like the expression, "The House always wins."
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:57:06 am
Interesting! I think you're the first to change your opinion on the end a bit. I had a similar reaction. It's not my favorite ending, but I appreciate it a lot more than I did when I first read it. Great connection to A-Rod.
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Cat Ishimasa
10/10/2013 11:18:54 am
I think the play and movie ended well. I liked that the movie didn't leave you hanging at the end like the book kind of did. I think that by the end everything has tied up nicely and completely so in that sense it is a good ending. I would have maybe liked have seen things end differently for John Proctor though. Instead of killing him, maybe he could have lived on and overthrown court and turned the town around (though this may be the most unrealistic idea for an ending ever). I think after all the build up the story created through out the acts, the ending would have maybe been a little more exciting but this might just be my thoughts...
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Samantha Quinn
10/10/2013 12:28:16 pm
An alternate ending would have been very interesting to read. I could almost imagine the one you described. Proctor and the other "witches" are now in charge of the town. All members of the court are sitting in jail while some of the accused liars are searching for a girl in need of punishment... Abigail.
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Amy Thomas
10/10/2013 01:24:56 pm
I agree with both of you. A different ending would be pretty great. I think both the book and movie could have ended on a better note, especially the book. I also second the alternate ending Sam mentioned about Abigail being punished. That would make me feel so complete.
Samantha Havens
10/13/2013 08:40:11 am
Cat, I agree with what you said about there not being a cliff-hanger ending; however, I was not a fan of the ending. It was a very predictable ending and I wish there was more of a twist to the ending.
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Katie Carroll
10/10/2013 11:18:56 am
The part of the ending that I found most dramatic was the way that Elizabeth reacted. Her last words of the play were, "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!"(Miller 134). Throughout the whole plot I thought that the minute that John said he wanted to be with Elizabeth, she would immediately be at his side. Towards the end of the play, her jealously from the affair towards Abigail lessens. When John starts to sign the paper declaring that he did see the devil, Elizabeth says, "I am not your judge"(Miller 128). She is basically saying decide for yourself what you want to do, at this point I really don't care anymore. When she says this, he stops signing the paper and begins to question the officials asking why it needs to be written down if he had already confessed. When Elizabeth says do what you please, he starts to become a ticked off at her and start to go insane. He rips the paper and that is it, he goes to hang. The ending did seem sudden the first time reading it, but after rereading it, the only way to end the book was for John to die. If he weren't hung, the scapegoating web would have kept occurring and would not have ending until there was only one person left. I do not think everyone got what they deserved. The cause of the whole problem was Abigail and she just ran away, leaving all of the problems and the false accusations she made, behind her.
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Samantha Quinn
10/10/2013 12:21:05 pm
Katie, I definitely agree with your point. The relationship between Proctor and Elizabeth was very rough once his affair with Abigail was known. Her husband loved a teenage girl more than her, which made her second guess everything. It was as though she had to compete with the horrible girl. The puritan wife had to be extra cautious about her husband, not trusting a word he says. Once Abigail left, Elizabeth thought Proctor's feelings went with her, hence pretending not caring what he did when deep down she really did.
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Lauren O'Brien
10/10/2013 11:20:55 am
Both Proctor and Rebecca are extremely valiant characters. Proctor, specifically, takes the entire weight society creates in the Salem Witch Trials through his hanging, as before he dies he defies Danforth and Herrick, refusing to sign any of their documents for society to see. He has the courage to say what nearly everyone accused of witchcraft in Salem does not, but wishes to as well. He is stubborn and devoted to God, as "[Proctor confesses] to God, and God has seen [Proctor's] name on [the document]. It is enough... Damn the village" (Miller 142). His defiance evidently leads to his hanging, but both Proctor and Rebecca are not truly dead; they will live on forever in the minds of Puritans and those who know of the Salem Witch Trials. They are heroes, as without their sacrifice society cannot return to normal. They die for a cause, to end the process of scapegoating in Puritan society, and their deaths do accomplish their goals for "The power of theocracy in Massachusetts was broken" (Miller, Echoes Down The Corridor). I feel awful for Elizabeth, as she is now forced to live the rest of her life alone without someone who can truly understand her. She remarries only because it is the status quo to do so in Puritan and colonial society, as women cannot be alone. Hale must feel awful, as well, because his efforts to liberate Rebecca and Proctor from their charges fail and he is now left with no allies. I feel as though there is still some debts characters have to pay, for example, Abigail: the instigator of all negativity in society is somehow able to elude her crimes and carry on with her life. She may be a prostitute now, according to "Echoes Down The Corridor", but she owes much more than that to the people whose deaths she is responsible for. Despite my anger with Abigail, however, I love the ending of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller. It is predictable, but the play cannot end any other way, as if it does society will not be able to move on from their mass hysteria of witchcraft in Salem. I intend to write about the moral and philosophical ideas of society in "The Crucible" for my essay because I find it engrossing to see how so many people are blind with fear in the play and how their reputations are more important than doing what is right. Thus, Proctor and Rebecca's deaths are tragic but they do not die in vain.
