The Crucible John Proctor Tragic Hero Essay

The Crucible is a book written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. In The Crucible John Proctor is the tragic hero. John is a highly respected farmer in the town of Salem. But unfortunately, he had a downfall because he committed adultery. He tried to redeem himself by confessing to everyone and staying away from Abby. When he confessed his affair with Abby to the court he was hanged. John Proctor is the tragic hero in The Crucible because he was highly respected, had a downfall of adultery, redeemed himself, and died. A tragic hero has to be a highly respected person. In Salem, John Proctor is a highly respected farmer. In this time, owning a lot of land meant that a person was wealthy. Proctor’s land was a big part of not only his land but also his identity. He took much pride in his land. Proctor had some issues with his land and with Putnam. Putnam was claiming that Proctor was stealing logs from the Putnam land (Miller 898). But Proctor being the person he is, he knew exactly where his land started and ended. Knowing and having all this land made Proctor a highly respected person. Secondly, a tragic hero has to have a

John tried redeem himself by confessing and by staying away from Abby. Proctor confessed to his wife about the affair after she was curious about him. Goody Proctor can not come to forgive him and Proctor is getting tired of her not letting it go. Proctor tells Goody Proctor “Spare me! You forget nothin’ and forgive nothin’. Learn charity, women. I have gone tiptoe in this house all seven month since she is gone.” (918). Meaning that he has tried to be a perfect husband and person to her and she still can not let it go. Proctor also tries to redeem himself by staying away from Abby. He sees Abby in town and she wants to hug and kiss him but he tells her, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.”