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Compare And Contrast The Crucible And John Proctor

2003 Words9 Pages

Two Heroes Through Time: Proctor, a Tragic Hero and his Comparison to Christ in The Crucible
"The change in the hero's fortunes be not from misery to happiness, but on the contrary, from happiness to misery, and the cause of it must not lie in any depravity but in some great error on his part." - Aristotle
Human nature has shown to be mostly ignorant but also shows prejudice to those who serve and bring benefit to society. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Proctor is a perfect example of a person who comes across as the proverbial Christ figure, someone with a whole lot of characteristics revealed throughout the play. Confronting the evil in Salem, overcoming temptation, but also being persecuted and suffering is what Proctor was known for.
When John Proctor was accused of witchcraft in 1692, he knew that even though the accusations were false and that the women were not in contact with the devil, he had to admit to being a witch to save all those around him. “I have confessed myself” he cried, “is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name.” (Miller, 1953, Act IV). He knew he could not lie just to save his life, so he chose to tell the truth and that meant he would be crucified. Most people might not realize it, but Miller not only …show more content…

John, a respected farmer with a original sin, the affair with Abigail, found a way to get over his guilt and redeem himself through the sacrifice he made to save the people of Salem from the lies they think they need to spread to protect themselves and to take an action towards the false judges who are corrupting his town. He wanted to be a good example to be remembered by and forever in the memories of the people of Salem just like Jesus Christ still remains, to this day, a hero and humble savior of

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485 Words | 2 Pages

Proctor’s Opposition to His Society In the book, The Crucible, Arthur Miller introduces us to John Proctor. Proctor is married and simple, yet he's argumentative toward his town for the persecution of “witches.” Proctor faces conflict throughout the town, his morals are challenged and his view on ethical implication are changing.

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842 Words | 4 Pages

The most notable martyr, though, is John Proctor. Throughout The Crucible we witness Proctor’s personality and character change for the better because he chooses to follow his core beliefs. Proctor is put in a very difficult situation. He is accused of practicing witchcraft, and though the evidence given was false, he has to choose one of two options- admit to practicing witchcraft or fight for his beliefs and keep his reputation from being tainted. Proctor chooses the second option as he believes that is right thing to do.

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912 Words | 4 Pages

I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(1272). These words by John Proctor exemplify his character by making, in my opinion, not a very wise decision. In the play The Crucible, John Proctor’s unwillingness can be seen as selfish because others hung before he confessed his affair with Abigail but he redeemed himself by undoing his confession and refusing to sell the court other names, which Arthur Miller used to convey a message about a crucible being put through a fire/trial and coming out in its purest form, through the character of John

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945 Words | 4 Pages

JOHN PROCTOR: TRAGIC HERO Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a greatly revered work, and it reflected the times of America in the days of McCarthyism. Perhaps the character that connected to the audience most was John Proctor, the protagonist of the play. He reflects the mistakes that we have made in our lives, and the struggle that some of have while trying to take the blindfold off of other people. He should be considered a hero because he feels guilt, and therefore tries to make up for the fact that he once had an affair.

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2173 Words | 9 Pages

These characters are usually very prideful, but are intelligent and learn something at the end of the story. The tragic hero of The Crucible is John Proctor, whose flaw is that he had committed adultery with Abigail Williams, due to the cold nature of his wife. The events that led to his fall first start when his wife is arrested for witchcraft. He is extremely angered by this unfair arrest and rips the warrant, screaming, “Off with you!” (72) as they try to take custody of her.

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1218 Words | 5 Pages

Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour. First, John Proctor shows his goodness, by refusing the physical advances of Abigail, who wishes to continue their love affair.

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794 Words | 4 Pages

In Arthur Miller’s dramatic play The Crucible, John Proctor, the protagonist, symbolized truth and justice by displaying honor and pride in his name. The change in balance between those two attributes acted as a catalyst in defining moments of the play. In the beginning, Proctor equally reflected both pride and honor in separate events. However, when forced to make a decision, he chose honor over pride. Ultimately, both his honor and pride pushed him to commit the ultimate sacrifice.

