Has one always awakened to their death bed? John Proctor of The Crucible and Tom Robinson of To Kill a Mockingbird met their death bed, due to the lies of young ladies who fancied themselves in love with them. For each of them, a certain awakening took place as they found their interactions with the young ladies ended with consequences they never imagined.

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, and Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, represent serveral similarities. The titles of both novels relate directly to their themes, while characters and plot support those themes. Within reading these two novels, one may discover how the literature draws a parallel between these themes. As one, we now embark on a journey to discuss these acute similarities, as they have been profound.

In the novel, The Crucible, John Proctor was the main character who ended up deceased. This coming about was related to John’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, who could have saved him by telling the truth. Elizabeth Proctor stated that her husband had not committed adultery by having an affair with Abigail Williams. John was asked to recite the 10 Commandments in the novel, and he was unable to state the commandment bearing adultery. Had Elizabeth said the truth that John had committed adultery, both John and Elizabeth’s lives would have been saved.

Also, the role of Abigail Williams, and other girls, continued to lie to the courts of Salem. There was the deathly topic of Withcraft spreading through the streets of Salem. Witchcraft was a deadly crime, and all accused were killed in the novel. All of these accusations came mainly from Abigail and the other girls of the court. The girls professed their bold lies, saying that people had conjured spirits to attack them. Abigail accused Elizabeth Proctor near the end of the novel, for putting a needle in a poppet which was professed to stab Abigail in her stomach and make her bleed. Fortunately so, Elizabeth was saved for she was pregnant with a baby. John would have lived if he would have confessed to the false accusation of Witchcraft. With his dignity intact, John gladly refused, and was hung as the story ended.

Next, in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Tom Robinson was acccused of rape and died eventually. Tom was an honest black man in the novel, and went to church occasionally. There was a woman, however, who seemed to fancy Tom. Her name was Mayella Ewell, and she asked Tom to help with little jobs at her residence. Mayella would offer the little money she had, but Tom would refuse the payment. However, on a certain evening, Mayella asked Tom for a small favor inside the home to fix a door that was broken. upon entering, Tom had noticed that their was no door to be fixed. Mayella jumped on Tom, because she fancied him and wanted to be with him. Tom was trying to escape when mayella’s father, Bob Ewell, noticed the two inside. Mayella blocked the door, but Tom broke through her barrier and escaped into the night. Bob was very drunk that evening, as usual, and was also prejudiced against black individuals. Bob then beat Mayella, and told her she was to confess that Tom had beat her and raped her that evening. Mayella accused Tom of this, and the issue went to a trial.

In Tom’s defence, stood Atticus Finch. Atticus had been a long-time friend of Tom, and told Jem and Scout, his children, that he had to do this case. If he didn’t do this case for Tom, Jem and Scout would not have to listen to him anymore. A peak in the case was when Atticus explained how Tom could not have beaten Mayella in the first place. Tom’s left hand had been caught in a cotton gin when he was younger, so he could not bear the strength to offend her. Despite Atticus’ overwhelming defence, Tom was still ruled guilty, and sent to prison. Before Atticus was able to appeal the case, Tom tried to escape prison and was shot and killed. Not long after, in the dark of the night, Bob Ewell attempted to kill Atticus’ children, and Boo Radley saved them both. Bob Ewell was killed. Jem was injured in the attack, and Scout was speechless in Boo’s presence. For the past few years, jem and Scout had tried to get Boo out of his house, but was unsuccessful. Boo had always been there for the kids, and luckily saved their lives that day.

In this, there are many similarities found between the two novels. One similarity that may be noted in the novels may be through John Proctor and Tom Robinson. Both of them had been killed in their respective novels. John and Tom had not represented a façade, but insted known to be upright, honest men. John Proctor was known in the end of the novel for his loyalty to his wife, his people, and to his God were brought to face. Tom Robinson was also known for his loyalty and kindness to others, and shown by the word from his boss and helping Mayella. In the end, however, both were killed. In this, John and Tom had awakened to their death bed.

Another similarity in this novel was in the way to how John and Tom were killed. A female simply lied to the courts, which aided into having them accused. The killing of Tom Robinson relates to its books title, To Kill a Mockingbird, for Atticus said, “It is a sin to kill a mockingbird.” (Pg. 94) It was a sin to kill Tom, for he had done no wrong. Tom was an honest and helpful man, but in the end as killed. Also, the title The Crucible, absolutely sticks to its sotry line, as it represents the pressure in the novel. Throughout the novel, it seemed the pressure switched from hand to hand, as others would accuse anyone but themselves. The people of Salem were unable to withstand the pressure, and many were killed in the process. Unable to bear the pressure any longer, Abigail Williams fled Salem, and never returned. John Proctor then met his fate, as he was killed the next morning.

Accordingly, you one may draw a parallel between Elizabeth Proctor and Bob Ewell, and how they aided in the deaths of others. Both Elizabeth and Bob could’ve simply lied, or refrained from lying, and would have been able to save two innocent lives. If Elizabeth had said her husband, John, had committed adultery, they both would have not been sentenced to their death. Bob Ewell, however, forced his daughter to lie to the courts about Tom beating her, which caused Tom’s imprisonment and death in the end. It can evidently be seen that in both novels, Tom or John did not need to die, nor deserved to. These novels help reveal how telling truth and lies are used in one’s everyday life, and when one must decide when to be honest or dishonest. One can see that telling the truth is always the right thing to do, as it may save an innocent life. If Tom Robinson or John Proctor had been saved by Elizabeth or Mayella telling the truth, the plot would have taken a great turn in both novels. Reading onward in these novels would have been very intriguing as they would continue to unfold, and the people to see the many “mockingbirds” that were killed.

In conclusion, John and Tom inevitably awoke to their death bed. This was a result to the lying of two females who fancied themselves in love with them, and refrained from telling the truth. One can grasp the importance of telling truth and lies, and how it may affect an innocent life. With these views inact, one may also see the consquences that may result from their use. Many similarites can be discovered between the novels, their themes are such alike. As one, our journey shall end, and so have the lives of our many mockingbirds.