Tatiana Perez American Lit. 11 November 2012 John Proctor: Tragic Hero 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 …show more content…
John Proctor sought his wife’s forgiveness to regain her trust and to entitle him to die an honest man. He recognized his actions; he simply wanted his wife to recognize them too. “Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not.” (Miller 55) Proctor’s appeal to his wife reveals his hope for her forgiveness and for her to see the goodness in him. He wants his wife to recognize him as an honest man, because to him that is the only substance that made him feel like a good person. Later in the course of the play, Elizabeth forgives Proctor for his mistakes. She states, “John, it come to naught that I should forgive you… Whatever you will do, it is a good man does it… it needs a cold wife to prompt lechery.” (Miller 136-137) Elizabeth’s statement to her husband exhibits an understanding of his mistakes and acknowledgement of the good man Proctor truly is. Elizabeth’s forgiveness allows Proctor to forgive himself as well. After being forgiven, John Proctor can now die an honest man, a tragic hero - a man with integrity and goodness. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, it is evident that John Proctor is the tragic hero. Concluding through evidence in the play, it is fairly simple to connect him with separate parts of the definition. He makes his share of mistakes, just as many human beings do. John Proctor is fundamentally a good man, with respectable
A tragic hero is a character whose flaw or mistakes leads to their downfall. In 1692, 19 villagers form Salem Village, Massachusetts were executed by hanging for not confessing to witchcraft. Of those 19 was John Proctor, a farmer and respected villager. John Proctor was arrested for witchcraft while trying to save his wife by accusing Abigail Williams of fraud to witchcraft. John Proctor is a tragic hero because of his downfalls, his pride and mostly his affair with Abigail Williams.
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.
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.
Many people cherish their reputation, what other people think and believe about someone is crucial in today’s society. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is centered around the theme of reputation. One’s name is tremendously important in Salem, where someone’s social standing reflects their ability to follow religious rules and obligations. In Salem, reputation far surpasses the truth. Majority of the characters in The Crucible would rather die than risk damaging their “good” name. When witchcraft accusations start spreading through the town, one’s fate is determined by their reputation. John Proctor and Abigail Williams are both perfect examples of this, both risking everything in attempt to protect their tarnishing reputations.
I think John Proctor does because he has a past event that he is still very ashamed about
Prompt: Write a brief essay (5-6 paragraphs) discussing whether or not John Proctor is a tragic hero.
The Crucible is a great tale that shows us not to believe others just from the words they say, but by the actions and evidence for the claim. John Proctor was a huge supporter of this. Though John had done some bad deeds in his past, his actions during the end of his life prove that he is good man. John Proctor is the ultimate example of a man can still be a hero in spite of his flaws. John Proctor was the hero in Arthur Miller’s Crucible, because he overcame his shame from being adulterer, he was the only one to see the corruption in his society, and was adamant about keeping his good name.
Arthur Miller uses characterization to portray John Proctor’s reputation throughout the play. John Proctor is the protagonist of “The Crucible”. From the beginning opening act, Arthur Miller characterizes Proctor as an honest man with good morals who tries his very best to do the right thing. He is a well-respected man around the village of Salem, which later causes his good reputation. This is the reason why it is hard for Proctor to give up his good
John Proctor- Tragic Hero John Proctor: a man of hypocrisy, lechery, and adultery. So how is he considered a tragic hero in The Crucible? The Crucible is a play based off the Salem witch trials in the late 1600’s. John Proctor played a good, highly regarded man, with a fatal flaw which end up dooming himself and several others.
Is John Proctor really a tragic hero? This is a play by Author Miller set in Salem Massachusetts during the time of Salem Witch Trials. Since John Proctor is motivated by being a tragic hero, his decision to be honest creates conflict between him and his wife, and also the court by the end of the play.
In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, one of the most dynamic and influential characters is John Proctor. This man is a well looked-upon leader of Salem, who gets caught up in the witch trials of 1692. John plays a key role in the witch trials, who inadvertently affect its outcome throughout the story. Unlike other characters in the story, John gradually changes throughout the course of the play. He transitions from an unfaithful adulterer to a man of integrity who wants redemption for the sins he committed.
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, John Proctor’s character seems to change dramatically. His actions and impressions towards Abigail begin to alternate, and his guilt and shame of his affair begin to uncover remarkably. As he goes through the journey of this self-condemnation, he overcomes his selfishness, and reveals the honesty within himself for the sake of his family.
The crowd swiftly became silent, The chirps of the bird and the soft voice of Mary Warren. I couldn't prepared for what happened. Standing behind a stocky man wearing a darker coat with a scared silver buckle. Looking over his blocky shoulders, I get a small glimpse of my love, John Proctor, with his shimmering eyes and approachable smile. The townspeople took shame upon him for conspiring with witchcraft. I couldn't take the what I had created, I town ready to believe the most prided people in village. That's all I wanted to see. Closing my eyes, I listen and find the whistling wind which calmed me like after the attack when I lost my parents. The men exchang words as they take him to the filth ridden bars. The whistling wind repeats as I open my eyes. The crowd moves to go their separate ways. Standing by myself, I could recognize only the wind whistling.
Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, writes about a time when all hell broke loose in a small town in Massachusetts. He used this tragic event to reflect on his insane current situation of the red scare. John Proctor, an essential character in this story, John being the complex character that he is has many outstanding qualities not only is he rebellious he is also relentless and as every person is imperfect. John is cautious about how the world sees him, but that doesn’t stop him from doing what he wants or having his own opinion.
According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a literary character of magnitude that “makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her destruction”. Unlike the Greek philosopher’s description, Arthur Miller, the author of the essay “Tragedy and the Common Man”, considers a tragic hero to be a character of ordinary status that “is ready to lay down their life to secure his or her personal dignity”. Miller illustrates this belief in his Puritanical play The Crucible, featuring the honest and wholesome protagonist, John Proctor as the tragic hero. Proctor, a farmer who despises hypocrites, finds himself in a string of conflict when he commits adultery with his former house servant and becomes what he hates most, resulting in his death. Proctor’s role as a true classical tragic hero is demonstrated by his relentless fight to expose Abigail and the “witch trials” as lies, and save his wife and secure “good name”.