Choose one of the following lines from Act Four of The Crucible. Explain what is happening when the character says this line and what he/she means. Begin your paragraph: In Act Four of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, John Proctor says,… p. 136: JOHN PROCTOR: I cannot mount the gibbet (gallows) like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honest is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled giving them this lie that we not rotten long before.” p. 145: ELIZABETH: He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him.”

In Act Four of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, John Proctor says, “I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. I am not that man. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoiled giving them this lie that we are not rotten long before.” At this moment in the play, Proctor is grappling with his sense of guilt and the moral implications of confessing to witchcraft, something he has not committed, in order to save his life. He believes that by bearing false witness and pretending to be someone he is not, he would add to the mountain of deceit that has already engulfed Salem. The “gibbet” symbolizes not only his impending execution but also the societal expectation of martyrdom, which he cannot embody due to his past sins and moral failings, including adultery. When he refers to himself as "not that man," Proctor acknowledges his flaws and recognizes that his integrity is compromised. This profound self-reflection highlights the theme of personal redemption and the weight of one’s conscience, emphasizing that his life is not worth living if it is built on a lie. Through Proctor's struggle, Miller reveals the human instinct to seek authenticity and the devastating effects of societal pressures on individual morality.