Should
John Proctor have chosen to save his life? I have had a particularly
hard time answering this question, and I most probably still won’t reach
a conclusion by the end of this post. I think the reason that I
struggled so much with it was that I honestly would have saved myself,
even though I know the “right” thing to do would be to die.
Nevertheless, I will make an attempt to defend my hypothetical choice.
Proctor
defines himself with his integrity -- this is his tragic flaw in the
play. Saving his own life with a lie would sully everything he believes
in, while sticking to his guns, so to speak, leads to his death.
Essentially, his choice boils down to integrity or death.
...But
not really. I think there are factors other than integrity and death
that must be taken into account in his situation. He has
responsibilities to his expectant wife, to the people of his town, and
to life in general. If all the decent people in Salem decided to give
their lives in the name of integrity, no one would remain to perpetuate
the very message they died for. I feel sacrilegious in saying this, but
it could even be a possibility that Proctor used the facade of
maintaining his integrity as a personal escape from the horrors of life
and mass hysteria in Salem.
People
make fun of Romeo and Juliet for killing themselves in the name of love
all the time. Why, then, is Proctor’s decision to kill himself in the
name of integrity not equally as foolish? In the end, is it really so wrong to choose to live?
I like how you started with a rhetorical question, and used 1st and 2nd person to make the issue personal. The fact that you first equate integrity with death, then state they are actually different is a nice juxtaposition. Then, your dealing with the hypothetical scenario where Proctor lives was just windblowing. Loving the appositives, as well.
ReplyDeleteI loved this post, Lillian! I thought it was so interesting how you mentioned that Proctor could have just allowed his death so that he wouldn't have to deal with the chaos in Salem. I never thought of it that way. Also, I loved your connection to Romeo and Juliet because that is so true!
ReplyDeleteNice post girl.
ReplyDelete