Preview

John Proctor: The Ideal Hero

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
405 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    When the play sets into action, John has had a past affair with his servant Abigail Williams. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is very forgiving of his sin, but John has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of ruining his good name, and reputation.The affair between John and Abigail caused the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. After the affair, Abigail became horribly jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. Proctor realizes there is only one way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess his sin of adultery. Although he knows he should, he continues to be determined not to confess. Reverend Parris is new to town, and John insist continually that he is only speaking of hell, and hardly ever of God, as Proctor goes on to say to Parris, "Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!" In the drama, Mary Warren places a needle in a poppet she gave to Elizabeth; John firmly demands that Mary Warren tell the courts that she really put the needle in the poppet that day. Proctor says to her, "You're coming to the court with me, Mary. You will tell it in the court." Furthermore, at the end of the play Proctor is persistent by saying that no matter what anyone says to convince him differently, he would rather die an honest man and save his name. John Proctor took pride in his thoughts, feelings, values, and his name. It took persistency to make his intent clear to others.…

    • 763 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “I may think of you softly from time to time but I will cut my hand off before I reach for you again.” -John Proctor. John Proctor slept with Abigail Williams and cannot forgive himself. In the Crucible John Proctor is the protagonist and the antagonist is also John Proctor. John can not forgive himself for what he did to his wife, god, and himself. He more importantly cannot forgive himself for hurting his love for god by committing this sin. Because of John’s inability to forgive himself, the antagonist is clearly his ability of being depreciate.…

    • 249 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    sin of adultery. John is consumed by guilt; trying to decide if he should tell the truth about…

    • 612 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A tragic hero is a character that risks their life for others. John stayed loyal to Elizabeth as he loves her, not Abigail. We can learn not to defend our bad decisions from the play as it will only make a situation worse. John Proctor is special because he can easily lie his way out of the mess, but he represents the right thing by giving his own fate for his people.…

    • 72 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Do you want to know why John Proctor is a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a person of noble birth with heroic qualities. In the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a character in the play and he is a tragic hero that has a lot of things happening to him. John Proctor is a tragic hero because of these three reasons; had an affair with Abigail, confessing to his wife/ relationship, and saving his name from the village.…

    • 444 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a series on witch trials occur that creates mass hysteria in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Abigail Williams, one of the main characters, fabricates the lies that begin the witch hunt in her attempt to divert everyone's attention towards her including the attention of John Proctor. In the play, Proctor has an affair with young Abigail while his wife goes through postpartum depression causing Abigail to fall in love with him but John returns to his wife Elizabeth. While Elizabeth Proctor barely forgives him, John does all he can to make it up to her. Unfortunately, the biggest consequence of the affair is not the loss of security, but when Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchcraft. Elizabeth and Abigail have very conflicting characters, but they also compare in many ways and contribute to the symbolism of the play over all.…

    • 537 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The setting of Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, conveys a powerful structure of jealousy to the reader’s understanding that Abigail Williams’ decision in concealing her affair with John Proctor will prevent charges of witchcraft on John Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor. In addition, Abigail William is marked as the lowest in the social pyramid in Salem. Witchcraft gave her instant recognition within Salem which fed her power from within, which led to the circulation of innocent people being indicted with false accusations.…

    • 80 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor is a very dynamic character who has an internal conflict between being righteous and falling into temptation. This character is very unique because he changes his personality throughout the story. I like John Proctor because he is a symbol of the common man because most men fall into temptation at one point in their lives. We all try to do well but we are all sinners and we need to learn from our mistakes. I can relate to this character because I to have fallen into temptation but turn to God to guide me and direct me in the right path.…

    • 649 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, The Crucible, John Proctor can be considered the tragic hero. He had all the components of a tragic hero, he had a tragic flaw which led to his tragic end. A tragic hero’s downfall is usually brought upon by his or herself by an error in judgment or a tragic flaw. A tragic hero is usually overcome by evil, but in the course of the struggle, the hero gains self-knowledge and wisdom. John Proctor is the perfect tragic hero because of his error in judgment, the fact that he is overcome by evil, and his courageous downfall.…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a hysteria of witchcraft that sweeps across Massachusetts changes the citizens of Salem, transforming some into monsters and helping others to realize their mistakes. Miller’s description of the character John Proctor at the start of The Crucible seems to describe another person as his change becomes more prevalent throughout the play. Proctor is at first consumed with guilt and despair, but he comes to find pride in his name, and he will hold on to the meaning he has finally found in his life for the short time he can.…

    • 257 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    1692, a time in which a small town goes into absolute chaos. The hysteria of witchcraft fills the streets of Salem, Massachusetts with rumors and accusations leading to the hanging of nineteen innocent people. Arthur Miller uses this tragedy to resemble the same stupidity of the accusations of the infiltration of communists in the United States throughout the 1950’s. To display the absurdness of the accusations, Miller had to create a protagonist with non-conformist views that would defy the insanity raised by the fictitious experiences of witchcraft. Miller creates the character John Proctor, a fictional character who does not conform to the madness of Salem. At times he may seem like a bad man trying to do a good deed, but, on the contrary, is quite a good man. Through the actions after his affair with Abigail, by defending his wife, and by standing up for his religious and personal viewpoints, John Proctor proves that he is indeed a good man.…

    • 840 Words
    • 3 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
  • Good Essays

    When Elizabeth is charged and arrested for “witchcraft”, the dynamic between John and Elizabeth Proctor changes; as well as Elizabeth herself. She grows stronger and confident for herself and her family. She says to John, “When the children wake, speak nothing of witchcraft- it will frighten them”(Miller,37). She is motivated by the love she shares with John to continue and go through the witch trials. Consequently, her love for him makes the situation worse in the long run. Elizabeth lies about knowing the affair between John and Abigail think she was protecting him and his reputation. Elizabeth says to Danforth, “No, sir”(Miller, 50); she lies about the affair to the court thinking she is protecting her husband. John knows she is trying…

    • 850 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Proctor had committed the crime of lechery and adultery with none other than Abigail Williams; before he knew it his goodly life was irrevocably corrupted. Proctor was a sinner, a sinner not only against the moral fashion of the time, but against his own vision of decent conduct. Proctor began to view himself as the thing he hated most – a fraud and a hypocrite. He was caged by his own guilt. The emotional weight of the play rests on Proctors journey to regain his self-image, his lost goodness. It is indeed, Proctors journey from guilt to redemption which forms the central spine of The Crucible.…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Proctor

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrayed John Proctor as a dynamic character in the story. John was a rural farmer in his thirties. John was an honest man who could not stand for hypocrisy. He isolated himself from the issues of Salem, Massachusetts by staying on his farm. Despite his hatred for hypocrites, John held a deep secret that would ruin his reputation if it was uncovered. This secret was his affair with Abigail Williams, who was once a servant to the Proctors and was the niece of Reverend Parris. John Proctor transforms from being minding his own business to becoming the center of the witchcraft trials in Salem.…

    • 491 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays