John Proctor: A Tragic Hero
Tatiana Perez
American Lit. 11
November 2012
John Proctor: Tragic Hero
As human beings, we each display specific traits and qualities that define our character and shape our personalities. The way in which we carry ourselves establishes our reputations, as well as how others identify us. We are each prone to making mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes we make can affect the way people see us as well. The struggle to regain a good name can be difficult and uncertain once someone’s reputation is tarnished. In Arthur Miller’s timeless play, The Crucible, a well-respected man named John Proctor betrays his wife and struggles to gain her forgiveness and his good name in the village of Salem. Although John Proctor betrays his wife, he remains the tragic hero of the play for he recognizes his faulty actions and dies with integrity and honesty in the end.
In the play, John Proctor holds a tragic flaw that leads him to his downfall. Proctor embodies the deadly sin of lust, for he acts upon his attraction to a young, manipulative, and strikingly beautiful girl in the village named Abigail Williams and betrays his wife. While he attempts to disconnect himself from his sin, as well as Abigail, she states, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” (Miller 22) Abigail’s statement uncovers evidence regarding the secret relationship she and John Proctor previously shared. Both she and Proctor know the relation they shared is wrong, and this detail exhibits how his tragic flaw of lust led him to commit such a faulty action he can not expose to anyone. As Proctor continues to conceal his past relationship with Abigail, his wife Elizabeth’s suspicions of the two having associated begin to surface when he accidentally reveals they were alone together. In disbelief, Elizabeth says, “John, you are not open with me. You saw her with a crowd, you said.” (Miller 55) Elizabeth’s uncertainty in her husband’s claims
American Lit. 11
November 2012
John Proctor: Tragic Hero
As human beings, we each display specific traits and qualities that define our character and shape our personalities. The way in which we carry ourselves establishes our reputations, as well as how others identify us. We are each prone to making mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes we make can affect the way people see us as well. The struggle to regain a good name can be difficult and uncertain once someone’s reputation is tarnished. In Arthur Miller’s timeless play, The Crucible, a well-respected man named John Proctor betrays his wife and struggles to gain her forgiveness and his good name in the village of Salem. Although John Proctor betrays his wife, he remains the tragic hero of the play for he recognizes his faulty actions and dies with integrity and honesty in the end.
In the play, John Proctor holds a tragic flaw that leads him to his downfall. Proctor embodies the deadly sin of lust, for he acts upon his attraction to a young, manipulative, and strikingly beautiful girl in the village named Abigail Williams and betrays his wife. While he attempts to disconnect himself from his sin, as well as Abigail, she states, “I know how you clutched my back behind your house and sweated like a stallion whenever I come near!” (Miller 22) Abigail’s statement uncovers evidence regarding the secret relationship she and John Proctor previously shared. Both she and Proctor know the relation they shared is wrong, and this detail exhibits how his tragic flaw of lust led him to commit such a faulty action he can not expose to anyone. As Proctor continues to conceal his past relationship with Abigail, his wife Elizabeth’s suspicions of the two having associated begin to surface when he accidentally reveals they were alone together. In disbelief, Elizabeth says, “John, you are not open with me. You saw her with a crowd, you said.” (Miller 55) Elizabeth’s uncertainty in her husband’s claims