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Examples Of John Proctor's Tragic Flaws In The Crucible

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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. But i will cut my hand off before I’ll ever reach for you again.” pg. 1270. This states that Proctor is willing to cut own hand off, so he’ll never commit his sin of lechery again. In Act III, he expresses his pride by saying, “ Proctor: I say -- I say --- God is dead!” pg. 1339. This is an expression of his Pride because he is willing to damn God’s name in order to express his emotions toward the judgement of the innocent. And in Act IV, his last expression of pride, he states, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my …show more content…

In Act II, it states, “ Hale: why...why did you keep this? Proctor: I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense.” This quote explains that Proctor knew the truth about the girls but didn’t go to the court to confront them. This is Proctor’s biggest mistake this decision results in tragic events that take place in the future of this play. These events include, the girls accusing some of the townspeople of witchcraft, and the hangings. This decisions dooms Proctor because it eventually leads to his

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In The Crucible, John Proctor is dragged down by his flaws of guilt and lust. His journey shows that honesty and loyalty are very important traits to have. He redeems himself by being selfless and helping other people rather than thinking of himself. John Proctor qualifies as a tragic hero because his wrongdoings lead to his downfall. This downfall helps John to forgive himself which makes him a better person at the end of the story.

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Certain crimes such as: Adultery, Murder and Theft, during the Puritan era were always diagnosed as inhumane and ruined a person's reputation, despite any attempt of redemption. Proctor’s crime of adultery is a key element in the starting of the salem witch trials and the devastating end. Proctors situation alternates throughout the novel consistently by other villagers and even Proctor himself. His crime at first is tried to be subdued by himself then it is later used as evidence in a trial and finally it is used as a confession however it ultimately is not believed. To begin Proctor first tries to hide is crime from the other villagers however Abigail seems to want to expose their relationship.

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However, he does not wish for Elizabeth to sacrifice for his mistake. He believes his guilt over having the affair will be relieved once he saves Elizabeth, as he would be mending his mistake. Therefore, he attempts every action in his power to ensure Elizabeth is rescued, including combatting authority. In the novel, Reverend Hale travels to the Proctor household in order to question their Christianity. After Hale asks about Proctor’s belief in witches, Proctor states, “...I cannot believe [witches] come among us...”

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This would promise him to live life in jail and a condemned soul. However, after he signed the confession document, he then took it and ripped it up. Some may claim that since Proctor signed the paper at first it shows weakness, yet Proctor only signed the paper because he believed that his “honesty is broke... I am no good man.” (IV.188-200) He would not let his family’s name be dishonored by his lies.

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“He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” (1273) Metaphorically speaking, Proctor was put into a crucible, melted down, and came out in the purest form possible. John Proctor perfectly fits the role of a tragic hero because he has all the qualities of a tragic hero.

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Admitting to his actions is a way for Proctor to be rescued from the consequences of his sins. So, Proctor dies for a greater

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Such a confession would disgrace his fellow inmates who dared to give their lives as witnesses to the truth. At the play's conclusion, Proctor makes the bold decision to walk to his death without attesting to an untrue assertion because he wants to maintain his excellent reputation. He exclaims to Danforth, "I have given you my soul; leave me my name!" in Act IV. He makes up for his past mistake and dies with integrity by refusing to give up his

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John Proctor would not confess to witchcraft simply to get out of death. He felt as though holding his dignity and integrity exceeded living in deceit. Despite the consequences he had to face, Proctor stood by his worth and beliefs. Tragedy lies in the inability for one to accomplish his or her desires due to unethical ways of others. A tragic hero is demonstrated when one no one longer cares about the consequences that will result and would rather lay down his life than lie to himself and

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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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It Proctor values his reputation, albeit in a positive way (unlike characters such as Abigail) when he says"Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name?

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“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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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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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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ACT 4: “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name?

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Proctor even told them he is not something to be used to help them, “you will not use me” (4, 699). Proctor will not allow the town to use his name to save themselves for killing all the innocent people before him. Proctor even pleads with them, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name” (4, 730). Proctor is saying how the integrity he has is only left in his name since his soul has been sinned.

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