The Importance of Non-Conformity 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 …showed first 75 words of 1468 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1468 total…becomes a conformist.” In The Crucible, Proctor fights within himself to keep his individuality in a community where non-conformance can bring severe consequences. Proctor realizes, through his different motivations, the importance for one to be true to oneself and to the ideas that you believe in, in order that you may truly live in “ a rich realm.” Although at the end of the play Proctor is dead, he as Elizabeth says, “ Has his goodness now.”