Anastasia Walker Professor Ifedi Introduction to Political Science October 29, 2014 Book Report: Gideon’s Trumpet by Anthony Lewis The book Gideon’s Trumpet was written by Anthony Lewis, who was for many years a prominent reporter and columnist for the New York Times. Lewis tells the story of Clarence Earl Gideon, the plaintiff in the landmark Gideon v. Wainwright decision by the United States Supreme Court. The case was decided in 1963 and established that criminal defendants in the United States have the constitutional right to be represented in court by counsel even if they are unable to personally afford to pay an attorney.
In any successful story the protagonist must go through a thorough change in which they see things and do things in a “new light.’ In The Crucible John Proctor, the protagonist starts off as adulterous deceiving man but as the story progresses he develops into a respectful, wise and intellectual character. Throughout The Crucible John Procter redevelops his relationship with his wife, his honesty with others in Salem, and his moral view of what is right and wrong. When John Procter and his wife are first introduced into the story there seems to be a discerning fervor between the two “love birds” in the story. Especially when Elizabeth is questioned by John on why she feels sad the stage directions say that “She [Elizabeth] doesn’t want friction and yet she must” (Miller 166).
Throughout the novel, Proctor demonstrates positive qualities in regards to himself, his wife, and his community. In Act 1, Miller introduces Proctor as a man who is strong, emotionally stable, and steadfast. These qualities show the reader that Proctor is a man who behaves in a noble manner and that he is a character who the audience can admire. Even though he possesses noble like qualities, he also has character flaws that allow the audience to more easily relate to him as a character and, more importantly, a human. Those character flaws include: excessive pride, or hubris, selfishness, and being deceitful.
John Proctor is introduced as a married farmer who had a scandalous affair with his servant Abigail Williams. This horrible act of adultery has left him damaged and confused on how to move forward with his life. Likewise, he is haunted by his sin, Abigail serving as a constant reminder to his flawed decision. John says to Abigail, “ I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again”(Miller 1140), which shows his resolve and the loyalty he is trying to give his wife.
What the Audience learns from John Proctor throughout the Crucible is that John Proctor was a flawed character and the beginning of the play, but coming into conclusion of the play he regains himself because he chooses to act as a tragic hero by seeking justice for his wife, friends, and
John Proctor is an integral character in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible; he serves as the play’s common man tragic hero, often adding bursts of clarity and reasonable thought to the incoherent chaos of constant accusations and cynical attacks in Salem. In Act II of Miller’s play, Proctor’s obstacles and flaws become more apparent than ever as his relationship with his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is strained even further in the wake of Abigail’s controversial actions. In response to these events, among others, Proctor’s reputation, relationships, and overall character are completely altered as he adapts to his environment. Before describing the change that occurred during the second act, it is important to characterize Proctor before these events
John Proctor, one of the main characters in The Crucible, is remorseful, candid, and industrial. He is very determined to make his farm as successful as possible. Proctor becomes truthful at the end when they want him to confess; moreover, he regrets what he did with Abigail Williams. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is not willing to condone the situation. There is always something that will be in the back of John Proctors mind throughout his life.
When Danforth tells Proctor he has not sold his freinds, Proctor states, “Beguile me not! I displays that Proctor is a hero because he is blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!”(Miller, 132). This incident displays that Proctor is a hero because he is willing to incriminate himself to save his friends because of an affair he decided to have with Abigail that led to her speaking blasphemously about Witchcraft in order to become Proctor’s wife. This exhibits honesty and supportiveness, Proctor himself could’ve stayed out of the trial, but he refused to let Abigail falsely incriminate his society, so he takes a stand. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he stood for a good cause and feels remorse knowing that if he had told the court that he had an affair with Abigail earlier, they wouldn’t have killed off prominent members of their society.
In The Crucible, nobody is as messed up as John Proctor. Some people in Salem are straight-up evil, others are practically saints. A few are internally conflicted and go through some changes, but they have nothing on Proctor. Throughout the whole play, he is at war with himself. Although he is ultimately a good person, he made one mistake that constantly haunts him.
Main character John Proctor has a drastic change in the play when his wife Elizabeth Proctor is accused of being a witch. Proctor in the beginning of the play is a hotheaded sinner to becoming a man who wants redemption to what he committed. When we are first introduced to Proctor in Act I it is known that he has an affair with Abigail Williams. Proctor has committed lechery. In Act II Proctor is known of
Proctor's downfall in the play is initiated by a human flaw, which qualifies him to be the tragic hero. Arthur Miller illustrates John Proctor as a common honest
In the short story The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John proctor acts as a good christian man, but when you get deeper into the book his true identity comes out. John Proctor tries to blame everyone else until things turn around and start to impact his daily life. John Proctor gets to know that he has no one to blame about the whole mishappening, but himself since he is the sinful one. John Proctor changes his characteristics at the end of the play. He turns into the one who blames everyone for the problems going on, to the one that can’t judge anyone for their sins.
John Proctor is a very dishonest person and isn't afraid to argue with others about things even if heś completely in the wrong. The crucible by Arthur Miller really does a good job of showing proctors true colors in the play. Many of the things Proctor does is cheat on his wife multiple times with a girl that's half his age and then cuts the girl ̈Abigail ̈ off. He says that he is a very faithful man but that wouldn't make sense because he cheated on his wife and when reverend hale asked him to list all ten commandments he could only list nine and the one he forgot his wife repeated for him and it was the commandment that one shall not be an adulterer which goes against the bible. He also made it very clear that he didn't believe in witches
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.
Next, we will see how both of them are affected by reputation. Proctor tries to conceal is affair with Abigail for he is afraid his name would be blacken if he is discovered. Another thing is in act IV, he found out after signing his name on the proclamation, the Judges are going to show the town people his sins, so he tore the paper in order to protect his name. Unfortunately for him, he was hang in the end.
