The Crucible John Proctor - True Hero - 876 Words

In the play the crucible, Arthur miller uses the character of John Proctor who, residing in hysteria-shaken Puritan Salem, rises beyond the hysteria and proves himself a true hero through his heroic virtues, challenging of authority and power, self-sacrifice and self-realisation. Proctor is the only individual willing to question the puritan belief system. He believes that no man should have control over the life of another. Only God has the power to judge and condemn. Therefore, choosing the more tragic outcome by not allowing himself to lose his individuality and sense of self-conflict of ethics between what is right from wrong as well as sheer lack of common sense. He also sacrifices his life and reputation for what he believes is†¦show more content†¦Proctor is the individual who must decide weather or not he will assert himself against an overbearing authoritarian government. He is not so religious, nor the perfect Christian, and also not so adherent to the puritan law s and beliefs. His belief in the non-existence of witchcraft and his opposition on the court and church having divine control overall stating that ‘likes not the smell of this authority’ (35), gives him the free will to fully and honestly ‘speak his heart’ (35) about the puritan society he dwells in. When Putnam and Parris attempt to prove his innocence by interrogating him about why he hasn’t attended church on the Sabbath as he is obligated to, Proctor bluntly criticizes the religion’s rules by saying that, ‘I have trouble enough [coming] five miles to hear [Parris] preach only hellfire and bloody damnation. Take it to heart Mr. Parris. There are many others who stay away from church these days because you hardly ever mention God anymore’. (33) Through this Proctor displays his dislike of the Minister. Moreover, he realizes that ‘common vengeance writes the law’ (72) and wants nothing to do with the court telling Reverend Hale ‘I – had not reckoned with goin’ to court. But if I must I will’ (66). His reluctance is an indirect rebellion on the court, thus authority. A true hero is one who would do anything for what he believes is right, includingShow MoreRelatedThe True Tragic Hero: The Crucible’s John Proctor Essay1044 Words   |  5 PagesThe true tragic hero: The Crucible’s John Proctor A tragic hero is a noble man who commits a fatal flaw. The hero’s downfall is a result of their choices which leads to a punishment that exceeds the crime. â€Å"The difference between Proctor and Willy Loman is enormous; the former is the rather typical tragic hero who is defiant to the end, the latter is trapped in submission and is living a lie† (McGill 4). John Proctor is one of the main characters in The Crucible. he is married to Elizabeth ProctorRead MoreCompare And Contrast John Proctor In The Crucible709 Words   |  3 PagesA hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. There are many forms of heroes, some are big and obvious, others are small and unidentifiable, but either way, they make a difference in the world. In fact, there are several different kinds of heroes represented in The Crucible. In Arthur Millers novel, the Crucible, the story takes place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 du ring the Salem witch trials. During this time, several peopleRead MoreExamples Of John Proctor In The Crucible985 Words   |  4 Pages John Proctor; Tragic Hero or Ordinary Joe Plays have been used as a method of storytelling and form of entertainment for hundreds of years. A tragedy is one type of play where the audience pities the characters and fear the same consequences that the characters face. In addition, tragedies often include a tragic hero who has a tragic flaw causing his or her downfall. One example of a play that is a tragedy and includes a tragic hero is the The Crucible. John Proctor in The Crucible is a true tragicRead MoreJohn Proctor: The Epitome of a Tragic Hero950 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Proctor: The Epitome of a Tragic Hero According to Aristotle, a tragic hero is a literary character of magnitude that â€Å"makes a judgment error that inevitably leads to his or her destruction†. Unlike the Greek philosopher’s description, Arthur Miller, the author of the essay â€Å"Tragedy and the Common Man†, considers a tragic hero to be a character of ordinary status that â€Å"is ready to lay down their life to secure his or her personal dignity†. Miller illustrates this belief in his Puritanical playRead MoreThe Crucible Character Analysis773 Words   |  4 Pageswill lead a man to shame and destruction. In The Crucible this happened to one of the main characters, John Proctor, which also is the one of the Tragic Hero in the book. The Crucible is about when some town people in Salem was accused of being witches after four girls were found dancing in the woods. After 200 people were accused of being witches in 1963, 20 people were either hung or crushed by many stones. In the Crucible John Proctor, the tragic hero had a weakness as pride eventually forcing himRead MoreJohn Proctor as a Tragic Hero in The Crucible850 Words   |  4 PagesMcAlister Ms. Holder Comp Eng Honors 11 11/1/13 The Tragedy of John Proctor In the play by Arthur Miller The Crucible, the town of Salem is in pandemonium under the non-existent threat of witchcraft. Every character is either lying to save their lives or to end others, or dying for not admitting to a lie. One character who stands out among the chaotic conflagration is the tragic hero John Proctor. In Greek drama, a tragic hero is defined as â€Å"a great or virtuous character in a dramatic tragedyRead MoreJohn Proctor as Tragic Hero of Arthur Millers The Crucible Essay798 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Proctor as Tragic Hero of Arthur Millers The Crucible In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, John Proctor fits the classic Greek definition of a tragic hero.   Aristotle, one of the great Greek philosophers, teachers and writers, stated that one of the most important aspects of a tragedy was the tragic hero.   He defined a tragic hero as a noble person that goes from a state of fortune and happiness to a state of utter misery.   The character’s tragic flaw causes this changeRead MoreThe Tragic Hero of The Crucible by Arthur Miller Essay1396 Words   |  6 PagesThe Tragic Hero of The Crucible    A tragedy should bring fear and pity to the reader. A man in this tragedy should not be exceptionally righteous, but his faults should come about because of a certain irreversible error on his part. This man should find a bad or fatal ending to add to the tragedy of the story, for this man in the tragic hero. The protagonist John Proctor portrays a tragic hero in The Crucible; his hamartia of adultery causes great internal struggles, he displays hubris byRead MoreAnalysis Of Arthur Miller s The Crucible 1457 Words   |  6 PagesPeriod 7 26 October 2014 Proctor’s Pride and Downfall A tragic hero is a hero in a story whose natural flaws or wrong judgments, associates with bad fate, causes his downfall or death. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, there are tragic heroes. In the late 1600s, there are a series of witch trials happens at Salem, MA. John Proctor, a farmer who lives in a farm with his wife Elizabeth Proctor, is the protagonist during the Salem witch trial. John is a candid, frank, but somewhat arrogant man. He has an affairRead More John Proctor is a Tragic Hero in The Crucible Essay863 Words   |  4 Pages John Proctor: A Tragic Hero A tragic hero is a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy. In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrays John Proctor, the protagonist, as a tragic hero who has a major flaw—lust for Abigail, his teenage house servant. For fear of being exiled in a town where reputation is highly upheld, Proctor initially tries to hide his crime of adultery, but this