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Jazmin Graham
10/10/2013 12:04:10 pm
You're right! Proctor will never die because, people will always remember his defiance and braveness. He kind of set an example for everyone. It takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself while being fully aware of the deathly consequences, and the puritans could obviously see that.
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Samantha Quinn
10/10/2013 12:08:11 pm
There were so many scenes, the court room in particular, that were very suspenseful and to end how it did made me upset. Abigail should not have gotten away with all her lies and mischief! The trouble maker escaped without a scratch while many others hung for her. Proctor was hung because of her. He was a good man, other than admitting that he’d committed adultery, and always tried to speak the truth. Unfortunately nobody would listen to his wise words as they interpreted them as lies. Proctor tried to play along with the game of there’s… he claimed he was the devil in attempt to save the lives of others. An unhonest answer would have saved many other lives including his own; it also would have given the others what they desired. Once he realized this, Proctor quickly stood with Rebecca Nurse in denying, actually telling the truth, the devil had contacted them. The most holy people were killed for a false accusation. This should not have happened! Hale and Elizabeth could not have done anything to prevent this even though they wished they did. The reverend never wanted to have anyone killed with and especially without a reason. All he and, the very concerned wife, Elizabeth could do was hope the truth comes out to save Proctor's precious life; however that would only happen if Abigail confessed which is a crazy idea. Time would go by, and not a day would pass when Elizabeth and Hale could forget about the horrible events that occurred. For my essay I have decided to write about doing the right thing when others think it is wrong an issue I observed often in the play. Many characters believed telling lies were correct when in reality the truth should have been told.
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Jazmin Graham
10/10/2013 12:24:00 pm
I completely support the choice made by Proctor and Rebecca. I'm a really sappy person, so I always feel inspired when seeing people die for what they believe in (even though it's really hard to see innocent people die), instead of taking the easy way out. This kind of makes Proctor the hero of the story. It's actually really interesting because, the moment I began to hate Proctor for acting like a lunatic and treating Mary so badly, he shows bravery, intelligence, and many other heroic characteristics that make me fall in love with his character.
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Adel Soliman
10/13/2013 08:28:53 am
He might died being seen as a hero, but would it suddenly make him a bad person if he wanted to live and decided to hand over the paper saying he was involved with the devil? Proctor didn't sell anyone out when he signed the paper so only he would receive the punishment. Also, with Abigail gone and no one for the other girls to follow, the accusations would soon enough come to an end. Does Proctor really need to die to be considered one of the good guys?
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Mr. Biggs
10/14/2013 10:30:58 am
Good question, Adel. A lot of people have this reaction. At the same time I can see Jazmin's point. It's definitely heroic to sacrifice your life for a greater cause, and in this case that might have been the only way to make the point strongly enough to convince everyone to stop the hangings. Still, it's tough to say he would have been a bad guy if he'd chosen to live. It's just that an out-of-control situation may require an out-of-control response, the extremity of self-sacrifice.
