Preview

The Crucible John Proctor Selfish

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
570 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Crucible John Proctor Selfish
In The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist of the play, is known as a tragic hero. He is a hero because in the end he stays true to his beliefs and his philosophies, knowing that by doing so he will be condemned to hang. Some may consider him as a tragic hero and some may consider him as only a pride filled coward for not telling the truth earlier. John Proctor can be viewed as selfish because many others including Rebecca Nurse and Sarah Good were hanged before John confessed to having an affair with Abigail. Proctor is also selfish because he could not control his attraction to Abigail, even though he knew it would not end well and be good for no one. He could have easily saved his life by signing the confession which stated that …show more content…
Everyone around him doesn’t realize how much his pride is holding him back from the truth. Although he is trying to save Abigail Williams and himself from being shamed in the village, he is causing others to die a tragic death even if they were not at fault of witchery. The Crucible ends with John Proctor marching off to his death. By refusing to lie and confess to witchcraft, he sacrifices his life in the name of truth. At the end of the play, Proctor has in some way regained his goodness. His death is significant because in my opinion he was a coward, but also a hero. I think it is interesting that the author of the play, Arthur Miller, does not give John the last word. Instead, Reverend Hale and Elizabeth Proctor get the privilege. At the end of the play Hale states “Woman, plead with him! Woman! It is pride, it is vanity. Be his helper! What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? Go to him, take his shame away!” And Elizabeth states “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” I don’t think he deserved to die since he eventually told the truth and he is also leaving his family and his unborn child. In conclusion, it is obvious that John Proctor falls into the category of a tragic hero. All the evidence that I have shown above proves that this is true. Unfortunately, his heroic and honest action led to his own downfall and his tragic

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    A farmer in Salem, Proctor serves as the voice of reason and justice in The Crucible. It is he who exposes the girls as frauds who are only pretending that there is witchcraft, and thus becomes the tragic hero of the tale. Proctor is a sharply intelligent man who can easily detect foolishness in others and expose it, but he questions his own moral sense. Because of his affair with Abigail Williams, Proctor questions whether or not he is a moral man, yet this past event is the only major flaw attributed to Proctor, who is in all other respects honorable and ethical. It is a sign of his morality that he does not feel himself adequate to place himself as a martyr for the cause of justice when he is given the choice to save himself at the end of the play.…

    • 574 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A tragic hero is defined as “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” (Dictionary.com). This identity holds true for John Proctor. He is a valued and respectful man who has made a misjudgment while in a dark place. Sometimes a hero can make a mistake that leads to his or her downfall. Many tragic heroes have a flaw that leads to their tragedy and John Proctor’s gets the best of him. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucibles John Proctor qualifies as a tragic hero because he is vulnerable, proud, and brave throughout his downfall.…

    • 1042 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Proctor: A Hero or a Fool?In Arthur Miller's famous allegorical play The Crucible ,the main characterJohn Proctor, a young defiant yet respected farmer, shows heroic characteristicsthrough intricate situations of theocratic injustice. Set in hysteria and chaos,the witch trials of Salem village as the trials unfold Proctor finds himself in adifficult situation in which his decision and actions decide not only his fate but thefate of many innocent people like himself. In the community, people looked upon John Proctor as…

    • 392 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play by Arthur Miller The Crucible, the town of Salem is in pandemonium under the non-existent threat of witchcraft. Every character is either lying to save their lives or to end others, or dying for not admitting to a lie. One character who stands out among the chaotic conflagration is the tragic hero John Proctor. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is defined as “a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat.” No character in The Crucible fits this description better than John Proctor. John Proctor is the tragic hero in The Crucible because of his strengths and notable traits, such as reason and personal sacrifice. He also fits the description because of his tragic flaws such as unfaithfulness and pride that led to his fall from grace.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of all, John Proctor wants his name to be good and have a good reputation, but he ruins his life based on his public reputation. For example, Hale said " Good, then. In…

    • 830 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a tragic hero. A tragic hero is defined as a person who is good and decent, yet he has a tragic flaw which leads to his downfall. In The Crucible, John Proctor is a highly respected farmer whose tragic flaw is pride. John Proctor plays a crucial role in Salem when the townspeople were being falsely accused and hanged as witches by a group of teenage girls. One of these girls is Abigail Williams, with whom John Proctor had an affair. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is noble and honorable, he is very protective, yet his tragic flaw is that he had an affair with Abigail Williams.…

    • 810 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor is an honest, hardworking, good man except for his one flaw that became a downfall for him and other accused “witches” living in Salem. His lust for Abigail that led to an affair created jealousy towards his wife Elizabeth, and resulted in Abigail spreading lies and causing witch hysteria to arise. After the trials began, John realized that he could out Abigail and make everyone see her for what she was (a liar) and put an end to many innocent deaths by confessing to his adultery and proving Abigail was only extracting revenge on his wife Elizabeth Proctor. He tried to save his reputation through a testimony of Mary Warren without revealing his crucial information but it failed. When this happened he publicly proclaimed his guilt and confessed, calling Abigail Williams a whore, but his admission was too late and could not stop everything that Abigail had already set in motion. John’s penance only resulted in his arrest and conviction of a witch, and he feels culpable for allowing Abigail and her friends to take it as far as they did. In his final act, John Proctor still wants to save his name, but for personal and religious reasons, rather than pride and fear of the public's opinion. John was given the chance to concede and live, but he declined, which was a true private and religious stand. If he did attest it would dishonor those condemned that stood beside him, who were not afraid to die for the truth. A false admission would also dishonor him and his soul. By refusing to confess, Proctor proclaims that such integrity would bring him into heaven, and he goes to the gallows with his fellow prisoners, redeemed for his earlier…

