Topic Tracking: Involvement
Involvement 1: John Proctor refuses to have any further involvement in his affair with Abigail Williams. If he continues to have relations with her, then her being questioned about witchcraft may in some way implicate himself as having had relations with the Devil. He therefore tries to push her away from him when she tries to make him confess his love for her.
Involvement 2: Proctor is angry over Parris' sermons and how he only preaches about hell and evil. Proctor dislikes it so much so that he has stopped going to church as often as he used to. This is looked upon as a lack of involvement in the church and the local community as well.
Involvement 3: Proctor makes a comment about how he would like to join the party that is against authority. He does not like authority and does anything to avoid it. He even speaks out openly against it. He has much less involvement with the church and local community than others do specifically because he does not agree with what they have to say. Therefore, he openly denounces such things, and does as he pleases, even if that means staying away.
Involvement 4: Elizabeth pleads with John to go into Salem and tell the court that Abby is a fraud. John is very reluctant to do so because he does not want to have any type of involvement with Abby or the witch-hunt. He does not agree with the authority of the court and what the court stands for, and would rather just stay away than even try to help the situation.
Involvement 5: John finally agrees to go into Salem and tell the court that Abby is a fraud. However, this involvement is not voluntary. He really does not want to go, but he would rather go than listen to Elizabeth constantly bring up the affair he once had with Abby.
Involvement 6: At this point, John can do little about his involvement with the witch-hunt. He is bound to become involved despite his constant efforts to hide from the issue. Elizabeth has just been "mentioned" in court, and this directly links John to the witch-hunt. No matter how much he wants to escape it now, he cannot. His involvement is inevitable.
Involvement 7: John has no choice but to become involved, now that his wife has been accused. He takes the warrant for Elizabeth's arrest and rips it. This is a clear statement that says he will speak openly about what he thinks about the whole situation. His wife being arrested forces John to make some level of commitment to the society in which he lives, even if this means speaking out against that which the society stands for.
Involvement 8: John acts as a man involved in his society here. Despite his desire to have Elizabeth's jail time delayed, he does not accept the offer Danforth makes because Proctor knows that his friends are in a similar situation to his own. And if he were to accept the offer, he would only be acting as a man who has concerns for himself, and not the well being of the society in which he lives. Proctor knows that what is happening is wrong, and he will not stand by and watch it happen.
Involvement 9: Danforth says that a person has to make a decision on whether they are for the court or against it, as there is no middle road. If this is true, then he is saying that one has no choice but to become involved in the issues surrounding one's society. Either choice has implications that demand one be involved.
Involvement 10: John openly confesses in court and in front of many people that he committed lechery with Abigail Williams. He does not care anymore that he will be looked upon negatively. He will not stand by with a closed mouth as injustice takes place. He would rather implicate himself and make sure that justice is served, than be quiet and watch as injustice occurs.
Involvement 11: At the end of the play John must commit the ultimate act of involvement in one's society. John commits himself to his friends, himself, and the virtue of honesty by not confessing that he is a witch. To do so would be to lie, and this would also implicate his friends as being witches as well. He commits to society and decides to die an honest man, and also a man that got involved and stood for what was right.
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