Anya Carney
10/10/2013 12:25:46 pm
The ending of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, really left me feeling undecided about whether or not I liked it. My expectations just really weren't met; I was let down. Although I supported Proctor and Rebecca's decisions to be hung, inside I was really hoping they would survive. Proctor, more than anyone however, because as Ava mentioned, he really was a hero and a leader. He scapegoated himself (along with Rebecca Nurse) to help everyone else (including his wife, Elizabeth) and to end the trials once and for all. I think that being separated from each other, Elizabeth realize how much she loved her husband, and that is why she was so devastated at his death. I really felt bad for her, she was away from her entire family for months, now her husband is dead, and she is pregnant. Another thing a lot of people touched on was Abigail leaving. I really didn't expect Miller to have her just get up and go and escape this. In my opinion, she is the one who created this mess and took the lives of so many people. I was actually looking forward to her being prosecuted and put to death, as awful as that sounds. She really does deserve it. After reading the end and imagining in my head what it would be like, I am really looking forward to watching the movie sometime, to actually see how Miller wanted to portray his words. So interesting!
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Bridget Kelly
10/13/2013 11:59:25 am
I agree about having my expectations let down by the ending of the novel. I also really hoped Proctor and Rebecca would have chosen life, so we could have seen something potentially huge occur from this. I agree with what you said about Abigail's leaving being unlike Miller, he always seems to have people face their consequences, so her leaving was odd.
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Pat Monaghan
10/10/2013 12:28:46 pm
The end of The Crucible was almost too satisfying. It resolved everything without any twists or surprises. The only cool part from the ending was Giles Corey’s badass death. Otherwise it was predictable. We all knew in the end John Proctor would stand up for what was right and make a statement and die. We all knew Abigail couldn’t keep her act up for long and would have to leave. I understand that Arthur Miller had to stick to the historical facts of the Salem Witch Trials but I think Hale could’ve had more of an impact. Hale’s such a complex character and many things happen to him in this play. I feel as if Hale was underwritten and could’ve been a bigger character. In all, The Crucible, even though, it was pushing the boundaries when it came out, should’ve completely obliterated the boundaries in the fourth act to make it not as much of a textbook ending as it was.
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Mikey Brewer
10/10/2013 02:49:56 pm
I feel the same way about the ending as you do, because it was kind of bland and the way it was written out didn't really leave me there with a look of excitement on my face. I liked the idea of the ending that he had, but I just don't think he used it the way it could've been used.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:55:57 am
Yeah, I always want more Hale. Reading these comments has convinced me we need to do a creative writing project adding a second, more specific epilogue. So you'll get a chance to develop Hale's future creatively.
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Amy Thomas
10/10/2013 01:19:31 pm
I think the end of The Crucible was pretty gory, but also good. I liked the ending of the movie of The Crucible more than the ending of the actual play. The play left me wondering and a bit in confusion, while the movie gave me some type of closure. I especially enjoyed, in the movie, how Arthur Miller added The Lord's Prayer at the end, just before Proctor and two others were about to be hanged. One thing I didn't like though, was that nothing really happened to Abigail. I wanted karma to strike back, and just stab her in the back, but nothing like that happened. All these people were hanged and killed, but the person who started it all was really never hurt, which bothered me a little. I guess not every story has to have a happy, or at least a satisfying ending.
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Georgia Stierman
10/10/2013 01:52:43 pm
The ending of the play, in my opinion, was very anticlimactic. From all of conflict in the previous scenes between Proctor and everybody else, I expected a more dramatic conclusion. The lack of justice in the end irritated me. Abigail was able to escape Salem without any of the punishments and consequences that she deserved for all of her crimes. Her hasty retreat showed what of person she really was, which is vile and cowardly. As for Proctor, his multiple efforts throughout the story to put an end to the madness that had taken over Salem demonstrated how loyal and strong of a person he truly was.
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Katie Peter
10/13/2013 09:46:58 am
Georgia I completely agree with your opinion of the end of the play. For a play that was so exciting and shocking it was unjustified by ending the way it did. And the points that you made about Abigail and Proctor were definitely on point I also think that Abigail should have been reprimanded the most for the harassment that she was guilty of throughout the town.
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Katelyn Johnson
10/13/2013 10:27:59 am
Georgia, I completely agree with your opinion on Proctor. He was a very valiant hero and in the end he had to deal with the mess Abigail had set up. Abigail was truly a villian and only cared for herself, leaving Proctor to meet his end for a crime he did not commit.
