In The Crucible, John Proctor tells Reverend Hale that he believes in witches even though he clearly states in previous conversations that he does not. In those days, Puritans took everything in the Bible literally because to them God's word was the law and if the law was broken you were to be condemned to hell. In the Bible it is stated that witches, demons, and figures of that nature do roam the earth waiting to drag sinners down into Hell to associate with the Devil and leave their Christian lives for a way of sin. Proctor seems to be the only truly sane being in Salem during the trials but if he states his true opinion on the witchcraft that has been aroused in the village he will be accused just like the other women. Therefore, in order to save his life Proctor lies to hail and to the other citizens and says he does believe in witches just to save his and his family's lives and well being.
The matter of John Proctor lying to the officials of Salem to save his life is a conspired act among people today. Was he morally right to lie? Or was he to cowardly to stand up to his true beliefs? If i were put in Proctors case and had my family and my own life on the line then I would have to back down to my beliefs and deny any acknowledgement of trespassing upon an unpopular belief. However, if the consequence of my true beliefs were nasty looks or an outcasting of a group of people, then I would stand up for what i believe in and proclaim what I thought was right because, as Abigail and John Proctor show us, if there is a leader out there you will soon come to find you will have followers.
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