In Act Four, we see John Proctor's internal conflict about whether he should confess a lie and save his life or exercise his integrity and die. He feels that "Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before." Proctor feels as though he has already rendered himself incapable of being considered good by cheating on his wife, Elizabeth. He tries to convince himself that it would actually be fraudulent for him...
In Act Four, we see John Proctor's internal conflict about whether he should confess a lie and save his life or exercise his integrity and die. He feels that "Nothing's spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten long before." Proctor feels as though he has already rendered himself incapable of being considered good by cheating on his wife, Elizabeth. He tries to convince himself that it would actually be fraudulent for him to "mount the gibbet like a saint," as others, like the truly good Rebecca Nurse, can do. However, in the end, he cannot bring himself to go through with the lie and he begins to "see some shred of goodness" in himself now. He redeems himself and resolves his internal conflict by refusing to lie.
We also see the external conflict between Proctor and Danforth. In order to maintain the appearance of truthfulness, Danforth needs more than just Proctor's confession; he wants the confession as well as the names of other witches he supposedly saw with the Devil. He needs Proctor to sign the confession so that it may be posted publicly for the perusal of the community. However, Proctor will not give him anything but his confession, crying, "I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" Danforth and Proctor clash about the validity of Proctor's confession and whether or not it is acceptable to the court. In the end, it doesn't matter because Proctor tears it up and accepts his fate. He resolves this conflict as well with his ultimate refusal to belie himself.
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