Karolina Jakubczak Ms. Nyznyk ENG3U1 January 22, 2016 John Proctor : The Tragic Hero of The Crucible A tragic hero can be describe as a noble literary character who exhibits a fatal flaw that combined with fate, external forces and pressures leads to the character’s fall from greatness. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, John Proctor is portrayed as the tragic hero. John Proctor is a noble and well-respected man living in the small town of Salem in Massachusetts with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children. The citizens of Salem view John Proctor as an honourable man and a voice of reason. The truth, however, is that John Proctor exhibits one fatal
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John Proctor’s tragic flaw is his pride. Pride keeps John Proctors sin of adultery a secret, keeps John Proctor from confessing his sin in front of the court in fear of ruining his reputation and Proctors pride interferes with his good judgement. John Proctors sin of adultery greatly contributes to the struggles Proctor faces in the play, The Crucible. “Abby, I may think of you softly time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby (23).” The preceding quote shows how John Proctor’s sin of adultery has had various negative repercussions. John Proctor acts as if nothing had happened. Proctor wants to forget that there was once an error in his judgement that caused him to commit a very serious sin. This quotation demonstrates that even though both characters are equally responsible for committing such a negative deed, Proctor is too proud to admit that what he had done was wrong. Proctor is trying to keep Abigail silent because he knows that if the truth was known by the people of Salem, his reputation and good name would be ruined. John Proctor’s pride causes him to avoid dealing with the consequences of his negative actions rather than dealing with the problems his sins have caused. The fatal flaw of pride is once again seen in John Proctor when he destroys the document that was going to save his …show more content…
Throughout the play, John Proctor struggles with whether or not he should confess to adultery. Towards the end of the play, John Proctor tries courageously to restore his lost honor by confessing his sin to the court. “God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands (110).” John Proctor admits to adultery in hopes that the court will realize that he bizarre accusations from Abigail Williams and the girls are merely revenge for what had occurred between Abigail and John Proctor. John Proctor wants to save the women who were accused and bring honor to his reputation by saving the lives of the accused women. “I have a bell my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name-you will believe me, Mr. Danforth. My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one (111).” The previous quote is said by John Proctor in hopes that the court would see the fault in the accusations and the Elizabeth will not be punished for a crime she did not commit. John Proctor is willing to ruin his reputation for Elizabeth thus showing regret for his past actions and seeking redemption. John Proctors attempt at fixing a very bad situation does not change the outcome of the witchcraft hysteria as John Proctor was too late in admitting his
John Proctor’s tragic flaw is his pride. Pride keeps John Proctors sin of adultery a secret, keeps John Proctor from confessing his sin in front of the court in fear of ruining his reputation and Proctors pride interferes with his good judgement. John Proctors sin of adultery greatly contributes to the struggles Proctor faces in the play, The Crucible. “Abby, I may think of you softly time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Abby (23).” The preceding quote shows how John Proctor’s sin of adultery has had various negative repercussions. John Proctor acts as if nothing had happened. Proctor wants to forget that there was once an error in his judgement that caused him to commit a very serious sin. This quotation demonstrates that even though both characters are equally responsible for committing such a negative deed, Proctor is too proud to admit that what he had done was wrong. Proctor is trying to keep Abigail silent because he knows that if the truth was known by the people of Salem, his reputation and good name would be ruined. John Proctor’s pride causes him to avoid dealing with the consequences of his negative actions rather than dealing with the problems his sins have caused. The fatal flaw of pride is once again seen in John Proctor when he destroys the document that was going to save his …show more content…
Throughout the play, John Proctor struggles with whether or not he should confess to adultery. Towards the end of the play, John Proctor tries courageously to restore his lost honor by confessing his sin to the court. “God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance, and you must see it; I set myself entirely in your hands (110).” John Proctor admits to adultery in hopes that the court will realize that he bizarre accusations from Abigail Williams and the girls are merely revenge for what had occurred between Abigail and John Proctor. John Proctor wants to save the women who were accused and bring honor to his reputation by saving the lives of the accused women. “I have a bell my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name-you will believe me, Mr. Danforth. My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one (111).” The previous quote is said by John Proctor in hopes that the court would see the fault in the accusations and the Elizabeth will not be punished for a crime she did not commit. John Proctor is willing to ruin his reputation for Elizabeth thus showing regret for his past actions and seeking redemption. John Proctors attempt at fixing a very bad situation does not change the outcome of the witchcraft hysteria as John Proctor was too late in admitting his