y saying this, Hale extends Proctor’s guilt in that his hidden sin has caused the whole community to fall to the vengeance of God. The second act develops the need for Proctor to take action in the court and expose the girls as frauds. The focus moves onto Proctor, who has the power to take action, but is prevented from doing so by his guilt over committing adultery and fear of exposure as a sinner. He overcomes these conflicts by deciding to testify against Abigail and confessing to the crime of lechery. It is at this moment that he realises that he must participate in the community and that his individual needs might have to be sacrificed for the good of all. Another motivation for Proctor could have been that he wanted to replace his wife’s alleged guilt with his own and that he wanted to be redeemed of his sin. He realised however, that it was to late and the witch craze could not be stopped. In a powerful speech at the end of the third act Proctor says:‘For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail…God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together’This speech shows that Proctor is blaming himself for this tragedy. Proctor’s guilt still continues about his affair with Abigail and he is also now guilty for hesitating to act earlier. The final act of the play focuses on Proctor’s dilemma to whether to live or accept death. In his conversation with Elizabeth, Proctor gives his reasons for confessing:‘I cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. It is a fraud. My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man. Nothing’s spoilt by giving them this lie that was rotten long before.’Proctor decides that giving a false confession is not too high a price to pay for saving his own life. Proctor also feels himself unworthy to hang with the others as he feels that they are truly innocent. However, as John confesses,...
