John Proctor The Crucible

A Tragic hero is a character who experiences a major downfall as the results of a personal mistake or the workings of fate. There are many tragic heroes in the play The Crucible, But the one that comes to mind is John Proctor for several reasons. It all starts out with the affair with Abigail, when that affair happens John Proctor breaks his wedding vows and violate the moral convictions of the community by engaging in an adultery affair with Abigail. John Proctor is a classic example of a tragic hero in the play, The Crucible for several reasons…

In the novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a local farmer in the town of Salem, he is quite known due to his high reputation of being well respected and even slightly feared. John is a man of his integrity, he is considered to have an honorable name in his community, but John also has a great disdain for hypocrisy, yet has a secret of his own. In Act 1, John is described to be in his mid-30’s and as well as “a kind man, powerful of body, even tempered, and not easily led” (Miller 19). John Proctor is an independent man who has great strength in what he does and what he believes in. Throughout the play, John feels nothing but guilt about his little secret, cheating on his wife Elizabeth Proctor with Abigail. He has committed

To be a Christ-like figure is to challenge common, outdated practices, to expose the truth behind matters and above all to lead a movement that brings about change. Historically, and very much In Arthur Miller's the Crucible, John Proctor serves as Salem's christ-like figure. From the beginning of the novel, where he challenges the outdated and immoral practices of the church, to the end of the novel, where he sacrifices himself to disprove the existence of witchcraft in the town, John Proctor mimics Jesus' journey to save the world. His selfless leadership creates the movement that will ultimately end the Salem Witch

In 1692, witchcraft was known as an evil sin to be commited on Earth, if accused of witchcraft, trial and execution was likely to happen and proceeded to happen to many innocent people. One well-known accussal was that of John Proctor. Proctor had committed adultery with Abigail Williams, a previous maid of the Proctor house, and once coming clean for his sin, in turn of events backfires and is accused of witchcraft. John Proctor is seen as a protagonist of the story full of courage and boldness when fighting for his life and good name in court. At the time, all possible outcomes were not at the top of his head but then he had to go through twists and turns to save his wife, Elizabeth, as well as himself. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor's character traits is shown to be a cheater, fearless, and courageous. Therefore, John Proctor's character can be portrayed through the song "Womanizer" by

If God saw fit to send this scourge, I believe it would be His will that one face it where one is, with courage, and thus contain this evil.” These are the words of Michael Mompellion to the villagers of Eyam in ‘Year of Wonders’. Through the course of that ‘annus mirabilus’ of 1665, Mompellion’s views on many things change and he loses his faith but he still provides remarkable leadership to the village in some of the most taxing circumstances imaginable. Under his leadership characters like Anys Gowdie, Elinor Mompellion and Anna Frith deal with changes and challenges with courage and determination. On the other hand, ‘The Crucible’ shows that not all change is good and that not all leaders possess courage; in fact, some powerful people

Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, is well-known for his interpretation of a tragic hero in his other writings such as the protagonists in the Death of a Salesman and All My Sons. Miller describes a tragic hero as a male unable to deal with his actions and image. This definition contradicted other tragic heroes in novels by other authors. An example of this is F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author of The Great Gatsby. The tragic hero in that novel, Jay Gatsby, is known for his wealth, unlike John Proctor in The Crucible. John Proctor, the protagonist in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, struggles with his guilt and attempt to regain his reputation within his community of Salem, which in the end, is his downfall.

Arthur Miller introduces a dynamic character, John Proctor, in his play The Crucible. John, known for his loyalty and detest of hypocrisy, is involved in the adulterous action of cheating on his wife Elizabeth with their housekeeper, Abigail. The question of if John Proctor is a tragic hero surfaces as his downfall is followed by the very truth of his hidden affair. In Miller’s essay, Tragedy and the Common Man, he challenges the basic definition of a tragic hero and explains how the common man could be in the category of a hero. Based on Miller’s arguments, it is apparent that John Proctor encounters the situations that makes someone a tragic hero, and therefore can be considered one.

