The noblest and most selfless action one can do for others is to sacrifice their life in attempting to save someone else. In a time when witchcraft spread by a tumultuous escalation of accusations and deflections, the truth was an incredibly valuable resource. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor battles the mass hysteria that has dominated the town. When his wife eventually gets accused and is sent to jail, John takes on the responsibility of combatting the accusations within the town. He ends up being sentenced to hang regardless of how virtuous his efforts are. John Proctor’s journey from being a repenting lecher to a loving and dedicated man, and his integrity in the face of death demonstrates his role as a tragic hero. The Crucible is an allegorical look at some core aspects of human nature, and John Proctor’s lechery is an important dynamic in the play. John’s relationship with his wife is cold and strenuous for both spouses at the beginning of The Crucible. He struggles internally with his former affair with Abigail and he lashes out at his wife when he says, “{You} are not God, …show more content…
I say God is dead!” (Miller 63). At this point, John is aware that he will face repercussions for his defiance; this is also when a reader might feel sympathetic for him. He is tried and convicted of witchcraft but his internal goodness continues to shine through. When we reach Proctor’s date at the gallows his character arc is completed and he is a redeemed man. Even Elizabeth herself recognizes and acknowledges his redemption at the end of the story when she says, “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him” (Miller 73). John makes an altruistic choice and refuses to lie about witchcraft to avoid execution. This is the epitome of what a tragic hero is: a human person who tries to do what is right but still is tragically punished in the end. Using this logic, John Proctor’s integrity during The Crucible cements his role as a tragic
In The Crucible John Proctor started the play as a hypocrite who was unwilling to admit that he was not perfect. Once Abigail accused Elizabeth of witchcraft, John was outraged because Abigail told John that her and her friends were dancing in the woods. Infuriated that Abigail would murder innocent people John tries to turn Danforth against Abigail. When Danforth does not see a legitimate reason to stop trusting Abigail John is forced to confess his affair with Abigail. But when Elizabeth is asked about John’s affair, Elizabeth acted like she did not know what Danforth was talking about.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, John Proctor is the most admirable person. Though he did make a mistake by committing adultery, he is still a very honest man. During all of the hysteria, he did his best to make sure he did not feed into any of the nonsense going on. Once he was involuntarily involved in the witch trials, ultimately in the end, he still stayed true to himself. Near the end of the play, Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife, is accused of being a witch by Abigail Williams and the other girls.
John admitted to the court and the town that he had an affair with Abigail Williams. John also refused to lie to save his life, instead he kept the truth and his pride and he hanged for it. The fact that he would rather die than to slaughter his family’s name, that says a lot, to me it says that he was thinking of his wife and kids instead of himself. If I haven’t made myself clear yet, I believe John Proctor is the most courageous character in The Crucible.
Reputation is placed at the forefront of The Crucible, as John Proctor struggles with whether the moral decision is to lie and confess to witchcraft or tell the truth and hang. After Elizabeth and John have a quick discussion about their children, and the death of Giles Corey, John finally opens himself up to Elizabeth: “(With great force of will, but not quite looking at her) I have been thinking I would confess to them, Elizabeth. What say you? If I give them that”(Miller 124)? John is embarrassed by his past adultery, and now has to maintain both his reputation with Elizabeth and himself.
When one makes a decision it can often be boiled down to self preservation at the expense of others or righteousness at the expense of themselves. John Proctor, a character in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, is faced with this predicament multiple times throughout the play. First, he must choose between sustaining his good reputation by concealing his affair, or letting his discretions be known in order to prevent Abigail’s rise to power. Later, he is faced with this again, but this time his wife, Elizabeth, is in immediate danger and will be directly affected by his decision. In the end, he is given the option to either falsely confess to witchcraft and be spared his life, or be hanged with a clean conscience.
In The Crucible, a book written by Arthur Miller, the story follows the lives of the community and multiple accusations during the Salem witch trials of Massachusetts. The Crucible demonstrates all aspects of a tragedy story through the liked farmer John Proctor not being able to resist committing adultery, his wife Elizabeth and him suffering from Abigail because of his act, and his acceptance towards his crimes and the resulting events. To begin, John Proctor’s reputation in Salem is nobler and higher than usual people, which is an element of a protagonist in a tragedy. On the first introduction of John Proctor in the first act, the author describes him as, “...powerful of body, even tempered, and not easily led” (Miller 1. 19). Because
John Proctor was a tragic hero. John Proctor's character flaw is that he cannot forgive himself. John is on trial in act four and the only thing he has to do is sign his name. John knows that what he has done is sinful and knows that “God knows how black his sins are” ( Miller 211). Committing adultery is a horrible
John Proctor the Tragic Hero “The Crucible” is a play written by Arthur Miller that is set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The play focuses on a small community where some members have been accused of witchcraft. One of the main characters, John Proctor who is a farmer, is one of the accused of witchcraft along with his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. In this story, John Proctor is seen as a tragic hero, who is someone who is of noble stature, has a tragic flaw that ultimately leads to a downfall and experiences meaningful suffering. The tragic hero is someone great, but not perfect, and is often someone the audience can see themselves as.
Then, John was accused of witchcraft. He was given the choice to tell the truth and be prosecuted or confess to a crime he didn’t commit and be set free. He chose to tell the truth and got sent to jail. During this time, he said “... what is John Proctor? I think it is honest” (page 138).
Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour. First, John Proctor shows his goodness, by refusing the physical advances of Abigail, who wishes to continue their love affair.
He felt guilt and remorse, a sure sign that he was an honest man, and honest men do not deserve to die. In conclusion, Arthur Miller’s John Proctor is a hero. Proctor trying to explain to that the witch hunts are led by a lovesick girl to an unforgiving crowd exuberates his characteristics as a hero. Not only does he do that, but he also has feelings that every tragic hero has, such as guilt, and the want to fix his
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.
In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is accused of performing witchcraft and contracting with the Devil. He is faced with the decision to either confess to or deny the accusations. Ultimately, Proctor chooses to deny the accusations and dies a martyr. Proctor’s decision to sacrifice himself is justified because he protected the reputation of those who died and risked being arrested to save his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor’s death is justified because he was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the reputation of others.
John Proctor’s words towards Elizabeth signal irritation and annoyance. John Proctor, the main character of The Crucible, has an affair with a much younger girl, Abigail Williams, breaking his wife, Elizabeth’s trust in him. Her suspicion of him rises when he tells her he was in a room alone with Abigail. Elizabeth’s growing mistrust begins to aggravate John, which is revealed when he says, “I’ll not have your suspicion any more” (489). Elizabeth is doubtful after learning about John’s affair with Abigail and her lack of trust in her husband begins to anger him.