I don't feel like we had enough time to discuss the value of the name in Puritan society, so here goes...
John Proctor put everything on the line for the preservation of his name and reputation, even his relationship with Elizabeth Proctor. He was hoping to keep his affair with Abigail a thing of the past, and by doing so failed to testify against her scheme at the outset of the play. Little did he know that this would bite him twice as hard later on, when his name was the obstacle between life and death.
Were it not for the notice to be nailed on the Church door, for the whole town to see, would John have confessed his non-existent sins? I believe I remember that he was held in the jail cell for three months without any public contact. Why didn't he confess during that time? When Judge Hathorn and Deputy Danforth were ready to record his confession, he was startled to see that it was to be written and that he would have to sign his name on the document. Was he unaware of this before and still refused to confess? If so, maybe we aren't giving poor Mr. Proctor as much credit as he deserves.
(Sam Maliha)
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4 comments:
His name played roles in both his sins and his eventual redemption.
He initially tried to protect his name at the expense of the truth, but later tried to protect the truth at the expense of his name. Ironically, although he eventually did manage to tarnish his name (he confessed adultery), he still failed the save the truth.
When asked whether he would confess or hang, Proctor started off by stating that he was a "fraud", and that he could not mount the gibbet as other saints (like Rebecca Nurse) did because he did not share their convictions, principles, or nobility of purpose. Thus, he agreed to confess. But when confronted head-on with the fact that he would truly give up his name (what he considered his identity, character, and reputation all at the same time), he changed his mind, and redeemed himself almost reluctantly.
To Proctor, the name is more than just a name.
-Eric Wei
What seems most ironic to me, is that upon calling himself a "fraud", Proctor was ready to confess because he didn't see any goodness in himself. He claimed to be, like Eric said, the farthest thing from a townsperson like Rebecca Nurse. Yet still, he feared the negative connotation that would mark his name were his confession to be nailed to the Church doors. There's a bit of a clash here, isn't there? He claims to want to raise his three sons with no shame, but was this gesture more for his own sake, or for that of his offspring?
(Sam Maliha)
One thing that I still question is why Proctor chose his name to stand for. Could it possibly be that he could no longer stand for his dignity, which at this point had already been shattered? As Proctor himself said, his name was all he had left. He couldn't die defending his family because he had already defiled it, he couldn't die defending God because he had already committed too many sins to turn back (from his perspective and those in the town), and he couldn't die defending his integrity because he had none. If he had stood for any of these things he would come out seeming a hypocrite. But because he chose to not defend any of these I think the audience is supposed to get the idea that he realizes he has nothing left that's worth standing for. So he gropes for something, and comes up with his name. But, why his name? After all he's done, his name is hardly worth anything either. There's not much of his name that he can reconcile. So, why the name?
Another thing-- in this situation, is his name at a high level of abstraction or low level? Might this be significant? If he had nothing on a low level of abstraction to stand for, might he have tried to reach higher and higher on the ladder to find something?
Emily T.
I think that his actions were really selfish, which is not unexpected in that kind of situation. He claims that he wants to raise his sons with no shame, but doesn't that statement of his become somewhat void as soon as he's declared a witch? After all, it's the village that determines how shameful he is in that situation. No matter what he may say, the majority of the village will look shamefully on Proctor and his family because he is a 'witch'.
When Proctor refused to sign his name, it was because it really was all that he had left (at least in his opinion). He had lost his family and pretty much all the pride he had in himself and his family. Bearing his name seems to be a symbol of the little pride he had left of being John Proctor. Giving up his name for the others to use as an example was almost like giving up what he considered his identity. Instead of being specified as an individual being, he would be grouped with the others who did the same thing he did. He would just be considered another 'example'.
This now has me thinking about Hayakawa. Obviously his name is merely a symbol. It shouldn't matter what they do with his name because it isn't Proctor, himself. I guess it shows how even people back then were mistakenly believing that the symbol is the thing it symbolizes.
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