Ava Ciolli
Mrs Hernandez British Literature 11 May 2020
John Proctor is a Tragic Hero
John Proctor from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a tragic hero. He is responsible for his downfall and evokes the feeling of fear and pity from the readers. Proctor is an intelligent, strong, hardworking, well-respected man in his community. However, his pride forces him to conceal his one flaw-an act of adultery that not only affects him but all those around him. Proctor possesses traits and finds himself in situations that take advantage of his faults to bring him down.
Proctor has good characteristics that make him a good man. These things include that he’s an honest, upright, and blunt-spoken man. He is hardworking “He is… always at his work”-Elizabeth Proctor (Miller 221-222). Proctor fights for what he believes is right and finds forgiveness in his flaws. He expresses the qualities of an honest man by defending Elizabeth when she is accused of hurting Abigail.
For a character to be considered as a tragic hero, they must possess tragic flaws, and Proctor has them. Some traits include his adultery, pride and him confessing. For his infidelity, he has a secret affair with his servant Abigail Williams. “Abby I may… cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again.” (Miller 177). This creates Abigail’s jealousy of his wife, Elizabeth. His pride is because of his honour, and his good name keeps him from confessing to adultery “I have confessed myself!”(142). He halts the witch trials because of this.
Proctor’s pride is a significant cause of the tragic flaw and leads to a series of unfortunate events that lead to his death. At first, he tries to hide the secret affair because he understands how reputation is vital to him. He has the opportunity of saving his life, but he refuses to falsely confess to witchcraft. His confession leads to his arrest and conviction as a witch. He redeems himself and provides a denunciation of the witch trials in his final act (Palmer 37). This gives him the chance to make a public confession of his guilt and sign a written confession. “I have three children- now may I teach them to walk like men in the world.”(Act 3 Miller) “How may I live without my name!” (Act 4 Miller). His pride and fear of the public’s opinion compel him to withhold his adultery from the court.
Proctor’s downfall begins to happen with his affair with Abigail. He lacks discipline and cannot control his physical desires. The affair starts to haunt him when Elizabeth, his wife, is accused of being a witch (Palmer 33). He finds out that Abigail is the one who accuses Elizabeth Proctor of being a witch. His wife is in jail, and if she doesn’t confess to being a witch, she will be hanged, all because of John’s actions. “I never knew until tonight that the world is gone daft with this nonsense” (Miller 68). This means that he reveals to the court of his shameful sin of lechery. He sets up his downfall to set his wife free for she is innocent.
John Proctor decides he wants to live for his wife, his kids, and for himself. “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything.”(Act 3 Miller) He lies and says he is a witch. The people of Salem start thinking badly of him for something that he is not. Sealing his death and leaving no more room for lies. This shows his refusal. He dies innocently for a crime he doesn’t commit (Centola 61). He is just making efforts to make things better, and this does not happen.
Proctor shows that he is a man of noble stature. He is acknowledged as a farmer and an average man who is married and has children. Although he is not rich, he has dignity and respect in his community. He makes various attempts to put the affair with Abigail behind him by admitting to the sin (Bigbie). He is viewed as well respected because he speaks his opinion and stands up against Parris.
Proctors shows notable traits and strengths, such as personal sacrifice. When chaos arises during trials, Proctor reacts differently from the citizens of Salem by showing his willingness to do what is good, no matter how it will cost him (Bhatia 60). He decides to give up his reputation to maintain the truth. He is also able to reason in difficult situations. He is the first person to ask Reverend Hale, “And why not, if they must hang for denyin’ it? There are them that will swear to anything before they’ll hang; have you naught thought of that” (Miller 33). Being able to stand up to the unjust authority makes Proctor the tragic hero.
Miller’s characterization of his protagonist reinforces the theme that sometimes one must make the ultimate sacrifice to do what is morally right. The fact that the only way that Proctor can escape death is by making a confession and signing it is not for him because this will be ruining his dignity. He decides to resign himself to the tragic fate that is presented to him. Sinning with Abigail is not his flaw, but his inability to sacrifice his honour and name for the sake of his life. Proctor dies a hero’s death since he is not willing to compromise his ideals no matter the consequences. It is obvious for the audience to feel pity for the deceases hero. Still, Miller wants the reader to understand that pride and unfaithfulness can lead to downfall if unjust people surround a person representing morality and reason.
Works Cited
Bhatia, Santosh. “Use of Irony in the Crucible.” Bloom’s Guides. Ed. Harold Bloom. New. New York, NY: InfoBase Publishing, 2010. 59-63. Print.
Bigbie, Brett. “John Proctor as a Tragic Hero in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible.” http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1759832/john_proctor_as_a_tragic_hero_in_arthur.ht ml?cat=38 1 (2009): n.pag. Web. 10 Dec. 2010. Accessed:
Centola, Steven R. “Possibility for Human Redemption in the Puritan Community.” Bloom’s Guides. Ed. Harold Bloom. New. New York, NY: InfoBase Publishing, 2010. 59-63. Print.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin Books USA Inc., 1976. Print.
Palmer, David. “Tragedy, Integrity, Guilt, and Shame: Understanding John Proctor.” The Arthur Miller Journal 7.1/2 (2012): 23-41.
Weber, M. (2016). The Displaced Aristocrat as Tragic Hero in Tobias Wolff’s This Boy’s Life. Western American Literature, 51(3), 313-334.