Characteristics Of John Proctor In The Crucible

Arthur Miller explains that the modern tragic hero’s, flaw, or crack in character, is ... “his inherent unwillingness to remain passive in the face of what he conceives to be a challenge to his dignity, his image of his rightful status”. According to this description, John Proctor is a modern tragic hero. In Arthur Miller’s Tragedy The Crucible, John Proctor is unwilling to remain passive to a challenge of his dignity and image from Abigail, his wife, and the court officials. By examining what Proctor says, does, and the way he interacts with others, it will become clear that he will do anything to maintain his dignity.

When a wild animal is cornered it does not give up and accept its fate, instead it attacks. Proctor reacts the same way when he is corned by Abigail. Proctor refuses to remain passive when his good name is

At the beginning of the play, Abigail corners Proctor at the Parris house and tells him how much she misses him. She continues on to tell Proctor that she knows he loves her. Proctor responds to this accusation by saying, “Abbey, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again” (Miller 23). Proctor is trying to discourage Abigail and stop her advances. He is ashamed of the lechery he has committed with Abigail and he is scared of the word getting out. If the townspeople were to find out, it would ruin his good reputation that he hold so dear. As a result, he takes matters into his own hands and tries to stop Abigail in her tracks. He believes that if he stops Abigail’s advances then he could put the whole lechery ordeal behind him, and they could forget it ever happened. Unfortunately, Abigail is unwilling to let Proctor go and she accuses Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth Proctor, of witchcraft in an attempt to have Proctor to herself. When the Deputy Governor arrived at the Proctor house to arrest Elizabeth, Proctor