The Heroic John Proctor In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Arthur Millers, The Crucible is a story recounting the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. John Proctor, is one of the main characters accused of witchcraft. John was a respected farmer who had a love affair with Abigail, his servant. Abigail began to accuse the people of Salem of witchcraft and most were subsequently hanged, including Proctor. Although the story of John Proctor is tragic, can his actions and motives throughout the Crucible be seen as “heroic”? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. John proctor is a genuinely good man whose selflessness and moral values sadly lead to his death. Although John Proctors story is tragic, he is not necessarily portrayed as a hero. This

It is a fraud for i am not that man. My honesty is broke Elizabeth; I am no good an. Nothing’s spoiled by giving them this lie that were not rotten log before.”

ELIZABETH: And yet you've not confessed till now. That speak, goodness in you.

PROCTOR: Spite only keeps me silent. It is hard to give a lie to dogs. I would have your forgiveness, Elizabeth.

ELIZABETH: It is not for me to give, John, I am —

Proctor in this quote reveals that his moral is somewhat broken, and that forgiveness is the remedy for his internal suffrage. Proctor is hurting because he does not think he is capable or deserves forgiveness. In line 14 of pg. 126 Elizabeth says “It is not for me to give, John, I am —“. While this quote contains a cut-off , I am able to inference that the line Elizabeth would complete it with is “not God.” It is almost irrefutable that although Proctor was not a considered a heavily religious man, he worried whether or not he would be forgiven by God. Because the setting is ,1692 Salem Massachusetts, religion obviously played a huge role in society> Proctor did indeed worry about his destination if he were to pass. This is tragic, because it presents a strong man brought to his knees by the loss of faith in himself. Another significant way Proctors story is tragic in that, he has 2 young boys and a baby on the way, all the while he is sentenced to be hung. “I have three children—how may I teach them to walk like me in the

64 describes the Reverend Hale asking John Proctor to recite the ten commandments in order to determine whether he had the light of God. Instead of completing the tenth commandment, he repeated one, leaving out adultery. This scene illustrates how Proctor avoids the truth. The reason why this deems Proctor as un-heroic is because, instead of telling the court immediately of his relations with Abigail, he waited. Although admitting the truth was a hard decision, a hero in his place would have confessed. By confessing earlier Abigail would have been exposed for the fraud she was, as well a lot of the people executed would have still been alive. As well, in Salem breaking a Proctor’s demise was ultimately a byproduct of his own doing. Abigail wasn't fully at fault with her obsession with John. Proctor cowardly led Abigail on and then regretfully tried cease their relationship. “Abby, I may think of you from time to time.” Although this quote continues with Proctor rejecting her, this shows an example of how he victimizes her. Proctor plays with her emotions a very immoral thing to