John Proctor: The Ideal Hero

In the play, “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is portrayed as a tormented individual whose flaws inevitably lead him to his own destruction. Proctor’s lust for Abigail Williams is the instigator of the hysteria surrounding the witch trails. During the Salem Witch trials, Proctor tries to convince the court that the trial are fraudulent, he is then thrown into the mix of a corrupt society with greedy preachers, landowners trying to steal land, and a young girl infatuated with him and getting rid of his innocent wife. As the lead character, Proctor embodies a being that exhibits heroic qualities, temptation towards evil, and confrontation of evil in society.
The ideal hero, according to Aristotle, is someone who is able to see