In The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, the three main concepts are identity, apology, and forgiveness. Throughout the play, we constantly hear about these concepts. They make the play come alive and without them, there would be no real feelings or emotions in the entire play. The characters want to be themselves and keep their identity. When they become someone else, they constantly apologize and hope they’ll be forgiven.
Throughout the play, people are accused of being witches when they really are not. Girls become liars and people become evil. Everyone wants to live, but they must stay true to themselves. Some lie, some tell the truth, and other, like John Proctor want to “keep his name,” rather than sell his soul. Most of the characters are aware of the fact that all the girls are lying, and the ones convicted tried to speak up, but they’re not heard. Instead of blackening their name and who they are, they die. “Because it’s my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies.” These people being hanged are good Christians and rather than lying to live, they tell the truth and are executed for it. Their names and identity is more important than their life.
Apology and forgiveness are similar. When the girls are accused of seeing the devil and dancing, they quickly apologize and ask to be forgiven by god. “I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I got back to Jesus; I kiss his hand.” Abigail wants to ruin the identity of everyone she dislikes. She makes up names and many people die because of these tales. John and Elizabeth Proctor are two characters that apologize to one another and ask for their forgiveness. “”John, it came to naught that I should forgive you, if you’ll not forgive yourself. It is not my soul, John, it is yours.” The characters need to know that they are forgiven. They feel comfort in knowing they’ve been given forgiveness. In the quote, Elizabeth mentions that it’s not her soul, it’s John’s. It’s his identity to do with what he chooses.
The characters are all Christians and they know, “if they ask for forgiveness, they’ll be forgiven.” Everyone in The Crucible seems to have lost their identity for awhile. The girls for example, lose themselves in their cry for witchcraft. Abigail eventually sees she’s hurt someone she loves. She tries to apologize to Proctor, but he does not forgive her. She loses sight of who she is and what she wants. She ruined the lives of everyone and no degree of an apology would cause them to forgive her.
At the end of the play, John Proctor admits to witchcraft, but steals the paper he signed to protect his name. He realizes his identity is who he’s remembered as. If he ruins his identity, he lives, but nobody would view him as the honest John Proctor anymore. He is hanged because of who he wants to remembered as. He apologizes for getting his family caught up in his mess and the only way for him to feel truly forgiven, is to tell the truth and hang because of his true identity. Elizabeth loves him and forgives him more than ever once he’s taken to be hanged. She saw who he really was then. His apology was his death and his wifes forgiveness was her tears. “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take that from him!”
Whenever I get the chance to write about what I’m 
