Emma McMullin
Ms. Greer
April 9, 2010
English 11
Intro
The Imperfect Superman
In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller a group of young girls in 1692, Salem Massachusetts, are caught dancing in the woods. To save their own lives from punishment, they accuse outsiders of putting them under a spell. The accusations escalate to begin vengeful chaos for the town. John Proctor in the story is portrayed as the tragic hero. Through out the play he learns to forgive himself for the crime of lechery in order to save more people to come. Miller creates Proctors stereotype of the tragic hero though two methods of characterization, his own words and thoughts and others words and thoughts.
John Proctor is considered a tragic hero in the play. His own words and actions help prove that. In the beginning, proctor is seen as a sinner. John “may have thought softly of [her] from time to time but [he] will cut off his hand before [he] reaches for [her] again” (p.177).
Proctor committed lechery with young Abigail, knowing what he’s done is wrong he will never go back. After seeing Abigail and the other girls accuse innocent people he feels he has to free them. He feels he has to save the people because they are his “friends, their wives are also accused” (p.212).
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Proctor sees his friends and families being torn apart by these girls accusations, once his own is threatened he refuses to just stand there and watch. In the end, John is able to forgive himself and knows he lives only under god. The court tries to make John write his confession down for them but he denies and says “goddamn the village I confess to god!” (p.240).
He sees that the puritans are trying to prove that they’re killings aren’t of innocent people and he refuses to let them have their way. John Proctor has sinned but in the end he knows in his heart to never give up and to do what is best for the others.
Through others words and actions John Proctor is seen as a tragic hero.
John seems to be the only one around that can convince the court of Abby’s lies. Elizabeth Proctor knows abigail is lying about the accusations and that John should “go to salem…[he] must tell them its a fraud” (p.193).
Because of Abigail’s reputation with the Proctor family, Elizabeth feels she is playing the court and that John is the only one who can stop her. in the midst of Proctors heroic actions Abigail reveals to the court of his sinful past. The court is astonished to hear what John had done, they only respond with “ you…you are a lecher?” (p.223).
Even though John is doing the right thing by going against Abby, his sin seems to follow him and in a sense haunt him. In order for John to sacrifice himself for the good of others he must be forgiven. Elizabeth feels that she cannot “ forgive [him], if [he’ll] not forgive [himself]”. For john to become contempt with himself he thinks Elizabeth must forgive him of his past, but in reality its he who should come to forgive himself. In the end John understands that freeing himself of the sinful burden was the only way he’d be able to save many to come. If not for his heroic action, the Salem witch hunts may have carried on longer and to that he is, in my eyes, the imperfect superman.
