"I cannot judge another"

I was very taken by what I saw as a blatant correlation between the naming of names in both The Crucible and during the blacklist. I first considered this idea of “naming names” while reading Rovere’s article “Arthur Miller’s conscience.” Rovere writes that “A healthy conscience, Miller seems to be saying, can stand anything but ‘informing.’” Rovere brings up a valid, moral dilemma. It is one thing to surrender oneself, but another altogether to provide the names of others. This obviously happened to many during the blacklist. They were told they should confess themselves or at least give the names of other communists in order to possibly save themselves from being blacklisted. This same instance can be seen in The Crucible. Danforth asks John Proctor to admit he did the devil’s work. This confession, however, is not enough for Danforth and those consumed by witchcraft hysteria in Salem village. Danforth proceeds to ask Proctor when he was in the presence of the devil if he saw any of the others accused also with the devil. As Proctor responds “I speak of my own sins; I cannot judge another” he lets his accusers know he has ruined his own life and will not do the same to those in his community.
As Rovere says “We refuse to inform, I believe, either when we decide that those whose names we are asked to reveal are guilty of no wrong or when we perceive that what they have done is no worse than what we ourselves have done.” I found this statement very profound and poignant to Proctor’s refusal to “name names” as well as Miller’s during the blacklist. Both men did not see any other men or women potentially to be placed in the same place they were as worthy of their own accusation. “Naming” another would not make Miller seen as any less a communist or Proctor any less a man working with the devil. Maybe naming others could lessen ones punishment but it would certainly leave one with a far more guilty conscience than the one that probably put them in the position they were.