John Proctor Inhumane In 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…

“Whatever you do is a good man does it.”(pg 109) This is when Elizabeth Proctor was telling John Proctor about himself. She points out the good that is within him that he himself does not see. John proctor is one of the only non-hypocritical men of salem.

The importance of reputation in Salem is illustrated through John Proctor’s personal struggle. Proctor is conflicted with the two options he encounters- telling the truth, or confessing to a crime he did not commit. This opposing conflict is displayed through ethos within the play The Crucible. Arthur Miller establishes this fundamental concept of reputation by applying anaphora as well as characterization to his writing.

Proctor states “You will not use me! I am no Sarah Good or Tituba, I am John Proctor! You will not use me! It is no part of salvation that you should use me!”(149) This quote illustrates that Proctor has a lot of pride and self-respect along with respect from others, he understood that if he made his scandal known, the community will no longer see him as the same law-abiding man that he portrayed to be. Surprisingly, Proctor still feels higher than most people in the community and he refuses to let his name be spoken of badly. Proctor knows his worth and illustrates that by saying, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them who hang!” (150). Though John Proctor was known as a Christian man, he could not remember the ten commandments but still tried to regain respect from Danforth. When Danforth asked Proctor to resit the ten commandments he hesitated. The misleading commandments made Danforth even more suspicious about Proctor, despite the fact that he did not go to Church on Sundays and plowed his field instead of

John Proctor, an honest man when it comes to people being accused of witchcraft, which he knows is innocent, which makes him a hot tempered, courageous and sensible by his actions in The Crucible written by Arthur Miller

In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the character Deputy Governor Danforth believes there is witchcraft in Salem after seeing Abigail and her girls dancing in the forest. Abigail tries to take the blame off of herself and put it on other people, one of them being John Proctor. Mary Warren also tries to take the blame off herself and place it on John. Causing Danforth to draw conclusions that John has turned against God. Danforth truly believes that John Proctor has committed an act of injustice.

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.

John Proctor is tired of the people of Salem believing the girls about witchcraft. He even makes Mary Warren tell the truth about her and the other girls. She tells the court and Judge Hathern tries to get her to change her story but she doesn’t. Abigail and the rest of the girls say that she’s sending out her spirit and is about to attack them. John and Rev. Hale say that they don’t see anything and Danforth tells them to be silent. Mary Warren says that John Proctor is the devil's man. John tells them that god is dead and that he is the devil’s man and so are Danforth and Hathern as well, because they believe the girls. With this John and Giles are taken to jail.

John proctor is a tragic hero in “The Crucible” because of 3 reasons. These reasons are because john is loving, loyal, and authoritative but has a tragic flaw of having a bad temper. In these next 3 paragraphs, I will explain how John Proctor shows each one of these characteristics.

The consequences of shirking accountability for ones actions are depicted through the tribulations John Proctor faced, in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible. Although John reluctantly became involved in the Salem witch trials, his initial silence proved to be the downfall of not only himself, but of his fellow townspeople as well. John Proctor remained silent for one reason, and that was to protect himself. As a result of his self-serving desires to avoid the consequences of his actions, innocent citizens were put to death.

Several characters throughout the play, The Crucible, remain the same. However, some did change. One in particular was John Proctor. This character changes a lot from the beginning, even to the end. Some feel that he is the most important element of the play, going from a hot tempered guy who committed adultery, to a man who wants forgiveness from his wife, admitting he did her wrong.

The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Proctor glances at me and utters, "Do that which is good, and no harm shall come to thee." I instantly realize how false this statement is considering how the Witch Trials have played out. Nervous and terrified, I present myself, with Proctor, before the court and plan on truthfully confessing to being merely an innocent, Puritan girl unfamiliar with witches, however I am unable to speak. Proctor decides to speak for me and declares, while handing Danforth, the Deputy Governor, my deposition, "This is Mary Warren’’s deposition. I would ask you remember, sir, while you read it, that until two week ago she were no different than the other children are today. You saw her scream, she howled, she swore familiar spirits choked her;

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.

A wise philosopher named  Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “even today a crude sort of persecution is all that is required to create an honorable name for any sect, no matter how indifferent in itself.” People who are guilty of nothing spend their entire lives trying to uphold an honorable name, but depending on the circumstances they may have to sacrifice their life in order to do so.  In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, people in the town of Salem, Massachusetts are put through severe trials to see if they are guilty of practicing witchcraft. Many people are falsely accused, but decide to confess to something that they never did to save their own lives. By confessing, they are throwing away their name and reputation. John Proctor is among the many who are wrongfully accused. He must make a challenging decision whether to die honorably or to live with a slandered name that would affect his children’s future. John Proctor’s great dilemma changes throughout the course of the play because he faces having to appeal to Abigail, his wife, and the court all while attempting to uphold his respectable reputation.