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Mikey Brewer
10/10/2013 02:45:54 pm
The ending of The Crucible seemed somewhat incomplete, in my opinion. I liked the whole idea of it, but I feel like if Arthur Miller added on to the ending by showing how the lives of the people living in Salem were actually affected, it would’ve made the play feel more complete. I admired John Proctor’s decision to just “take one for the team” because it made him more of a symbolic figure than just another character. It shows how he actually gave up in the courtroom and offered to say that he was the devil, the man next to him was the devil, they were all the devil because they killed God. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (Miller 145) Elizabeth’s reaction really stood out to me because what she said made me think back to the beginning of the play where the narration said that John Proctor’s committing lechery made him lose his dignity and self-respect. This quote spoken by Elizabeth makes me think that this is his way to get that self-respect and dignity in his own mind and brought to his name whenever it was spoken of. That’s the real reason I think he did it. I think that nobody got what they deserved, except for Reverend Parris when Abigail took all his money because he was really selfish about everything and had his mind outside of the real picture.
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Will Cronin
10/13/2013 11:45:20 am
I totally agree with you about an aftermath in the play. It would really cool to see how the characters ended up after all their lives changed for better or worse. I also agree with you in believing that John made the right decision to give himself up for the good of the community. By sacrificing himself, he stopped the massive and pointless chain of killings.
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Hannah Wallis
10/10/2013 07:32:09 pm
I was very upset with how the play itself ended. Usually you see how the good guys come out on top and "win the day" however the "bad guys" were the ones that ultimately won. In the play, although it doesn't directly say that Protor, Rebbecca, and Mrs. Giles are being hung, it is inferred. Then we get a blurb about how no one likes Parris and Abigail became a prostitue. Because that's what they deserved right? If the puritans were as holy as they said they were and if God controlled much of what they did, how come Abigail and Parris get to live basically a "normal" life. They had no real punishment. Maybe Miller was trying to show that along with Proctor, faith is also lost. Salem was honestly just an awful town.
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Zack Sabat
10/13/2013 11:08:23 am
I also found it strange how Abigail and Parris' punishments were very minimal. I think that they should have been hanged or killed publicly because it's not fair to the peoples' families that died because Abigail said she saw someone doing witchcraft.
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Elijah Sullivan
10/13/2013 12:11:09 pm
I too didn't appreciate that Procotor and Rebecca took the punishment that Abigail deserved. I also agree that maybe Miller was trying to show that along with Proctor, faith is also lost. I think that goes back to the quote, "God is dead".
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Jose Ramirez
10/10/2013 07:50:27 pm
I was surprised how heroic Proctors actions ended up being at the end. He ends up tearing up the confession paper that would allow him to save himself from being hung and be with Elizabeth. He wants to keep his name and dignity. He becomes the ultimate savior from all the madness that was occurring in salem. With proctor being hung, the people would realize all the madness occurring in the village because most people in Salem like proctor, in which they'll question why he was hung when they knew he was never a witch. This would enlighten the people in Salem and make them realize all the madness in which he sort of ends up saving Salem before they all end up killing each other. I supported Proctors choice because he ended up dying for his village, saving more lives and stopped the scapegoating madness.
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Jack Anderson
10/13/2013 07:23:09 am
I also like how john Proctor acted in the end of the play. I thought his actions were very noble and also in the best interest of the community. However, I almost felt like he didn't have the right to rip up that testimony. I know it wasn't the truth, but by signing it he would have been able to stay with Elizabeth. He talked about how he couldn't give up his "name" because you only get one in your entire life, but in theory you also only get one wife. I hate to be someone to hone in on the negative (John Proctor's cheating), but I personally think he owed it to Elizabeth and his children to sign that confession. If he speaks so highly of his name and soul then I think it would have been a greater and more meaningful sacrifice to give up those before he gave up his life.
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Sean Provost
10/10/2013 09:17:33 pm
I believe that the ending of the crucible was not ended the way it should have been. Since this story was writer during the Red Scare I was expecting a message from the author at the end. I thought that the church would keep John Proctor alive to tell the people in the U.S that the idea of killing innocent people was wrong. Since the church killed John Proctor, the author sent out the wrong message, that there is no happy ending and there could be.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 04:23:42 am
I think Miller would defend himself by saying the happy ending was in fact impossible. The church at the time was too corrupt. I think the message is that you can't expect an institution (Church, State) to do the right thing. It's up to the individual. That was what Miller experienced in the Red Scare. So there is a message, but maybe it's a depressing message: society will always be corrupt?
