John Proctor As A Tragic Hero In The Crucible By Arthur Miller
Destiny Santiago
Laurence
English 11
14 May, 2018
Pride got in the Way
Imagine being a well-respected man in Salem and making one mistake that threatens your name as well as your reputation. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes it leads to the end of a good reputation for yourself and could even lead to a tragedy. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, lies the most tragic character of them all who is known as John Proctor who portrays all the elements of a tragic hero being one that was very well-respected and has personal dignity in his name that he would do anything to hold onto. John Proctor took a great amount of pride in his name which lead to his tragic flaw in which he would die in order to keep his dignity. Hale has been trying to convince Proctor to confess his sins so he could save his life. As Proctor signs the paper of his confessions, “...Danforth reaches for the paper. But Proctor snaches it up, and now a wild terror is rising in him, and a boundless anger.” (Miller 142). This is significant because he is now refusing to confess and save his life in order to keep his reputation as being a wee-respected man by continuing to be honest. Proctor is realizing that he no longer wants to live a life as a sinner.
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This is the court scene and it is right after Proctor decided to tear the paper of his confessions that he had signed. Proctor exclaims to the court that, “I have confessed myself! Is there no good penitence but it be public? God does not need my name nailed upon the church! God sees my name; God knows how black my sins are! It is enough!”(Miller 142). Proctor is stating that God already knows his name and his sins and feels that it does not need to be in the public. This continues to show Proctor's tragic flaw as he attempts to hold onto his
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