John Proctor Character Analysis

John Proctor is a very friendly man. Everyone likes being his friend. He is open, kind, helpful, upright, blunt-spoken, and just a good, hard-working man. John has lots of faith in God but little in humans. He knows that mankind is good but he also knows that they are weak and imperfect. “Proctor: I’ve heard you to be a sensible man, Mr. Hale. I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem”.

Proctor initially says he will confess because he wants to live, however he refuses to sign the confession because he doesn’t want it nailed to the church door. He thinks he’s lying to god and the church, and has too much pride and dignity for

but he is the only one in the entire play who told the truth and his life ends up being taken from him ("PROCTOR: I falter nothing, but I

He overcomes these conflicts by deciding to testify against Abigail and confessing to the crime of lechery. It is at this moment that he realises that he must participate in the community and that his individual needs might have to be sacrificed for the good of all. Another motivation for Proctor could have been that he wanted to replace his wife's alleged guilt with his own and that he wanted to be redeemed of his sin.

To begin with, Proctor was considered a strong person in the community, and he was respected for it. He was a handsome, hard-working, and

John Proctor chooses to die by telling the truth and dying an honest man. Even though he loses his life for his decision, he is able to forgive

Despite his being an insignificant and non-status-holding member of society, John Proctor is a much-respected man in Salem. However, in determining his fate, he continues to make several critical and irreversible mistakes that harm his reputation. For fear of being exiled in a town where reputation plays such a large role in their daily lives, Proctor initially tries to hide his crime of adultery, but his affair with Abigail triggers a major series of events in Salem, where simple, unproven accusations escalate to a far larger issue: “Abby—you mean to cry out still others?” “If I live, if I am not murdered, I surely will, until the last hypocrite is dead” (Miller 150). In the end, Proctor decides that for the sake of his desperate circumstances, it would be better to admit to his affair, but by the time he decides to reveal his crime, it is too late to reverse all past actions. He is convicted of witchcraft and doomed to be hanged, later, when given a chance to live, he caves in and confesses to seeing the Devil, only to go back even on this last lie, because he does not have the heart to be freed and saved by a lie.

me and judge me not!' Proctor felt that since he chose to confess to her rather than lie and deny her

This is his vanity, so chastened by his earlier resolutions lashing back at him. If Proctor had continued with his earlier resolve, he would most likely have accepted this humiliation along with everything else, declaring it another blot on his already black soul. As it happens, though, he proudly refuses to sign his confession,

When Proctor makes his decision Elizabeth won’t comment on it. This shows that she now knows her place and knows that its his own decision. Proctor realises that his wife is the only one he’ll ever love. The audience respect proctors decision as they know that this is the right one.

In Arthur Miller 's, "The Crucible," John Proctor is faced with a life or death situation. Even

At the end of the “The Crucible” Proctor tries to save his own life, which ends up getting him in more

If he had been faithful to his wife in the first place, this could have all been avoided. It is ironic that he is put to death because of his love and loyalty to his wife. When in actuality, it is his initial betrayal that causes the conflict in the first place. If he had not committed the initial crime of lechery, he would have had no problems focusing much-needed light on the crises. John Proctor's character is tragically flawed with inconsistency and the fragility of all humans.

He is faced with extreme conflict due to the fact that he committed one of the biggest sins there is: adultery. Proctor then has to decide whether he wants to confess his sin in order to save his wife or to be selfish and live a slandered reputation. Just as John Proctor makes the decision to save his wife’s life and his family's reputation, so too will any person that believes it is more important to put their family above

If he were to submit the contract, he would have been allowed to live. Despite this consequence, Proctor defies the state and exclaims that he will not present the contract ''because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!". With his purpose delivered, Proctor had achieved his good life. Miller uses this example with the aim of emphasizing that even though a Puritan society can create a band of social norms, it is not unusual to witness cases of heroism and dignity as motivated by moral values. Human dignity seems to be a necessity for Proctor in order to achieve his good life, and therefore, readers appreciate the effect of one's stability and humanity in living a decent and comfortable life. Without moral values, one would be lost and a life can no longer be defined 'good'. Readers gain interest in acknowledging the identity of the tragic hero and the his set of beliefs and