Anyone can be a hero or a victim, depending on the perspective through which one views the situation. The Crucible by Arthur Miller takes place in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The outrageous influenza of witch accusations spreads rapidly through the Salem community. Revenge flows through the society as neighbors turn or neighbors and jealous girls turn on wives. One character, John Proctor, is reluctant to care about anyone besides himself at first, but after witnessing the absurdity of the witch accusations, he changes his attitude and upholds the truth. The question remains: is John Proctor a hero or a victim? By standing up for the truth he believes, the Puritan community of Salem unfairly convicts John Proctor as …show more content…
It has been rumored that John Proctor, notorious for not attending church, does not believe in witchcraft. Reverend Hale, curious to find out about Mr. Proctor, personally arrives at the Proctor household. He asks John to recite the Puritan Commandments, and he cannot. Hale responds to that by saying, “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small” (67). John responds, “There be no love for Satan in this house, Mister,” rebutting the implied suspicion of Reverend Hale (67). Later, John Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth, are summoned to the court. Mr. Proctor decides to tell the truth and confess his affair with Abigail; however, Abigail denies the affair and Elizabeth lies, thinking to save John’s name. Shortly thereafter, Abigail claims Mary Warren, the Proctor’s maid, has turned into a threatening bird. When John goes to Mary, she accuses him of being the “Devil’s man” (118). Judge Danforth reacts by asking, “Will you confess yourself befouled with Hell, …show more content…
John Proctor now has a new purpose, larger than just saving his wife; he wants to see justice for the community in the end. After Danforth spares Elizabeth for an extra year, he asks John, “Will you drop this charge?” (92). Proctor responds, “I—I think I cannot” (92). Danforth notes, “Then your purpose is somewhat larger” (92). Shortly after this scene, John admits to his adultery with Abigail and he condemns the court for believing pretense and is taken to jail. Several days later, Elizabeth comes to see John in the jail. He exclaims, “My honesty is broke, Elizabeth; I am no good man” (136). Elizabeth responds, “And yet you’ve not confessed till now. That speak goodness in you” (136). John then goes to the court and reluctantly confesses, in order to save his life; however in the few moments that he stands in the court giving his confession, something changes. He refuses to sign his confession. Reverend Hale warns, “Man you will hang! You cannot!” (144). Proctor, now living for justice, exclaims, “I can. And there’s your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs” (144). Proctor upholds his integrity and accepts execution. He dies with honesty, signifying a true
The one person who could have stopped the Salem Witch Trials was none other than a tragic hero. Aristotle developed the idea of a tragic hero in a story. This person was someone who was an exceptional person, they were quite prideful, and by the end they must die. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero. He is an exceptional man with lust as a fatal error, he takes pride in his name, and by the end he dies and repents.
The definition of a hero is someone who puts the needs of others in front of their own and make every effort to benefit the lives of the people around them. The Crucible by Arthur Miller takes place in a town called Salem. Salem had recently been prevailed by a group of young girls who were accusing people of practicing witchcraft. Anyone who was accused of witchcraft was sent to trial and would later on be hanged as a punishment if they did not sign a confession. In The Crucible, John Proctor is seen as a tragic hero.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor was accused of witchcraft. John Proctor was a man of great integrity and knew he did nothing wrong. He was given the choice to confess and lie or be hung. Being the honest and stubborn man that he was, he decided his name was more important than his life. John struggled both internally and with others while trying to fight for what he thought was right.
John Proctor illustrates that he is an ethical man because he highlights the fact that young girls, children, are controlling Salem purely with their words. Proctor 's ethical attributes are conveyed when he realizes that the group of accusers may be pretending to be afflicted, “I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem – vengeance is walking Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law!” (73) which causes other to question his credibility. He also speaks this to emphasize the problem that everyone assumes that the accusers, children, are innocent.
John Proctor was a man of honor and had a well respected name in the town of Salem. Sadly he died tragically but as a hero. He was hanged because he was accused of doing the devil’s work. He was given the chance to save his life if he admitted on a piece of paper that he was working with the devil but he refused to tell that lie. He wanted his sons to be able to walk the streets without being shunned from the world because they deserved better.
