John Proctor is the protagonist of The Crucible. He is around thirty years old, lives in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts, and has three sons with his wife, Elizabeth. Prior to the beginning of the play, he has an affair with his former housekeeper, Abigail. As an effect, Proctor is trying to mend his nearly destroyed marriage. He has not attended church lately due to his disliking …show more content…
John openly declares that he has not been to church lately and only two of his boys have been baptized because he disagrees with the way Parris preaches and sees, “no light of God” (Miller 62) in him. Another example of his fearlessness is when Proctor publicly admits to his relationship with Abigail. During this time period, the majority of people living in Salem are Puritans and have overly strict rules and beliefs. For John to admit that he cheated on his wife will ruin his reputation and character, but he reveals this information to the judges anyways to try and save all of the accused. John Proctor is proven to be daring when he rips …show more content…
He is not afraid of standing up for his beliefs, such as lying, even if it means that he will be hung. Proctor displays his courage when he states, “I will fall like an ocean on that court! Fear nothing, Elizabeth,” (Miller 73); John reassures her that he is going in to the court fearless, and she has nothing to worry about. Despite the fact that John loves and provides for his wife, he is inconsiderate to her feelings and how his actions will affect their marriage. When John cheated on Elizabeth, he was only concerned about what he desired at that moment and did not put into consideration how the relationship with Abigail would break his wife’s heart; it damaged Elizabeth’s trust and weakened their bond. As an effect of John’s actions, Elizabeth has lost all faith in John, worries, and is insecure, but John only cares about his happiness and tries to avoid their problems. This is proven when he states, “Woman. I’ll not have your suspicion anymore,” (Miller 51). Proctor does not try to reassure Elizabeth that he desires none other than her. John is callous to believe that Elizabeth should just get over the affair and pretends as if they have no friction.