The character of John Procter in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible was a great example of a truly tragic hero. He measured up to every one of Aristotle’s requirements. He was not a perfect person because he had many faults and was not completely good or bad. Best of all, he knew that he was not perfect and he recognized and regretted the errors that he made throughout his life.
Then, after the reader stays with Procter while he confessed all of his horrible sins for the whole town to hear, he had was a massive downfall as the result. Coincidentally enough, that downfall came from his trying to do something about his errors and sticking up for himself and his beliefs. He did something great, which anyone with a heart would pity him for. Being a real and relatable character is another one of Aristotle’s tragic hero requirements and John Procter was most definitely one of those types of characters. The faults and imperfections of John Procter were clear. He was definitely not a perfect character.
He cheated on his wife by having an affair with a teenager. He only went to church when he felt like it. Almost worst of all, he had the chance early in the play to put a stop to the girls’ accusations, but his desire to keep his good reputation kept him from testifying against Abigail and the others. What’s great about John Procter’s character is that he realized all of his faults. Knowing that he was a bad person and that he had made mistakes, he tried to do something about them. He stayed with his wife and worked to fix things between them, attempted please her and make her feel better and more secure.
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Nick CarrawayThe book's narrator, Nick is a young man from Minnesota who, after being educated at Yale and fighting in World War I, goes to New York City to learn the bond business. Honest, tolerant, and inclined to reserve judgment, Nick often serves as a close friend for those with troubling secrets. After moving to West Egg, a place home to the newly rich, Nick quickly becomes friends his next- ...
He had his reasons to back himself up for not going to church. Once the accusations got personal and involved his wife and the wives of his close friends, he did make the attempt to do something about them and stop them. Eventually he even admitted to everyone that he was an adulterer. Then what did he get for his brave attempt to save his wife and his friends? What did he get for risking ruining his reputation and his good name in the town? He got arrested, taken away from his wife and friends and sentenced to death. How could you not feel pity for him? This man was only trying to save the lives of the people who he loved and who he cared for. He didn’t deserve to die.
He put himself out on a limb to help the others and to prove to the courts that his wife and everyone else were in fact innocent. When he had the chance to lie and confess to ‘seeing the devil’ in his life to get out of the hanging that was coming to him, he swayed. He knew it was not right, but what other choice did he have? He lied and admitted to it, but when he was told to sign the confession, he did not. “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” he said. John Proctor stood up for himself and for what he believed in. He showed amazing amounts of courage and integrity by denying that chance of life.
John Procter is a character that just about anyone could relate to in one way or another. Anyone could easily establish a connection between themselves and this marvelous character. He’s human and real. This character is not hyped up to be all around perfect or cast to be the root of all evil. He’s an everyday person who made mistakes and paid dearly for them. In fact, John Procter could be a real person in the present day world because he was so real.
Measuring up to every single one of Arisotle’s requirements, John Procter was the ideal tragic hero. He made mistakes and realized them, he had his downfall and he was real. He had the needed tragic flaw, he took responsibility for what he did wrong by trying to right it. What more could a character have to make them anymore fit to the a tragic hero?
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John Proctor - A Tragic Hero? Tragic heroes are often referred to as those who have a stature of greatness and possess honorable qualities, but has a major flaw. As a result, a great downfall occurs due to their flaw, and other characters may be affected by this single downfall as well. Yet, the fall does not necessarily mean it leads to a total loss, because the outcome may be a realization of ...