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811 Words | 4 Pages

The Witch Hunt Leading a life of regret is a challenging existence for any man for guilt weighs heavily on the soul. John Proctor, the protagonist in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, is burdened by an immoral act, a torrid affair, which has cost him his name and integrity. Forgiveness comes at a great price, one that he must come to terms with. John Proctor undergoes a transformation from a man battling internal strife to a man who rediscovers his personal integrity.

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613 Words | 3 Pages

“I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 1357). This quote is said by John Proctor, a character in “The Crucible,” who is pleading to keep his name reputable when accused of witchcraft. Arthur Miller writes “The Crucible” to portray the Salem witch trials of 1692. The people of Salem have grievances in which they need a scapegoat.

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594 Words | 3 Pages

John Proctor, the protagonist of The Crucible, qualifies as a tragic hero because he has a tragic flaw, is ethically superior to the other characters in the play, and struggles to find peace with himself in midst of the lies and chaos during this play. John Proctor possesses a tragic flaw that forces him to hide his prideful mistake, which eventually brings about his downfall. I guess the old saying is true, “Pride comes before the fall”. John Proctor’s tragic flaw is his excessive pride, and he expresses it abundantly throughout the play. In Act I, it states, “ Proctor: Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time.

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835 Words | 4 Pages

John Proctor is a good man despite anything others may say about him. He displays three very noble qualities throughout the witch trials which are bravery, honesty, and an overall goal to save lives even to the point where he sacrificed his. While many argue John is a bad man because he committed adultery they are entirely mistaken. Just because he had one bad sin gives no right to anybody to call him a bad person when clearly the good side of him is shown more than the bad. John Proctor is a good man who displays the characteristics of a hero and could be seen as one for giving his life for his friends.

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1159 Words | 5 Pages

In The Crucible, a drama by Arthur Miller, John Proctor demonstrates courage by speaking out for what he believes in while knowing his consequences, admitting his wrong doings with Abigail to save Elizabeth’s life, and choosing to be hanged over having his name posted on the church door because the second his signed confession is posted, his and his loved ones reputations will be ruined. In the beginning of the play all John Proctor cared about was his reputation. However, ultimately he sacrificed his reputation by telling the court he committed adultery. John telling the court he was guilty ruined his reputation, which made all hell break loose.

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822 Words | 4 Pages

In the Crucible, many of the characters go through changes because of the intensity of the situation. But there is only one character that I think changed the most, and that is John Proctor who is the protagonist of the novel The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I think that John Procotor changes the most in the Crucible because he is in every act and mostly in every scene, and throughtout  the play I see more drama (Dynamic Character) in him than any other character in the Crucible and I will go through and tell you how John Proctor changes in the Crucible.     In the beginning of the play (Acts 1 and 2), we focus on John Proctor and we know that he is a good puritan citizen, a hard-working farmer and who is a husband and father.

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612 Words | 3 Pages

In the play The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, John Proctor was internally triumphant when he gained respect for himself, primarily due to his mission of personal redemption and his integrity. Overwrought by regret of his actions, John Proctor is driven on a mission to personally prove himself. He realizes the enormous mistake of committing lechery with Abigail, and wants to prove to himself he has a good will. Near the final pages of the play, Proctor was asked if he was accompanied when doing the devil’s work, he responded “I speak my own sins; I cannot judge another. I have no tongue for it” (Miller 141).

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566 Words | 3 Pages

In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor was accused of witchcraft. John Proctor was a man of great integrity and knew he did nothing wrong. He was given the choice to confess and lie or be hung. Being the honest and stubborn man that he was, he decided his name was more important than his life. John struggled both internally and with others while trying to fight for what he thought was right.

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