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

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What may be the best known definition of a tragic hero comes from the great philosopher Aristotle. According to Aristotle a tragic hero is ““the change of fortune presented must not be the spectacle of a virtuous man brought from prosperity to adversity.” (ohio.edu). If this statement does not bring the character of John Proctor to mind then what will? John proctor has all the characteristics that one would need to be characterized as a tragic hero. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller, this is a play about the salem witch trials. When girls are in their beds, unresponsive, fingers begin to be pointed. False accusations are made from left to right and the town of Salem is no longer safe. The character John Proctor is in the middle of all this. He has committed adultery, but, it can be proven that John is a tragic hero. This is proven by him being eminently good and just, how hes …show more content…

After John signed his confession 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 you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (133). Signing the confession would’ve saved Mr. Proctors life but Proctors name means too much to him. He will be remembered as the man who committed adultery if his confession is posted on the church door. Rather than sign away his name to lies and a mistake, he dies to keep the truth and good within his name. Another example is that John Proctor is a lecher. He lets sex with a Harlot, named Abigail, ruin the trust he has with Elizabeth and his marriage. John Proctor tells Elizabeth “I may blush for my sin.” (58). He says this because he was not blushing at Abagail because he liked her, but at the fact that he ever slept with her. If John Proctor didn’t do this, he wouldn’t be in the predicament he’s in

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John Proctor is seen during the finals moments of the play, giving up his life to save his name. In Act 4, when Danforth tries to hang his confession on the church door, John Proctor tears the paper apart, declaring that his name was sacred and without it being his own, he is not anyone at all. “PROCTOR: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life. Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang!

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Proctor’s past sins of adultery are another reason it is so hard for him to give up his name; since he already views himself as a fraud, he does not deserve the glory he will get by signing away his name. Not only does Proctor care about his name, but he also cares about the other respectable citizens, such as Rebecca Nurse, who are willing to die for what they believe is right. If he signed his name for a false confession, it would have caused him to “blacken all of them… the very day they hang for silence” (Miler 207). The people who were accused and did not confess to false witchery were hanged in public as a result of their choices. By Proctor following through with giving the church his name, the impact made by the people who gave their lives would have been diminished and forgotten.

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Page 1 of 4 Jolly 1 Elijah Jolly English IV Miss Murphy 3 April 2023 Minerva Mirabal: Determined Feminist and Revolutionary Minerva Mirabal began life as a typical daughter of the Dominican Republic and became a national icon due to her determination, bravery, and sacrifice for her country. She and her sisters became martyrs unintentionally. They became symbols of what it means to stand up to oppression, giving hope to those left behind. They showed the women of their era that it is not only men who are brave revolutionaries. The importance of sacrifice is a main theme of Julia Alvarez’

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Proctor’s true feelings are exposed in this quote as he decides that being saved by a lie is worse than dying by the truth. By signing the paper, his name would be tied to witchcraft along with lies. With his wife being pregnant, John decided he wanted his child to remember him as being a good honest man and not a man of lies. Proctor’s decisions made him evolve from the beginning of the play to the end which gives rise to him becoming a tragic hero because he was forced to overcome what society felt was the right thing to do, and do what he felt was the right thing to

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Proctor is a well respected upperclassman and him sacrificing his life led to his family living a greater life. To the court with great emotion proctor states “ 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 soul; leave me my name!” (143).

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In act IV he doesn’t want the confession to go on the church and they ask him why. Proctor’s response is “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!” (1357). This shows that John’s pride of

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He admitted to lechery to save his wife even though it would damage his reputation. John Proctor’s attempt to expose Abigail failed. Abigail always had the support of her friends, including Mary Warren. After Elizabeth Proctor was accused, Mary felt guilty and admitted that the girls were lying the whole time. She went to court

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I have given you my soul; leave me my name" (Miller 143)! This was the part were Proctor was trying to figure out whether or not he was going to confess to witchcraft. John Proctor knows he will be hung if he doesn't confess to witchcraft. When it comes time to confess he finds out that he would have to tell the judges and Hale in public with other people around. Reputation is very important to John and he will not let this ruin his reputation.

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John Proctor is a good man because he is now

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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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In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, the town of Salem, Massachusetts is overrun with hysteria because of children who accused many of the townspeople of witchcraft. One of the accused was a man named John Proctor. While he was a respected farmer and member of the community, he had committed adultery with one of the accusers, Abigail Williams. ++++ +

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When Proctor says he is “not worth the dust on the feet of those that hang”, it is clear he recognizes the gravity of his wrongdoings and is heavily burdened by his past, to the point of feeling less than dust Proctor. Staying true to his morals means more to him than his physical existence, and his urge to protect his name demonstrates this.

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“How many I live without my name. I have given you you my soul; leave me my name.” This means that John has already said he committed his crime and his family should not be discriminated for his mistakes. John Proctor is a middle aged man that works on a farm. He is married to Elizabeth Proctor.

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John Proctor was a man of honor and had a well respected name in the town of Salem. Sadly he died tragically but as a hero. He was hanged because he was accused of doing the devil’s work. He was given the chance to save his life if he admitted on a piece of paper that he was working with the devil but he refused to tell that lie. He wanted his sons to be able to walk the streets without being shunned from the world because they deserved better.

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From this I can infer that John Proctors reputation in society was important to him than being hung for a crime he did not commit. The theme

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