What Would John Do?: Similarities Between John Proctor and Jesus Christ

While speaking to prideful people, Jesus tells a parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector. The Pharisee prayed showing that he was “good” because he was not a thief, murderer or even a tax collector. The tax collector, seeing himself as a sinner, asked for mercy on his soul. To end, Jesus states, “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted” (Luke 18:14). The man who is modest will be looked upon in a culture: someone like John Proctor, from Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, or someone like Jesus. Although John Proctor and Jesus lived in different time periods they actually have much in common: both died as criminals, shared a message of truth, and their arrests led to riots.

John Proctor, at first a hypocrite against his rules of conduct (14) and will not attend church for he believes Parris to be an unrighteous man (32), can be related to Jesus in their similar deaths. While in the play there is no scene depicting Proctor’s death there is one in the movie of the same name. Proctor is hanged between two criminals and seen as a lecher and witch. Proctor dies knowing there was no other way: be known as a liar in the town or die having people know he did something honorable and heroic. Also, he partakes in talking to God, reciting the Lord’s Prayer, as the noose hangs loosely around his neck.

Hanging between two thieves, Jesus died having past supporters laughing and jeering at him. False testimonies were also given against him, and he would not answer to them; however, he did answer when the Sanhedrin questioned his identity.  Jesus also cries out to God, shouting, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Mark 15:34).

Miller constructs Proctor’s death to make a historical reference, causing John Proctor to seem like a saint. Having portrayed Proctor as a lecher and hypocrite earlier in the play, Miller wishes to change this persona, adding resolution to the play. If the connection was never made, then Proctor seems only to want to keep his name pure. By making links to Jesus, Miller exposes the strength of character that Proctor had in ripping the false confession. Miller identifies Proctor as a righteous man saying, “For now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (62) similarly to the way Jesus did in front of the Sanhedrin (Mark 14:62).

Much like Jesus, Proctor had a verity to share with his society. One about the girls’ lies and why they were spreading them. On page 52 Proctor states toward Danforth, “God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” This speech makes the townspeople ponder their actions and the integrity if the accuser, Abigail Williams. After realizing he fulfilled his purpose of sharing a message of the fallacy of the court and the lies that took captive the town of Salem, and then he could die.

Jesus shared a message of truth as well, to save the souls of many. His message as stated in Acts 10:36 is: “telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who, is Lord of all.” Jesus wanted to save people from themselves; for only through him could they have eternal peace and life.

Miller linked Proctor’s purpose to Jesus’ to show that Proctor wasn’t just babbling from furor. Proctor, an honest man, revealed the wrong-doings in the town, by admitting his and thus showing others’. By connecting him to the purest man who ever lived, Miller gives him credibility. Miller connects them again to show Proctor should be trusted; and when he is accused of such a wretched crime, that the integrity of the accuser should be examined.

In the movie, when Proctor is arrested, there is a huge commotion in the town as Mary Warren had just accused him witchcraft.  In the anarchy of the moment, Proctor is arrested, and the whole town turns to mass hysteria, even Danforth, usually quiet, yells for Mr. Hale to come back when he storms out of the court (52). Abigail, capturing the town, influences them to believe Proctor guilty. Riots are like high school: follow the crowd or you’ll likely get hurt.

Similarly, when Jesus was arrested, confusion broke out. Judas, one of his apostles, aided in his arrest and Jesus’ followers went ballistic. In this excitement, a man near the guards, grabbed a sword and sliced a servant’s ear off (Mark 14:47). Through the hysteria though, Jesus’ influence and power were constant.

Miller, knowing the power that Jesus had, related the scene from the play to the biblical one. Proctor was seen as influential in Salem, and Miller wanted to add support to these details. Jesus carried himself in a modest fashion, to in turn be exalted. And Proctor sought not power or greatness, as in this quote, “because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!”(63). Proctor doesn’t want to be known for his actions, for nothing great comes from a power-hungry man.

1 Samuel 18 tells the story of David and Goliath. David, too young to fight in the army, only goes to take his brothers food. He then sees that everyone is scared, due to a man named Goliath. Goliath, so big he had a shield-bearer, was in the opposing army. By being modest and saying he could not do it alone, and asking for God’s help, David uses a stone and a slingshot to kill Goliath. In The Crucible, this trait of modesty is depicted in John Proctor, through biblical references in his arrest, purpose, and death. Through the connections, John Proctor is molded into a saint-like character, adding closure to the play, and allowing the audience to make a connection to the real world.

