
Originally Posted by
Noblejanobii
Today's Daily Literature Quote is…
AH YES THE CLIMATIC QUOTE FROM THAT BOOK THAT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN MY ENGLISH CLASS WHO LIKED IT.
This is really a cool quote though because not only does it sum up John Proctor as a character but it's also one of those things that can be attributed to a lot of other modern things. I've heard many actually apply this quote to the government, and also say that this is what Trump said in his dealings with the devil.
NEVERTHELESS, this quote (as I take it) basically means that John Proctor has already condemned himself one way or another. Either he's hung as a witch or shamed as one, neither of which were good options. So at this point Proctor has agreed to sign admittance papers to save him life, but he refuses to sign them because he realizes not only is he condemning himself to eternal shame by signing this but also his family name. Thus, he refuses and (spoiler alert) is hung. I think it's one of those quotes that is meant to show that sometimes the sacrifices you make may not seem inherently equal in the values that are exchanged, but in reality they're actually worth a lot more than you realize. One would think that just signing the papers in exchange for living is a pretty good deal, but Proctor realizes how detrimental that can be to his family and takes his own life instead, thus saving his family from a life of shame.
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