Search for Personal Dignity in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

Abstract

The Crucibleillustrates Arthur Miller’s brilliant handling of individuality. Miller examines an individual in all aspects of humanity and encourages him/her to protest against social restrictions. The protest inThe Crucibleextends up to the extent of rejecting life itself. The protagonist of Miller’s play,The Crucible, John Proctor confronts a challenge to his autonomous existence. Life does not give him anything except making him participate in a losing battle. John Proctor has got freedom to choose either his life or death. He could have saved his life by accepting witchcraft. But he does not do so as he likes death better than such a condemned life. Finally, he becomes able to preserve his individual dignity by choosing death.