What's in a Name?

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)