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Amy Cavallo
10/11/2013 07:55:44 am
After finishing The Crucible, I found the ending to be very predictable and cookie-cutter for a heroic/underdog/inspirational-protagonist plotline. The hero died for his moral values and his dignity. It was easy to assume what decision he would make based on his character. He was honorable and respected in the community. Therefore, I think the play would've had a more intriguing end if he had gone through with the lie and confession. However, it would change the way the audience views John Proctor. Some people would see him as just trying to save his family, while others would say that, as a Puritan, if he would rather sin and save his own life (and the lives of his family) than die an honest man, he really isn't a man of God like he claims to be. Even though I believe a different ending would've made it better, I do like the way Miller concluded it. He created an inspirational character with John Proctor and Proctor's decisions even made me question myself about what I would choose in his position: to die honestly or live as a liar. I think The Crucible really made the reader examine themselves on their own concepts of morals and values and what they would be like in a situation such as that of the Salem Witch Trials.
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Haley Watson
10/12/2013 09:55:17 am
Amy, I agree that although the ending of The Crucible was bland an predictable, it was the "best ending" for the play.If Proctor had lied and lived, the accusations of witches may have not ended.How would have the insanity died out?Would everyone in Salem have to be eliminated from the church and executed? feel Proctor's chose to die was needed to end the play.Similar to Jesus, Proctor sacrificed himself for the lives of the innocent in Salem.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 04:07:09 am
Yeah. The ending seems more concerned with providing a moral than a great dramatic or narrative finish. I AM curious about the other scenario, though, the one where he goes home and lives a long life fighting his guilt in a very different world than the one he makes through his sacrifice.
Jon Nielsen
10/13/2013 02:56:53 am
The ending to the crucible was predictable, yet still shocking. I think this is because I knew what was going to happen while I was reading and just letting the words play out, but there was still a sense of an eeriness that struck me when I finished it. I sort of thought to myself: that's it? I totally subconsciously knew something like that was going to happen, but the realness and rawness of the situation caught me off guard. It was kind of like getting a vaccine at the doctors. You know it will hurt, but then when you finally experience it, it doesn't hurt more than you thought or hurt less. It was just different than how you imagined it to be.
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Mr. Biggs
10/13/2013 03:46:18 am
Right, I don't think it's meant to be unpredictable. It's meant to be a trainwreck in slow-motion. You see it coming but that doesn't make it any less painful on impact. You're left feeling kind of hollow afterward. I think the ending is supposed to be unpleasant. Proctor is a sacrifice made for humans to fix their mistakes, suggesting that we haven't really evolved beyond human sacrifice...
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Eric Banal
10/13/2013 12:55:38 pm
I didn't really think that the Crucible was too predictable. I didn't think that Proctor would be hanged but I kind of had a voice in the back of my head saying that something bad might happen to him. I also felt as though something bad would happen to Abigail but nothing really did and that surprised me. I wanted something bad to happen to her especially after the courtroom scene.
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Ann Palma
10/13/2013 04:52:50 am
The ending of the Crucible shocked me a bit. However, I do support the decisions of John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse. The fact that a well-respected man and woman were not willing to lie to save themselves really gave the public of Salem the hint that all this witch nonsense isn't practical. I feel like the ending of the Crucible relates a lot to The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. Proctor and Rebecca set themselves up as the scapegoat. They knew that in order for happiness and serenity to occur in Salem, they needed to die. They needed to prove to everyone else that all Abigail and the girls say about witchcraft is fiction. Similarly, the citizens of Omelas sacrifice a child in order for everyone else to have peace and harmony. This idea of a scapegoat to blame for all issues plays a major role in the outcome of both stories. In the Crucible, once the population of Salem recognizes that Proctor isn't willing to admit the "truth," they quickly begin to discover that maybe what Abigail says about witchcraft might not necessarily be true. Similarly, in Omelas, most people realize that there is a child suffering in order for them not to, but chose to ignore it. However, there are some that can't live with that knowledge and decide to walk away from the city. Both demonstrate how the scapegoat ultimately displays to the public how authority's principles are not always right.
