The determinations made by the character John Proctor. in The Crucible. and by Arthur Dimmesdale. in The Scarlet Letter. were really much alike. Throughout the entireness of both books. the similarities and differences between these two male characters. and the environments in which they lived. seemed to reflect back and forth rather liberally. Besides. the societies in which John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale lived in have a just sum of subjects that can be compared and contrasted together to further backup the fact that these work forces. despite their differences. were really similar.
Of the similarities between Proctor and Dimmesdale throughout the book the reader is told that these two work forces are comparatively the same age. and populating in about the same clip period. the 1600s. In each Puritan society both work forces are good respected because of their function in the community. Dimmesdale is a well-known. and respected clergyman. and Proctor is a well-respected husbandman. Both work forces are involved with the church. nevertheless they both question their function in the theocracy in which they live. Dimmesdale as the clergyman. or leader of the theocracy. inquiries his ability to be the leader of all of the people of the community. He could non see himself. a evildoer under the eyes of God. taking a faith whose ethical motives and criterions were based upon non transgressing. John Proctor on the other manus. seldom went to church. and was even criticized for his pick non to go to multitudes. Both work forces besides hid their secret. which besides is one and the same ; they both have committed the offense of criminal conversation. However. each adult male has concealed his wickedness. which for one individual or another leads to decease. John Proctor’s silence of his offense led to the persecution and decease many guiltless work forces and adult females.
If. in the beginning. he had admitted his wickedness he would hold shown Abigail Williams to be a prevaricator. Then there would be no confusion. and her accusals would hold been deemed unbelievable. Alternatively. John kept quiet in order to maintain his name clean. and many guiltless people died due to Abigail’s claims. “…He hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he worries that his secret will be revealed and his good name ruined. ” ( Ward ) . Arthur Dimmesdale besides did non talk of his wickedness with Hester Prynne. which finally resulted in his ain decease. Dimmesdale’s silence lead to an internal struggle with himself over the guilt that he felt from non acknowledging to his error. This internal struggle leads to intense flagellations. and mental heath jobs. and because of these jobs. his decease comes toward the terminal of the narrative. Both work forces besides died for what they believed. Dimmesdale’s actions caused confusion every bit good ; it caused confusion between Pearl and his followings. If he had admitted his offense. Pearl would non be deprived of the cognition of who her male parent was.
Besides. if his followings knew about his act of criminal conversation. they would be in a great province of confusion. non cognizing to believe in their clergyman. their leader. and forgive him. or to acquire rid of him. Dimmesdale believed that his actions with Hester were non iniquitous. so he spoke to the community and announced his actions. He felt that in speech production of his actions he would be lifted from the guilt of non taking any mistake and he ‘cleaned his slate’ in the eyes of God. and now his psyche would non be condemned. John Proctor died because he did non desire to populate knowing that his psyche was condemned. yet he’d instead dice with a clean psyche and a clean name.
Among the many similarities between Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor. there are a few differences. One chief difference is how Arthur is the clergyman of the community. and John seldom attends multitudes. Besides. the popularity alteration between Dimmesdale and Proctor is really clear. In the different books. the alteration of popularity was opposite. After criminal conversation was committed in The Scarlet Letter. Dimmesdale and Hester’s popularity went up. Because of his love and secret worship of Hester and Pearl. Dimmesdale give much stronger discourses that in secret represent. or are directed to his two loves. Pearl and Hester. Because of the stronger discourses. more people were inspired and they took more to Dimmesdale. and liked him more for them. Hester started to work on her run uping accomplishments more and she became good known for them. On the other manus. nevertheless. John and Abigail’s popularity diminished.
After John was questioned in tribunal and he told of his wickednesss and his married woman lied to seek to salvage his name. when he really had told the truth. he was deemed as a prevaricator. His popularity went down because of this. After Abigail was taken for a fraud. she became unpopular. left town. and turned to harlotry. Besides. it can be assumed that because of Abigail’s immature age. John Proctor might hold taken advantage of her. and she might non hold truly cognize what was traveling on. Proctor and Abigail was strictly lust. as for Hester and Dimmesdale was strictly love. Hester and Dimmesdale were wholly consensual in the action ; they both agreed in the action that they performed. no affair how much problem could come out of it.
Differences and similarities in the society in which John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale live are another of import portion of this love affair novel. First the diverseness in the society is astonishing from Arthur’s society to John’s society. It is clear that each was a Puritan society set in the 1600s in Salem. Massachusetts. It is really noticeable. nevertheless. that in The Crucible. everyone is purely Puritan. and one would even be criticized if he or she were non. In The Scarlet Letter. most of the people are Puritan. yet if one was non. whatever spiritual associations they had were non looked down upon or criticized. There were really apparently funny about other faiths.
“It [ the market ] was already thronged with the craftsmen and other common dwellers of the town. in considerable Numberss ; among whom. likewise. were many unsmooth figures. whose garb of deer-skins marked them as belonging to some of the forest colonies. which surrounded the small city of the settlement. ” ( Hawthorne 225 ) .
This extract describes the other people in the town at this gay clip. Pearl besides remarks on the many new faces. “But. see. female parent. how many faces of unusual people. and Indians among them. and crewmans! ” ( Hawthorne 228 ) . This shows how this is no favoritism against the new people in the community. they are really funny about the garb of the fledglings. particularly the crewmans. They wear dressing that was really different than the society’s vesture. which revealed no tegument. aside from the custodies and face. Both societies had the same positions of vesture. and how small tegument it should uncover. Besides a woman’s hair was merely to be seen by her hubby. as it was seen as her beauty and her young person. The extract. “…She took off the formal cap that confined her hair ; and down it fell upon her shoulders. dark and rich. with at one time a shadow and a visible radiation in its copiousness. and leaving the appeal of softness to her characteristics. ” ( Hawthorne 201 ) . describes the beauty that the hair gives the adult female. and how it is sacred for merely the hubby to see.
Clearly. there is a great relationship between differences and similarities in this love affair novel. The actions of the two chief male characters are highly similar. There are besides some differences that enable the reader to distinguish the characters. The societies in which these two work forces live in are besides rather likewise. yet they do hold their differences. Even though these two work forces. Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale and John Proctor. the actions they make. and the societies they live in are quite similar. they are in fact rather different and alone.
Plants Cited
Hawthorne. Nathaniel. “The Scarlet Letter. ” Four American Novels. New York:
Harcourt. 1959.
Ward. Selena. “The Scarlet Letter: Fictional characters. ” SparkNotes. 2003. 26 Oct. 2003.
hypertext transfer protocol: //www. sparknotes. com/
