John Proctor Is a Good Man Essay

John Proctor has changed throughout the play because he became closer to his wife and his social status went down. But ultimately he decided he would rather die a good christian than live as a liar.

“Proctor: with a cry of his whole soul, Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (281-294)”. John told the truth throughout the whole novel, but he battled with his dignity because he didn't want to be known as a liar. He would rather have taken the death penalty, which he did. John was trying to free his wife who was innocent but Abigail hated her because Elizabeth had what she wanted. Elizabeth was John’s love, who Abigail was jealous of. Abigail thought that by getting Elizabeth to go to jail, she could have John. When Abigail finds out that John still loves his wife and tried standing up for her, she was not

John Proctor lived and died as an honorable man in Salem. He was not a perfect man and admittedly some of his decisions were not right. However he won the battle against his conscience and righted the wrong to the best of his ability, motivated by protecting his family’s name from shame. He paid for these convictions with his life. Throughout the play The Crucible, John is motivated to tell the truth even though it ruins reputation, and contributes to the theme of someones reputation. Although he lived and died in the seventeenth century his example is timeless as we are faced with situations similar to

His first display of this is shown when the Court officials come to take Elizabeth away. Proctor was so angered by this attack on his house that he ripped the warrant and told them to leave his house. He then tried to bribe Herrick, a court official, not to chain her, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Proctor recognized that he could save his wife by making his relationship with Abigail public, and therefore expose her motives, but his pride keeps him from doing so. Finally though, Proctor abandoned his concern for his reputation which enabled him to admit his sin in order to save his wife.

Proctor 's decision to tell the court about his affair ironically demonstrates his goodness. He also spoke up for the innocent girls that had their names branded. He willingly sacrifices his good name in order to protect his wife and others who are wrongly accused. Only through his public acknowledgment of the affair does Proctor regain his wife 's trust. At the end of the play, Proctor refuses to slander himself by allowing the court to make him make a false confession. The court told him to lie, and that if he lies that he would not be sent to the gallows. He did the right decision by telling the truth about his affair with Abigail. He honestly told the truth about the affair, and that he was not part of the witchcraft. His response further exemplifies Proctor 's integrity. But John was not guilty. He had nothing to do with witchcraft, he admitted to his own mistakes. Proctor knows that if he confesses that he will be damned himself, yet again, if he agrees to confess, he will also be free from the torment from the demon inside him and set others free too. This realization, along with Elizabeth 's forgiveness, enables Proctor to forgive himself and finally regain his good name and self-respect. As the court

A tragic hero is a noble man who commits a fatal flaw. The hero’s downfall is a result of their choices which leads to a punishment that exceeds the crime. “The difference between Proctor and Willy Loman is enormous; the former is the rather typical tragic hero who is defiant to the end, the latter is trapped in submission and is living a lie” (McGill 4). John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible. he is married to Elizabeth Proctor and they live in Salem. In Arthur Miller’s famous play, The Crucible, John Proctor represents a classic tragic hero because he is a well respected man of noble stature, he is conflicted because of his fatal flaw, and his downfall is a result

John Proctor has the power to change the life of dozens of other by just what he says and does. John Proctor had many noble qualities. The people of

John Proctor is portrayed throughout the play to be a man who has high moral values that he must abide by. He

After being tried and condemned to death, John refuses to confess. But he doesn’t want to die because of some witches that are just making lies. So he signs the paper that is going to be nailed to the church door saying he has committed sins. He asks himself “God in heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor.” He is asking if John Proctor is considered honest or a liar. Because he knows he did nothing wrong in his life but he is accused and no one wants to believe him. But he shortly takes back his claim and refuses to sign it because he doesn’t want his friends being condemned for his actions, “I speak my own sins, I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it.” So by doing so he answers part of the question “What is John Proctor” by coming forth on his own view of himself. John Proctor cannot live with the lie if he had signed that confession, so he will die by his own honesty.

People’s true character is revealed through their actions. Their morals and ethics can be told from how they choose to act in a situation. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; the character of John Proctor is an honorable man despite having committed wrongful acts. He was able to redeem himself through acts that is considered courageous, such as when he refuses to contribute to the lie of witchcraft in Salem, when he fights for the people who were convicted of witchcraft and when he regrets being a dishonest man.

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”.

In Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, the protagonist, John Proctor, faced many obstacles, lies, and decisions to keep him and his reputation safe. Many people question is he she should be considered a tragic hero or a failure. Although John Proctor fails to meet Aristotle's qualifications and refuses to confess he is best described as a tragic hero due to his self sacrifice in the name of justice.

Before the play took place John had an affair with Abigail but, when push came to shove he confessed it to the court. While he was trying to prove the legitimacy of Abigail and show the court that she is not as authentic as they first believed. John tells the court, “I have known her.” (Miller 110). By doing this, he has honor and integrity because of the difficulties in revealing it to the court; while knowing the crimes for lechery. Near the end of the book when push came to shove John was faced with a decision: to have honor/integrity and die, or to lie, betray your friends and live to fight another day; he chose death. After tearing the confession he just wrote he cries, “I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor.” (Miller 144). In saying this, it takes an enormous amount of integrity to be willing to die to stand up for the truth. He does this because he is honorable and willing to die for something he believes in. John was honorable even though he once made a mistake by cheating with Abigail; he had an opportunity to make up for it, and he did. When Abigail is trying to convince John to come to her and that they still loved each other and it was okay to do so, John responds, “but we did not.” (Miller 23). By responding this way he is clearly trying to cut it off and regain some of that honor that he once had. He does this because he remembers how his wife feels about what he did and that by

Another inner quality that defines John Proctor is the value he holds to his good name. Proctor is a firm believer in the fact that one’s name is the only thing that remains after death, and what is done with it while living can affect one’s posterity for generations. This is the driving force behind his actions in the final act of the play. At first, he felt no shame in lying to the court about his accusation of witchcraft because he felt there was no more damage he could do to his reputation and that one more sin would not make any difference. His attitude changed when he realized his confession would mean blackening the name of those who already had died, and his sons would have to live with that mark on their names. He knew he could not teach his sons “. . . to walk like

In the book, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a farmer and a prominent member of society. However, he had an affair with a girl in town, Abigail Williams which leads to his wife being convicted of witchcraft and himself convicted of dealing with the devil. John Proctor is a strong and effective speaker and proves his point with the three rhetorical appeals and devices such as personification, similes, metaphors and tone.