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Amy Cavallo
10/13/2013 07:17:49 am
I like the connection you made to The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas. And yes, you could compare them to the child and the scapegoat. However, I thought that maybe they could've been the ones who actually walked away. They didn't want to play anyone else's game anymore. So, to me, it seemed like when John Proctor refused to give the false confession to save himself and his family, he was almost saying that he was done with all the lies and accusations. He was going to do the honest and morally right thing. And if that meant that he had to die, then he was going to do it. So, that seemed a lot like the attitude of the ones who walked away from Omelas. They just couldn't bear to lie to themselves everyday. So they left, just like Proctor, although his leave of absence was a bit more permanent.
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Haley Watson
10/13/2013 07:33:30 am
This topic seen in The Crucible and in The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas makes me really desire an epilogue of the play.I would love to read about Salem, at least one year after Proctor's death.In particular, I want to see how Parris, Betty, and Danforth are bearing.Have Parris and Danforth's accusations come back to haunt them?Would Betty feel guilty about tagging along with Abigail's act?Almost everyone in Salem spun their own web of lies to save themselves.Would that web finally capture them?
Jack Anderson
10/13/2013 07:16:44 am
My favorite character in The Crucible was definitely Mr. Hale. He's introduced into the play as someone coming into Salem to solve this witch crisis, but we eventually see him turn and become a skeptic of witchcraft. On the other hand, Judge Danforth is leo introduced as someone who is resolute on intervening in witchcraft, but is ignorant to the truth and the testimonies of John Proctor and Giles Corey and he is actually my least favorite character. The reason for their two different views I believe stems from their values. Hale holds the truth near and dear while Danforth is only concerned with his personal status and record as a judge. For my essay I think I'm going to do a comparison comparison of Mr. Hale and Judge Danforth. I'll focus on Judge Danforth's naivety and Mr. Hale's commitment to justice.
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Adel Soliman
10/13/2013 08:09:09 am
Another detail about Hale that makes his change seem even more interesting is that in the beginning of the book, he is said to have been one of the first people to encountered a witch. To turn against all of the witchcraft after being one of the few who encountered a witch makes the change more impressive.
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Adel Soliman
10/13/2013 07:55:00 am
The end of The Crucible was an expected one yet still put you on the edge of your seat. While reading the end, I was thinking about different possibilities such as if Proctor agreed to being with the devil and signing the paper. With Abigail out of the picture, the accusations and hangings will die out very soon. Towards the end, the people of the church themselves begin to doubt their own decisions and slowly realize this is all fake. Hale already turned a new leaf and left the church. If Proctor was never hung, the hangings wouldn't have continued much longer. Also, if Abigail never fled the town, she wouldn't have gone through with her wild acting. Her only objective, to win over John Proctor, was failed. She would have no reason to go fourth with it and will be tried and hung herself.
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Adel Soliman
10/13/2013 08:16:43 am
Also, for my essay, I was going to write about how people's view on religion and the distribution of power change over the course of the play with each passing event.
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Katie Peter
10/13/2013 09:52:18 am
I really like and agree with your statement that with Abigail out of the picture the accusations and hangings will end because with that fact and the statement that Proctor made by sacrificing himself, the Salem witch trials had ended.
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Katie Peter
10/13/2013 09:37:55 am
What I admired most about John Proctor's decision was the statement that it made to the rest of the town. His action of sacrificing himself led to the ending of the witch trials. He played along with the "leaders" and when everyone realized that John Proctor was not a witch the town soon came to their senses and realized that no one deserved to be hung. And as for Elizabeth and Hale's reaction they were so sickened by the town and how they handled the situation that they just ignored everyone and distrusted them. I don't think that everyone got what they deserved at all, yes some people got exactly what they deserved like Abigail who not only has a dirty conscience for being the reason of Proctor's death, but then later on getting stuck being a prostitute and probably never being happy ever again. But Proctor didn't deserve death, Elizabeth surely did not deserve sorrow, and many more unjustified character. But for my essay, I will be writing about the abuse of power in The Crucible.
