Is John Proctor a hero in his stand against evil in his society or do you see him as a foolish when he might have easily saved his life?

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The Crucible Literary Essay

Is John Proctor a hero in his stand against the evil in his society or do you see him as foolish when he might easily saved his life?

John Proctor is the protagonist of Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” as he battles against the puritans of Salem who are determined upon ruining a “witchery” they recognize to exist in their daily lives and little town. The author wrote the play in 1953, after observing the start of the modern witch persecution appearing in the United States. Miller wrote the arguable play as an indirect representation of something, which symbolizes a much deeper meaning. In this case, the play is about the Salem witch-hunt of the 1690s, but criticizes of history repeating these tragic and insane events in the fifties, where there was a communism trial. In that period, who was communist would be considered “un-American”. This was called McCarthyism and was born to kill the tension between Russia (the communists) and America, the contenders of the “Cold war”.  

While Proctor may be defined as a hero in his efforts to fight the manifestation of unfair treatment in his society, he can also be considered a defective hero. Although his positive attributes far override any contradictory ones, his secret love story with Abigail Williams caused the play to his eventual downfall. His conduct at the conclusion of Act Four is assuredly elegant and aristocratic, but it can also be seen as nonsensical because he decided to give his soul instead of neglecting his reputation and name at once.

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Miller suggests Proctor is the hero against the evil and brutal ways in Salem’s society because he died to save his name and stand against absurd ideals of witchcraft. Till the very end, he wants to protect his “name! Because [he] cannot have another… Because [he has] given his soul; leave him his name” (P115). With this quote Miller made his character die with dignity to show that there were people who stood against the hysterical life in the 1600s. He was the sort of man who was against the idea of prohibition or exclusion in the theocratic organisation. ...

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