The Crucible

How does John Proctor act on his belief that indifference to evil is worse than the evil itself? Act III

How does John Proctor act on his belief that indifference to evil is worse than the evil itself?

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Proctor is a character full of pride and self-loathing. He is a flawed character yet aware that hypocrisy is perhaps the greatest sin. Proctor sees what is happening in Salem. The evil is not in the girls, in witches or the Devil. The evil is in people's petty vendettas against each other and the court which seeks to validate itself through the hysteria of "witchcraft". I think the most poignant moment comes with Proctor's final refusal to be part of this evil. Despite the threat on his life and other innocent people (including his wife) , Proctor refuses to sighn his name validating the evil. He cries, "All I have is my name" as his final refusal to be part of the evil.

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