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Will Cronin
10/13/2013 11:31:08 am
The abuse of power goes awesome with what you said about Proctor. To overcome this great power that controlled a cycle of killings, he had to volunteer himself to be hung for everyone to realize that these senseless killings had to end.
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Matt Reardon
10/13/2013 10:11:35 am
The ending of the Crucible left me slightly unsatisfied in that I would have wanted to find out how Salem turned itself around after the events. John Proctor appears as valiant as ever when he gets taken out of the court room. He made the ultimate choice of sacrificing himself for the others. The true colors of many of the characters were revealed in the last act. Specifically, Abigail was left with a heart infected by accusations and lies. She could be blamed for all of the deaths, and it is only fitting what she became when she was older. Arthur Miler sort of gives a hint to the future with their reactions. It is as if each emotion the characters experienced determined how the rest of their lives would end. Elizabeth and Hale both were left unsatisfied with the result, and it shows how they were the innocent and aware f the situation's ramifications.The idea of beliefs and how the power of things that we cannot see is what I will write my essay on. I find it very interesting how this entire scenario was based upon not what one saw, but what one believed was there.
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Katelyn Johnson
10/13/2013 10:13:10 am
I found that the ending of The Crucible, as many have previously stated was boring. What seemed to bother me the most was how cowardly Abigail actually was. She could not live up to the fact that she was wrong and caused so many people in the town of Salem to be hung, tortured, or both just because she did not want to face the consequences that she was wrong. Also, the ending was quite easy to put together. It would only make sense for John Proctor to be put to death for the crimes he did not commit. Lastly, Danforth needed to save that "inch" of holiness within Salem. He says that he will not stop until every inch of Salem was with God once again. Danforth and Proctor both knew that as long as Proctor was living, the town of Salem would not be with God, meaning Proctor would have been gone one way or another. For these reasons, the ending was both predictable and boring. As for my essay, I will be writing about the constant envy and lying within The Crucible.
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Zack Sabat
10/13/2013 10:59:22 am
I thought the ending of the play, "The Crucible", by Arthur Miller was surprising. In all honesty, I thought that Hale would have talked Danforth and Parris to excuse Proctor and his wife.
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Will Cronin
10/13/2013 11:23:44 am
The ending of the play, "The Crucible", by Arthur Miller, was less than surprising to me. It was almost predictable that in the end John would be hung and spares his good name. The only thing I didn't expect was that Elizabeth didn't try to stop him like Hale and Parris as they pleaded her to. She said that "He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him," (Miller 144). She supports John's noble decision to be hung while everyone around her says otherwise. Also, the aftermath could have been assumed like the decline in Theocracy in Massachusetts and Elizabeth marring again. Overall, I believe Miller couldn’t have made a better ending but it was just too predictable.
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Elijah Sullivan
10/13/2013 11:41:01 am
I found John Proctor's actions at the end of the play "The Crucible" to be very heroic and brave. John Proctor was given the choice of living with a false confession of witchcraft, or to be hanged. Like most other people he originally thought to keep his life for a small price and signed the contract in front of Danforth. That was all that Danforth needed for a confession, but instead, he was also going to hang the contract up for everyone to see. Proctor had a lot of dignity and wanted to protect his name. Because of this he ripped up the contract and refused to 'confess to a lie'. This was the beginning of the end for the Salem Witch Trials. Going back to what Liv said, the false confessions fed the trials. People believed in and wanted to eliminate witchcraft because other people would fall into pressure and confess to acts they never committed. On another note, I don't think anyone deserved what they got. John Proctor and the rest of the innocent people did not deserve death because they had not done anything. Also, Abigail who was the main antagonist, did not get any punishment and escaped.
