The Crucible
11 October 2008
The Lustful Downfall of Many Great Men
When a great man gives into temptation he faces a severe loss of integrity. Lustful temptations caused John Edwards and John Proctor to lose almost everything dear to them. Their actions affected not only themselves but others too. Unsuspecting friends and family had to cope with their mistakes and the ever-present downfall and humiliation of adultery.
Four centuries separate Proctor and Edwards, but their lives are similarly intertwined and parallel to one another suggesting that society has not evolved as much as one likes to think. John Edwards, a charismatic politician and one-time Vice Presidential candidate, had an affair with a campaign employee. He publicly admitted to the infidelity only after a picture of him with the woman was released. In an interview he stated, “First of all it happened during a period after she[his wife] was in remission from cancer, that’s no excuse in any possible way for what happened. This is what happened. It’s what happened with me and I think happens unfortunately more often sometimes with other people. Ego. Self-focus, self-importance. Now, I was slapped down to the ground when my son Wade died in 1996, in April of 1996. But then after that I ran for the senate and I got elected to the Senate and here we go again, it’s the same old thing again. Adulation, respect, and admiration. Then I went from being a senator, a young senator to being considered for vice president, running for president, being a vice presidential candidate and becoming a national public figure. All of which fed a self-focus, an egotism, a narcissism that leads you to believe that you can do whatever you want. You’re invincible. And there will be no consequences. And nothing, nothing could be further from the truth”(Transcript: John Edwards Interview 2). Edwards was driven by lust and egotism and he did not think about how his actions would affect those around him. He tries to...
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