JOHN PROCTOR: TRAGIC HERO Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a greatly revered work, and it reflected the times of America in the days of McCarthyism. Perhaps the character that connected to the audience most was John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. He reflects the mistakes that we have made in our lives, and the struggle that some of have while trying to take the blindfold off of other people. He should be considered a hero because he feels guilt, and therefore tries to make up for the fact that he once had an affair.
John Proctor here is reinstating that he wants to continue if he has his name and if Danforth and the court cannot provide that to him he does not know how he could possibly go on. Based on the quote John’s quality of life would eventually prove to be dreary if he did confess as he would feel like he no longer had a soul. Although John knew it would be a risk for him to confess his wife helped convince him that life was worth living, but it’s his own choice. Elizabeth sorrowfully states to John “Do what you will. But let none be your judge.
John could have used this opportunity to get revenge on Abigail. Instead he makes the honorable decision to personally redeem himself from his previous mistakes. Earlier in the play he claimed that Mary and the girls were “God damn all liars” (Miller 117). This quote demonstrates John judging people for their sins, which is exactly what he claimed he does not do. It shows a dramatic change in his character, a change in personal
The Crucible - Conflict Analysis John Proctor Internal: John Proctor’s most eminent internal conflict is over the sin he has committed, adultery. Proctor cheated on his wife with Abigail Williams, and this makes Proctor feel incredibly guilty because in the town, he is “respected and even feared” (19). He tried very hard, and succeeded, with keeping this moral crime to himself. He still walked about Salem as if he was “an untroubled soul,” (21) however, avoiding the sin again would be a difficult task. Abigail flirts with him, in attempt to have him for one last night, and it’s obvious Proctor has an arduous time pushing her away.
Proctor motivates to learn how the truth can still not matter if it is not what the court wants to hear causing people to be killed and put in jail. John Proctor chooses to try to hide the affair between him and Abigail Williams , which causes half of the town of Salem going to jail for witchcraft. John is talking to Mary Warren when she is talking to him about the Devil being in Salem and they must find where he is:"I
Repenting sins is mostly believed to reset fate and open the golden gates to Heaven. John Proctor, one of the main characters in The Crucible, is a primary example of this. People could view John as a sinner attributed to him cheating on his wife Elizabeth, but he is vindicated through remorse. Proctor, in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, is portrayed as a Christian man even though in the beginning he is not, due to the face of him seeking redemption for his sins and sacrificing himself for others.
In The Crucible, the protagonist John Proctor was. In the town of Salem, in 1692, a group of young ladies by the names of Betty Williams, Abigail Williams and Tituba were found dancing in the forest naked by Reverend Parris, Abigail’s’ uncle. Reverend Parris assumed that they were participating in witchcraft. This idea of witchcraft spread through the city of Salem and the citizens began accusing each other of being witches. This started a series of court cases known as the Salem Witch Trials.
Nobility of the few brings together the masses of the many. To which any man perceived to be noble having to possess the traits of someone who will raise other and will not fall. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a man named John Proctor shows his nobility with all his actions, statements and natural talent. A tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor, the protagonist, as a tragic hero who has a major flaw—lust for Abigail, his house servant.
Likewise, when Elizabeth is brought before Danforth to verify Proctor’s confession, she lies to protect her husband, whom she refers to as a “goodly man,” from suspicion (Miller, 113). The affair may have caused Elizabeth to doubt Proctor but both parties still care deeply for each other and try to protect each other from harm. Even in his last moments, Proctor’s last words- “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it!”- were directed toward Elizabeth and were full of love and care (Miller, 144). Proctor may have sinned but his regret over his affair with Abigail and the trouble he had brought upon his wife justifies his
John Proctor is well liked and respected in the Puritan community and is trusted by everyone. In Act I, on page 1269, It says “Proctor, respected and even feared in Salem, has come to regard himself as a kind of fraud.” This quote shows that John has a lot to lose if his secret gets out because everyone looks up to him. Although John is a great man, his tragic flaw is his pride.