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Bridget Kelly
10/13/2013 11:54:55 am
The ending of the Crucible did not come as a tremendous shock to me. To start, after Proctor was given the choice between his life and being hanged, I expected him to choose to give into the lies, as long as it meant saving other's lives. However, when he began to talk about how all he had left was his name, I predicted him to protect his name rather than give that up. I agree with Proctor in his decision to stand be what he believes, and this backs up how he does not want to stand for lies. In the end, everyone did not get what they wanted, since the court leaders did not end with peace of the people, which they wanted from Proctor signing the paper. Rather, they were left with a town who were beginning to question the ruling of the court, after seeing what Proctor did. One scene that sticks in my mind is when Abigail ran away. Many times through the play, I tried to put myself in the shoes of another character, wondering what I would have done. In Abigail's case, though the seemingly "right" choice would have been to confess, I myself would have most likely chosen to run away, as she did. Though I hate to admit that, I think many people, if put it that situation, would choose the cowards way out. For my essay, I believe I am going to take the lens of feminism, and explore the different women characters in the play.
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Grace Giffen
10/13/2013 12:28:12 pm
The punishments of the characters in The Crucible is almost opposite to what is just. The hierarchy that is created in the novel gives the power to the people who have broken most of their own rules. For example, Abigail, the leader of the witches in Salem, is given the power to accuse others of witchcraft. And all of those who are killed in the novel are the ones who stuck to the true Puritan morals. This is very similar to the Red Scare in America during the Cold War. During this time, many people were accused to be Soviet spies. The Soviet operatives were aware of this fear of spies, and used that fear to blend in with those who were thought to be innocent. The government, however, had already created a list of characteristics that were thought to fit all Soviet spies. This did not work, for many of the accused people who, most often, would deny such charges. Under many circumstances, those who denied were being truthful, but were then placed under surveillance. This pressured the people to conform to what society saw as a perfect American, as not to be suspected, such as the people of Salem had pressured the accused witches to admit to practicing witchcraft. Overall, I find the establishment of power in the ending of The Crucible was flipped, giving those who were sinful power and left those who were sinless, powerless.
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Mr. Biggs
10/14/2013 10:26:52 am
Definitely - and in the epilogue (Echoes Down the Corridor) he says that some of the people who eventually received money from the Massachusetts government as an apology for executing their ancestors were actually relatives of ACCUSERS - including, I think, the Putnam descendants. So the "flipped justice" persisted decades later.
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Eric Banal
10/13/2013 12:42:57 pm
I definitely believe that no one got what they deserved. First of all, Abigail should of been hanged just for what she did with Proctor, a married man, and for what she did to Mary in the courtroom. Proctor did not get what he deserved because he did not do anything bad, he was just thrown all the blame and was the victim that would end the mass hysteria occurring in Salem. I think that the "Echoes down the corridor" means that all that occurred in The Crucible and its final consequence left a resounding echo in Salem. In other words, all that had happened left a huge mark in their community. I have many ideas of what I could write about like power, or who was scapegoated, or about the echoes.
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Samantha Havens
10/13/2013 01:05:08 pm
In my opinion, I wish the ending was a little different. It was very predictable, Proctor becomes the "hero" and most noble guy while the truth comes out about Abigail and she runs. I would have to disagree with the statement of many that Proctor is a hero. First of all, he played with Abigail's emotions and victimized her, while cheating on his wife. A true hero would never deceive others. Secondly, heroic figures would not judge others, and John Proctor called Abigail a "whore" countless times. Lastly, he seems as if he is almost willing to leave his wife and unborn child. All in all, this is a very controversial topic.
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Luke Heck
10/14/2013 07:31:44 am
(Note: Running on approximately 2 hours of sleep, expect potentially poor and unclear writing.)
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Hannah Christensen
10/20/2013 11:36:14 am
Upon completing The Crucible, I didn't come to have a great love for the character of John Proctor. I feel that he was trying too hard to act as the hero and do what others would praise instead of doing what he believed was right. As the male protagonist of the play, he decides, and late may I add, that he must rescue the accused women. Of course, he did give up his own life, but was this right of him, or wrong of Abigail? The main concepts that stuck with me after finishing The Crucible, were feminism and lying to protect others or themselves. It was a shock when Proctor told others about the Devil because only women had been accused. Despite what they had done in the woods, there was no reason why they should have been targeted over the men of Salem. Also, many characters including Proctor, lied to the authorities, to friends and family, and to themselves in order to save either themselves or others. This made everyone untrustworthy and in people like this are still abundant in our modern world. All in all, The Crucible did make me think; however, the ending was slightly predictable and boring.
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August 2016
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