John Proctor: The Tragic Hero

A tragic hero is a very favored person that suffers from a downfall which leads to their death. John Proctor, like many others, is a tragic hero. The author, Arthur Miller, gives John Proctor the role of a tragic hero throughout the story of The Crucible. This protagonist, John Proctor, made judgement errors that inevitably led to his own destruction. John Proctor is an afflicted individual. He believes his affair with Abigail irreparably damaged him in the eyes of God, his wife Elizabeth, and himself. John Proctor succumbed to sin and committed the crime of adultery; however, he lacks the capacity to forgive himself. When referencing criticism, John Proctor and the Crucible of Individuation in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Michelle I Pearson, who also agrees John Proctor is a tragic hero, once said in her article that “While the people of Salem look at Proctor and see a strong, hard-working, no-nonsense man, Proctor himself knows that he is an adulterer, a lecher, and that he drives himself to try to be free of his guilt. Not until faced with a crisis, however, will he leave the persona behind and begin the process of individuation.” The criticism provided helps prove John Proctor fits the role of a tragic hero in The Crucible. In order to convey the message of iniquity in the Puritan society, Arthur Miller casts John Proctor in The Crucible because he is able to overcome his tragic flaw of hubris, but still the circumstances unfortunately led to his death. Proctor is a very respected man in Salem but he also has a few flaws that have proved him to be a tragic hero which are prideful, lustful, and well respected. Later in The Crucible, Proctor realizes his flaws and tries to fix them but it is too late. One of Proctor’s tragic flaws is that he is too prideful.

A Tragedy as a literary Work is described in which there is a hero that is basically moral individual destroyed by some character flaw and by force beyond his or her control. That hero is a tragic hero who experiences an inner struggle because of this flaw. Because of his charter flaw and his struggle to do what is right, John Proctor is a tragic hero.

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…

As human beings, we each display specific traits and qualities that define our character and shape our personalities. The way in which we carry ourselves establishes our reputations, as well as how others identify us. We are each prone to making mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes we make can affect the way people see us as well. The struggle to regain a good name can be difficult and uncertain once someone’s reputation is tarnished. In Arthur Miller’s timeless play, The Crucible, a well-respected man named John Proctor betrays his wife and struggles to gain her forgiveness and his good name in the village of Salem. Although John Proctor betrays his wife, he

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, various characters, whether it is from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution, and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family. As a result of this, he struggled with a major internal conflict throughout the play.

"How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!" (Proctor) John Proctor a farmer, and the husband of Elizabeth. He had an affair with Abigail Williams while she worked as a servant in his house. John is a powerful man in both build and character. " John Proctor is a tormented individual. He believes his affair with Abigail irreparably damaged him in the eyes of god, his wife Elizabeth, and himself. True, Proctor did succumb to sin and commit adultery; however he lacks the capacity to forgive himself." (www.cliffsnotes.com) John Proctor goes from being loved and well respected to a sinner and later on becoming a tragic hero which was surrounded by strong feelings and beliefs.

A tragic hero must have tragic flaws as well, which John Proctor does not have a lack of. It is arguable that his affair with Abigail Williams is the root of the witch trials. He tries to fix it by attempting to silence her. “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby” (Miller 15.) This affair he has with Abigail is an extremely deadly flaw. Abigail starts all of the witch paranoia because of her desire to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor because she falls in love with John. When John discharges her from his home and his life, she goes on a blood buzz for Elizabeth and the rest of Salem, causing the entire tragedy of the witch trials. A broader point that Miller depicts through the effect the affair has is all of the damage that lying and unfaithfulness causes.

A superhero is ordinarily a person with a secret identity and when danger strikes he or she is there in a fancy costume ready to save the day and move forward. However some heros don’t wear capes, they are common men and women with extraordinary capabilities and when the day is done the battle hasn’t always been won. These heros are the tragic heros. According to Aristotle “the tragic hero is introduced as happy, powerful, and privileged, and ends up dying or suffering immensely because of his own actions or mistakes (Source A).” In The Crucible the audience is introduced to a different kind of tragic hero by the name of John Proctor. Proctor possesses some characteristics of a tragic hero as well as those of a sad and guilty man. John Proctor has attributes of both an ordinary man through his own humane qualities that connect himself to the audience as well as the characteristics of a tragic hero with a remarkable courage to lay down his life and truly redeem his sin.

The topic of a hero’s journey is highly datable of a character within a novel, book, or etc. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor faces adversity as he goes through the hero’s journey. The tasks Proctor faces upon himself leads him to meet his mentor Giles Corey. When it comes to the topic of something , John Proctor demonstrates going through a hero’s journey, Sara Ye will readily agree that Proctor is a “logical, strong man who sees past the selfish illogicality of the witch accusations but is nonetheless not a completely innocent man himself”.

In the Salem witch trials about two-hundred people were accused of witchcraft, twenty of whom were executed. In, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, he presents a character known as John Proctor. He was considered a good-looking man almost to the point where he became intimidating. Ultimately, throughout the story, this character goes from being someone who could care less about others’ feelings, to someone who becomes nobler in a way. As it’s been noticed, John Proctor is a dynamic character that changes throughout the story.

“The truly tragic kind of the suffering is the kind produced and definitely insisted upon by the hero himself”. The Hero's fatal flaw or flaws leads to their downfall which are usually either complete ruin or death. The hero usually meet his end with courage and dignity. In the play, “The Crucible” by arthur miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero because he loving and loyal with a nasty pride which leads to his downfall and cost him his life.

All countries with different morals and different religions deal with vices and virtues. What seems to be good is not always the best decision, therefore causing a struggle in judgement and righteousness. For instance, Kohlberg’s Stages can be utilized as a reference to compare the one’s moral development. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the character John Proctor was once a sinful man who comes to be a virtuous person because of the growth of his values in order to be a better Puritan because of the troubles he goes through to protect his wife, confessing his lechery, and ripping up the paper that confessed his association with the devil.

At this point after he lost his respect and reputation, he knew that the only thing he left was his name. And he wanted to save himself, not from being hung but from the chaos. Instead of confessing to witchcraft like everyone else was doing to save themselves, he decides to confess to committing adultery with Abigail to expose why she was blaming Elizabeth. He was trying to prove that Abigail was just doing this because she wants to take Elizabeth’s place besides him. He is a tragic hero in the sense that he is willing to lose everything just to make sure his wife is safe, at this point he does not care whether or not he lives, for his love for Elizabeth Proctor was true. However things do not go the way he expected them to, and this is the tragic

John Proctor is The Crucible tragic hero. He is honest, upright and a good man with a big secret. John is an arrogant and proud man that has made irresponsible choices that has led to the destruction of his life.

The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, reveals a proper example of a tragic hero in five thrilling acts. Defined by Aristotle, the tragic hero in a literary work is defined by his downfall- often due to character. For example, in The Crucible, protagonist John Proctor brings himself to a false hanging. Proctor not only commits adultery, but is prideful and rebellious to Puritan society; therefore, his excommunication and imminent death soon follow.