The Dilemma

John Proctor definitely made a tough choice at the end of The Crucible. But was it truly the right one?

 

Sadly, no matter which decision John made, his life was over. He could choose to die with honor or live with shame. If he had chosen to lie in order to live, he really would not have gotten his life back. He surely would have lived every day hating himself for what he had done. His great unhappiness surely would have made life difficult for Elizabeth and the children. Also, since John would have lost his self-respect, he would not have felt himself capable of being a fit parent. He would have felt that he incapable of setting a  moral example for his sons (especially after he cheated on Elizabeth).

So all in all, based on the purposes of this drama, Proctor made the right decision. He was concerned for about the consequences of having his "confession" made public. He was especially afraid that his sons would never respect him and think him a coward for caving into the court. Thus, he died a martyr in order to uphold his own good name---not for himself, but for his family. However, people of Salem were questioning the validity of the entire court. I think most people would have understood his "confession" as a way to be able to support his family and see his sons grow to adulthood. Over the years, people would have forgotten the "confession" and seen the horrible result of their own actions, or non-actions. After all, how many people do we remember who actually "confessed" to being witches? Yeah none....