The Crucible: A Most Tragic Tale

The Crucible: A Most Tragic Tale

Defining The Crucible under one specific story type is something that many have tried and many more have debated about. Nathanial Hawthorne never really makes it obvious what the intended genre of the piece is supposed to be. For me personally, I consider it to be a satirical historic fiction. While it is simple for one to come up with their own ideas about the story, others don’t have such an easy time. The debate about whether or not the book is a tragedy is one that has multiple sides and arguments that can be easily understood. Those who support both sides have very valid points and arguments attributed to them, and it is very important to understand each side before coming to a conclusion.

For those who

At the point the reader meets him, he really doesn’t seem like the hero of a tragedy. He doesn’t have enough self-confidence or cockiness to really be classified as one. The only really good quality the reader gets to see is that he is a very dedicated worker. The other argument against the characters is that neither of them really follow the stereotypical “cycle” of a tragic hero. Hale hardly qualifies as a tragic hero, because he experiences no great tragedy by the end of the story. Now John, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated. He is disregarded as the tragic hero because he doesn’t follow the path in the normal sense. However, this doesn’t necessarily eliminate him from being the tragic hero.

In the standards of storytelling, John shouldn’t technically be considered as a tragic hero.

He is nowhere on the level of famous heroes such as Romeo or Hamlet. During the entirety of the story, he does demonstrate some qualities of a tragic hero. Specifically, he demonstrates a strong belief in freewill, a capacity for suffering, and eventually some vigorous protest.

However, while he does demonstrate these qualities, he never really follows the cycle of a

That partner is none other than his wife,

Elizabeth Proctor.

The Crucible: A Most Tragic Tale

This dynamic between the Proctors is what really solidifies their position as a pair of tragic heroes. When Hale is interrogated John about the Ten Commandments during the story,

John states that, between him and his wife, they know all of the Commandments. This is the same idea, but now between the two of then a full tragic hero is created. In the story, Elizabeth takes all of the steps that John fails to make on the cycle for tragedy. Elizabeth provides the reversal when she finally lies in the court to protect John’s name. By doing this, she instead gets

John’s accusation of Abbigail Williams to be disregarded by the court. This, in turn, damages

John’s name and reliability in the court. The discovery is made by both of the Proctors when their servant, Mary Warren, reveals to them that Elizabeth was accused of being a witch. This discovery majorly alters the fortune of both Elizabeth and John. Finally, the restoration is also shared by the couple near the end of the story. In a last ditch effort to save face, Judge