I was lying on the cold, but relaxing ground, in front of my rickety, decrepit double-wide; the pure white clouds billowing freely across the open sky like small tumbleweeds dancing across the desert ground. The solemn, majestic nature of the clouds drew me to lie there on the ground for what seemed like an eternity while oddly also feeling like a fraction of a second. Bulwarks seemed to arise from the desolate ground, enclosing me in my own world.

The memories rushed through my mind, like a flood pouring over a poor, lifeless village: memories of the day before. Cold shivers trickled down my spine, as I thought about the adrenaline high of the fight, along with the mass hysteria of emotions.

Yesterday, the air was crisp and cold as my girlfriend, Anna, and I walked down the winding road to her house. The grand, wooden structure dwarfed the surrounding houses with its elaborate railings and frilly extras. Offering no relief, the clouds were dark and ominous, starting their extensive transformation into powerful storm clouds. Stretching endlessly about the horizon, their mysterious nature seemed to press upon us.

Anna was rambling on, like usual, flipping her bright red hair through her fingers as she was talking. Looking up to the sky, I tried my best to ignore her shrill voice as it scratched against my heart.

“Why did you ditch me last night?” she questioned, almost begging for an answer.

“I told you, I had a family dinner I had to go to.” Man, I wish she would just drop it.

Taking in a deep breath, she shrieked, “Well, why didn’t you tell me?”

With the intensity of a raging wildfire I screeched, “I did, like fifty times, but you don’t care cause it doesn’t have to deal with you. You know what, we are done. I don’t want to ever to talk to you again.”

Tears rapidly running down her freckled cheeks, Anna ran down the rest of the road, almost slipping on the extensive amount of leaves. I just stood there, frozen with a smirk on my face. Slowly that smirk converted to a grin, as the deep realization that I was free smacked me in the face. I slowly started to jog back down the leaf-covered path, and then sped up to a medium jog, releasing all the oppression that had been so forcibly pressed on me.

Suddenly, I tripped and landed swiftly on my back, looking up at the deep blue abyss, called sky, and saw three white puffs, staring back at me. Purity was flowing from their features, their peace overwhelming me. I wish I could lay on one, like a soft, white pillow, floating around with all the freedom that existed in the world.

Dissolving quickly, this vision was replaced by the peace and serenity of the clouds moving around in the sky. Light was pouring through the clouds like water over the smoothed rocks in a quiet stream. I realized slowly that every gland was overflowing with sweat, like I had just fallen into a pool. My pulse was racing, but slowly came down from boiling to steaming, to a cool point.

Jumping up from the ground, I sprinted back inside, unable to control myself, from excitement. Wow! So, this is what it feels like to truly be happy and free.

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for band students to dissolve the misconceptions which have connected them with being a waste of resources, unneeded, apathetic to other subjects and such and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Music entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all students are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Straight legs and the pursuit of Musicality. — That to secure these rights, standards are instituted among Bands, deriving their just powers from the consent of the students, — That whenever any Form of Standard becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the Band kids to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new standards, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Band Geekness and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that standards long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such standard, and to provide new leaders for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these students; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of standards. The history of the present misconceptions is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these students. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

They have taken funding from us when it has been proven that music actually improves test scores.

They have then claimed we used more than our share of the resources.

They have said that we waste time and that we disrupt their pointless activities.

They have long claimed band as extra-curricular, when it is a class and everything counts as a grade.

They have tried to ban us from making trips that are for our benefit when other teams or groups can go longer distances with less educational value to the trip.

They have tired to make us their minions, only playing when we are expected to.

They have said that we don’t care about academics, though many band kids are in higher level classes.

They have long talked about how easy it is and how we are wasting our time and energy.

They have complained when the announcements include so much about band, when we have more successes than most of the sports teams.

They have long downplayed the value of being in band: the discipline, the inspiration, the relaxation, and the life lessons learned.

They have also downplayed the talents discovered and made during a career in band.

They have long teased us, calling us “band geeks.”

They have continually disrupted our rehearsals and then complained about us disrupting their brain cell-killing fun.

They have damaged our equipment then tried to blame it on us.

They have asked us to break one of the most sacred rituals of band, “what happens on the band bus, stays on the band bus.”

We, therefore, the Representatives of the Croatan High School Band, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these bands, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Band Geeks are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent students, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the misconceptions that have bound them for years, almost controlling their outlook toward other people. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Talents, our band fields, and our sacred band trips.