    • 292 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Tragic heroes are not perfect - we can relate to them as humans. John Proctor is a relatively normal guy in the village with a wife, children, and a farm. He is also a noble character, which is another characteristic of a tragic hero. At the end of the play, John…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Individuals may think that John Proctor is not a tragic hero, due to his flaws. However, that is what makes him a tragic hero. He is an average person, who has errors but he tries to correct them with the rest of his honor. The people in Salem see themselves as immaculate, however their misconceptions bring the death of nineteen innocent women, and men. Proctor tries them to see that their beliefs, are foolish. He suffered the consequences of the affair he had with Abigail…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor is a tragic hero in the efforts to save his wife’s life but sacrifices his life to preserving his pride, dignity, and truth; dying as a man with many flaws but a good man in the eyes of God. John Proctor is the common man who's making an honest living as a farmer in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many describe him as a virtuous, stern man who speaks his mind and is well-respected. He is a man of integrity; a harsh-tongued man whose lust led him to an affair with Abigail Williams, his former servant. This leaves a strain in his marriage and he can’t seem to forgive himself. When introduced to the story, John Proctor is a passive protagonist who does nothing to affect the main plot of the story. During this time, he is motivated by staying out of the witch hunt hysteria to save himself and his reputation. John says to Elizabeth, “I’ll think on it”(Miller, 27); John is trying to avoid getting involved in the witch hunt. His self-serving desire to be silent leads many innocent people to their deaths, leaving those responsible unaccountable. It is until Elizabeth is arrested for “witchcraft” he get involved in proving her innocence and exposing the…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Crucible Quote Blending

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Proctor is a very dynamic character in the Crucible. He is someone who appears to be righteous to the general public/townspeople but is actually someone who harbors a deep secret: he has committed adultery with Abigail. Proctor is one of the few in the play who firmly believes that Abigail and the girls are frauds and he is strongly against the witch trials. He knows that once he confesses to committing adultery, Abigail’s testimonies will be questioned and that he can save a lot of innocent people, but he is afraid of tainting his reputation of being a righteous man. At the end of Act III, he is found guilty of witchcraft and is arrested; in Act IV, he is given the chance to “confess” and save himself from hanging. He does end up confessing for Elizabeth and his children. However, when Danforth tells him to sign his name, Proctor agrees. Proctor no longer has his soul; his reputation is gone; all he has left is his name. He proclaims that “[he] cannot have another [name] in [his] life” and refuses to “sign [him]self to lies” to save himself (Miller 1333). He seems to have issues with his pride and his pride gets in the way of him saving himself. Although he admits he is not a hero, he dies with his integrity intact and his name still his. Arthur Miller displays how far people will go to keep their reputation and name clean through John Proctor’s character.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ultimately, John Proctor is a key part of the Crucible. His refusal to open up about Abigail’s lying (which she admits in Betty’s bedroom) allows Abigail to whip the village of Salem into a frenzy – accusing anyone and everyone of witchcraft. He is a proud and powerful man, much respected in the village. The fact he committed adultery with Abigail means she has the power to control him. Adultery is against the laws of Salem’s theocracy (as it is against the Decalogue) so, if Abigail told the village of their affair, his reputation would be destroyed which would result in him being sent to the gallows. Although his hot-headed temper and one fatal mistake makes him seem the antihero, it also provides him with the great burning passion needed to break open the truth that Abigail divulged to him: the girls were faking sickness and witchcraft is a lie. This would save those accused of witchcraft (such as Rebecca Nurse who was accused by Mrs. Putnam) – making him the protagonist. He knows that Abigail’s intention is to win him back, even if it means killing Elizabeth.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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 remains the tragic hero of the play for he recognizes his faulty actions and dies with integrity and honesty in the end.…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible is a classic tragedy. John Proctor is the tragic hero in the play by Arthur Miller. These events happen in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. There are many pivotal characters in the play but the most significant is John Proctor. He values his reputation and stays true to himself throughout the whole play, is a man of integrity, and is the most relatable character in the story. We love to have someone in every story, play, or even movies and books to love and hate and we love to love John Proctor.…

    • 603 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    John Proctor Paper

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages

    John Proctor is a tragic hero in many ways. He’s a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw; he’s extremely superior, but not perfect. He is faced with choosing between two lines of action as he struggles to find peace with himself in the midst of lies and chaos. John Proctor possesses a secret tragic flaw which ultimately brought him to his downfall. His affair with Abigail Williams causes him great guilt and anger as he carries on a strained relationship with Elizabeth.…

    • 337 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays