Thomas Paine once wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls." He of course was speaking of the difficulty the colonists faced during the Revolutionary war. However, we see that throughout history there have been numerous times when man has been faced with great dilemmas, the outcomes of which have had an effect on society as a whole. Those who lived in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, were faced with such similar struggles. Some of these battles were outwardly fought and others were the, sometimes more brutal, internal battles, in which the victor had a strong effect on the whole Salem community. The outcomes of the inner conflicts found in the characters of this novel, were based upon whether or not the players chose to submit to the pressures put upon them by a society that was rooted in the strict control of all aspects of life. Throughout the play Jon Proctor, in looking out for he and his wife's welfare, his soul and name, and the town, makes decisions which are of important consequence to himself and to the greater community. In The Crucible, we see through John Proctor's various motivations, Arthur Miller's underlying theme of the difficulty and importance for one to be an individual in a society of conformists.
             Proctor being concerned only with himself and behaving like a true conformist does not submit his knowledge of the falsity of the witch trials, nor of the adultery he committed with Abigail Williams. Primarily, realizing that it is likely that the court will not believe him, John is not readily inclined to go against what most of the community considers as true and tell the court that the girls are a fraud. John understands that the consequence for such a charge is great and so he is afraid of getting caught up in unnecessary trouble with the town. He had the power very early on to stop the witch trials; however, he chooses to keep his silence; hence the number of accused continued ...