In comparison to modern day terms john proctor was the “cool guy” of the town. He had

John Proctor, a prominent individual in both the Salem Witch Trials and The Crucible, was tried and executed for witchcraft in 1692. "When the witchcraft hysteria first began in Salem village in the winter of 1692, Proctor became an outspoken opponent of the trials and stated to many that the afflicted girls, who had been accusing many of the villagers of witchcraft, were frauds and liars" (Brooks). There were many parallels between John Proctor and his character in The Crucible, including his vocal opposition towards the trials and his strong Puritan values that influenced his actions. As an involved member of the Salem community, Proctor was incredibly concerned with his reputation. Proctor 's young slave Mary Warren began experiencing fits after the scandal broke out. "She [Warren] testified that Proctor 's spirit beat her and forced her to touch the Devil 's book" (Brooks). His involvement was interpreted by the community, as him performing witchcraft in attempts to possess the girls.

In The Crucible, Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Elizabeth Proctor are arguably the most important characters. The affair between Abigail and John drives the plot of the play. Abigail begins accusing societal outcasts as witches and gradually works her way up the social ladder until she is able to accuse an upstanding citizen like Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch and having people believe the accusation. She accused Elizabeth of being a witch so that Elizabeth would be hanged. Then, Abigail would have John Proctor all to herself. Abigail, while certainly diabolical and ruthless, is rather misrepresented. Abigail has received nothing but tragedy in her life; short, though it is at this point. Her parents are killed in front of her at a very young age and while there is not anyway you can take that in a sympathetic aspect, seeing as she uses it to convince the girls to do her bidding, it is very clear that this image has stuck with her. The Crucible paints John in the position of a tragic hero and then ineluctably places Abigail in the light of an antagonist with no hope of retribution. Once you commend John for his actions, you must implicate Abigail for hers. Simply stated, Abigail should not just be incriminated based on what information we are provided. Abigail, while still very much faulty in her actions, deserves to be examined at a deeper level to provide you with the full understanding of just why this woman’s scorning was her breaking point.

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

“ I have given you my soul, leave me my name.” This is a quote said by John Proctor in The Crucible. John was getting ready to be hung and he ripped up the confession when he said this. John was a man in his 30’s who farmed in salem. John was a respected man. He also did not go to church often. He was not fond of Rev. Parris. John Proctor and I have very similar personality traits in that we are hardworking, outcast, and respectful.

In The Crucible John Proctor goes through an important internal conflict about God, names, and public perception. Proctor has to decide what is important to him and what is not. He finds himself making a false confession to save his life but believes if his name is available for everyone to see his sin, what kind of life will he have?

John Proctor was my favorite character in all of the books and plays we have read and watched this year. He was a victim. He was strong, caring, and unforgiving. I think he was strong because when he was going through something bad, he still stayed strong and never gave up. “Why, we - have no fear of questions, sir.” (page 64) He was trying to do everything he could to never give up his name, which shows to me that he is strong and relentless. I think he is also very caring. “I mean to please you Elizabeth.” (page 50) Knowing his personality, I think he started sleeping with Abigail because he wanted to care for her but did so in the wrong way. He also cared for his family and the town. Proctor was very unforgiving to himself.

The Puritan context in which John Proctor’s sin as well the wider sin of the Salem Witch Trials transpire, should be considered in order to understand the role of the figure of God and that of a putatively saintly, elect community in the formulation of his nihilism. Miller posits in the introduction of the first act of the play that the Puritan settlers of Massachusetts Bay Colony, convinced that they were the chosen ones by God, had established a stringently theocratic community which literally functioned in inextricable accordance with the Bible. Church and state were coupled and concurrently wielded the utmost type of ascendancy over the Puritan communities of the colony. In such a fervently religious environment, in this “New Jerusalem”,