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John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

590 Words3 Pages

Arthur Miller wrote the Crucible in 1953 several years into the Cold War. Arthur Miller book the Crucible is a not so well hidden allegory for McCarthyism. McCarthyism is named after Senator Joseph McCarthy and his witch hunt for communists, during the Cold War. This was done in order for McCarthy to gain political power similarly to what Reverend Parris and the girls did during the Salem Witch Trials. The time of McCarthyism is now called The Red Scare. John Proctor does not qualify as a tragic hero. While he possesses many character traits of a tragic hero, he lack one important factor. He admits to lechery. Therefore giving up his pride. His pride is his tragic flaw, however it does not cause his downfall like a tragic hero's tragic flaw should. Instead the giving up of his pride is what leads to his downfall and ultimately his death. …show more content…

Now if he was prideful enough to have it tragic flaw he would not admit it was a mistake like in this quote from Proctor “Abby I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll reach for you again wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby”(22) This quote from John Proctor were we admits that he was wrong. Crealy shows that he is willing to give up his pride as he continues to do in the later Acts leading to his downfall. During Act 2 we learn more about John Proctor’s home life and what we learn is that while the Proctor family are not poor, They currently aren't as well off as the traditional Tragic Hero as evidenced by this Quote from Proctor “If the crop is good I’ll buy George Jacob’s Heifer.”(48) Therefore John Proctor has less to lose than most tragic heros making the main thing he ends up losing being his respect among the people of

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220 Words | 1 Pages

The next quality that makes John Proctor a tragic hero is having a tragic flaw. John Proctor went through many tragic flaws during the story. For example, on page 894 John Proctor decides not to be interested in Abigail no more and he says, “I will cut of my hand before I will ever touch you again.” This ends to John’s tragic flaw because eventually this will lead him to go to court to save his wife. Another Example, On page 916 John and Elizabeth has gotten into an argument about the situation that was going on between him and Abby.

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Character Analysis On John Proctor

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You can see that John Proctor is a good man, he tries to help everyone and he does not meddle in the lives of others, he is considered an upstanding member of the community. John Proctor is a hardworking middle aged farmer, husband, and father. People love and respect him although they know he is not without human failing. For example with Mary, when the Counsel take Proctor’s wife, He starts to scream at her and almost hits her. I understand that he doesn’t want to lose his wife but, he can be gentler with her or when he has an affair with their teenage servant Abigail Williams, a girl that tells lies, manipulates her friends and the entire town, and eventually sends innocent people to their deaths.

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Similarities Between John And Elizabeth Proctor In The Crucible

652 Words | 3 Pages

John Proctor displayed his character traits of aggression and anger throughout the story in fear of his integrity being ruined. He was considered a tragic hero because of his downfall in trying to protect his integrity. Even though Elizabeth Proctor had the traits of innocence and compassion she still lacked affection towards her husband. This in turn led John to commit adultery with their housekeeper. These two characters demonstrate these traits throughout the story.

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At last, a tragic hero realized his bad and try to fix that into right way. In the book “the crucible” John Proctor said to lawyer and judgement that “Tell them I confessed myself: say Proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman:say what you will, but my name cannot-”(p62). It reflects that he is trying to be honest, and also trying to be a good father to his child and husband to Elizabeth. This is because, if he confess and avoid death, his child cannot inherited anything and Elizabeth lived with suffer because her husband is a witch. But, Proctor doesn’t confess that he is witch, and be honest to his child and wife.

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John Proctor is a pedofile but a hero. In Arthur Miller's movie, "The Crucible,” released in 1996 in the United States, the town of Salem is consumed by a mass hysteria as people are accused of witchcraft left and right. John Proctor, the star of the movie, plays a crucial role on how he could have been the character to have ended this madness. In "The Crucible,” I believe John Proctor could have ended the hysteria in Salem by avoiding the affair with Abigail Williams, being more honest, and exposing the lies. To begin with, John Proctor should’ve left Abigail Williams alone.

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John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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John Proctor's main flaw was his excessive pride which sealed his fate. I myself felt his death transformed Salem’s ways of thinking and increased their own knowledge. Proctor's life completely started going downhill when Abigail accused John’s loved ones who then were sent to jail, or executed. John Proctor was a man of goodness and pride which cleansed his soul after he suffered a tragic death, and became a symbol of purity and greatness for others to

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John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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John Proctor In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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Abigail wouldn't have known better, she's a child and she's selfishly impulsive—John, however, should have known. He was a grown man, he had children himself and he knew how they were. Besides which, he had a loving wife, who might have been sick but when they married, he promised to be faithful to her. John Proctor is simply a flawed human, as all are. The fact, however, is that he still confessed his

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564 Words | 3 Pages

Because I cannot have another one in my life!... Proctor tears the paper and crumples it. ”(143 & 144) This quote proves that John Proctor preserved his dignity and soul, and followed his moral compass in doing the right thing. Contributing to the previous detail, “I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor...

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John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

1475 Words | 6 Pages

A tragic hero is a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedy that is destined for downfall, suffering, or defeat. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, John Proctor, according to Aristotle’s definition, can be well defined as a tragic hero due to his nobility, irreversible mistakes, serious error in judgment, and eventually a tragic death. John Proctor has the possibility to succeed, but is trapped in a situation and has no way out. Everything he executes throughout the play, describes the ideal definition of a tragic hero. In regards to real life historical facts, John Proctor would fit the role of the amazing Martin Luther King Jr..

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747 Words | 3 Pages

In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the town of Salem is afflicted with hysteria, intolerance, and accusations that lead to death. According to philosopher Aristotle, a tragic hero possesses a tragic flaw, excessive pride, and an inevitable downfall. Protagonist John Proctor illustrates a tragic hero because he is presented as happy, powerful, and privileged, which later leads him to suffer because of his own actions. First of all, John Proctor possesses a fatal flaw, pride, which is a characteristic of a tragic hero. Proctor’s fatal flaws includes honesty and pride.

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594 Words | 3 Pages

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