John Proctor- Tragic Hero

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In Salem, Massachusetts 1692, nineteen men and women, all having been convicted of witchcraft, were hanged. Some people were pressed to death under heavy stones for refusing to submit to a trial on witchcraft charges. Many faced accusations of witchcraft; several others endured jail time for months without trial until the craziness that had swept through Salem came to an end. This further fuels the tragedy of the play. John Proctor is the tragic hero of “The Crucible” as Arthur Miller gives him many positive traits, but he also had a darker side to his otherwise pure nature. His affair with Abigail Williams, leading to his eventual fatal downfall as well as the downfall of others as a result of one action. However, he was very willing to at least reverse the effects of his actions to save others around him, even if it meant he had to die for it. The more shocking reality is that these events were factual. The righteous nature of John Proctor to always seek the truth and denounce those who abuse their given powers is none more evident as he exposes the corruption that existed in Salem. Proctor exposes that Abigail and her followers were only acting as if they had been possessed by the devil and witchcraft. Unlike many within Salem, Proctor does not see the value of the Church's seemingly ultimate power within the town. Proctor certainly does not shy from the fact that he fails to see any religious value within Reverend Parris, "I like it not that Mr. Parris should lay his hand upon my baby. I see no light of God in that man. I'll not conceal it." (Act 2 “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller)Proctor believes that Parris is more consumed by wealth and land than God and prayer. Proctor, despite his honorable and ethical personality, has doubts about even his own judgment of his morality. His affair with Abigail Williams is the only major flaw attributing to his otherwise

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