Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, which is an embellished and somewhat novelized story of the Salem witch trials of 1692, offers the audience a protagonist, John Proctor, who is defined by the struggles that worry him. Where a strict theocracy rules Salem, the bible is the law, and all who do not follow the rules entirely are serving the devil, John Proctor portrays the classic tragic hero, where his moral errors and sacrifice for his morals becomes the cause of his untimely death. At the cost of his principles, he underwent a major survey of his character, which leads him to understand that the only way to redeem himself for his moral sins was to sacrifice his life. Proctor’s principal value is his sense of personal integrity, and this places him into a direct, and ultimately dreadful confrontation with the court set up to test the accusations of witchcraft. Due to the assumptions created by his former mistress, Abigail Williams, he and his wife are both convicted and are forced to come before the court. Rather than make a false confession, he chooses to be hanged along with those others who also chose not to lie, such as Rebecca Nurse. It is true that he also has incredible moments of indecision and does indeed sign a confession …show more content…
He sees other people for what they are – an example being his understanding that Parris is utterly greedy and egocentric – and this proves he can see right through all the conjuring hysteria and recognize it for what it truly is: an excuse for people to express previous disagreements, grudges, and hostilities in an ambiguous manner. Although it is clear that there are no signs of paranormal activity occurring, Proctor is one of the few who realizes this. Therefore his realistic approach to life, which includes his refusal to submit to the ideas of malign magical powers that he personally does not believe in, creates conflict with the court and motivates his