In 17th century America, it would have been seen as unacceptable to divorce, and also to commit adultery, as it was against one of the ten commandments. This is the one that John
Proctor forgets. This is significant as it again shows his sense of guilt. The fact that John and Elizabeth are unable to separate adds to the theme of a claustrophobic atmosphere. This theme is started at the very beginning of the play, “A small upper bedroom” and “A narrow window” are examples of this. The play is mainly set inside the buildings of Salem Which are described to be very gloomy, dark places. It also means that they have to carry on and sort out their problems, while under pretense to the rest of Salem. The lies that John Proctor has to tell, concerning his affair, throughout the play build up to another reason why Proctor is eventually hung, he will not admit to lechery, and when he finally admits, it's too late.
John Proctor is shown at different angles throughout Act two. We see him as angry, and judgmental towards others, and also himself. However, he has good intentions. He proves this when he says, “I mean to please you Elizabeth.” This quote makes us empathetic towards the Proctors when Elizabeth gets charged.
John's relationship with Abigail had finished by the time when the witch trials started, however Abigail still has feelings for John and John has admitted sometimes coming to Abigail's window. Abigail describes John as a kind man who “put knowledge in my heart.” There was an obvious danger in rejecting Abigail, as she tries to get John for herself, and in doing this, she starts the hysteria that leads to the hanging of the innocent people in Salem. This relationship between them violates John's moral code which he feels very guilty about, and is one of the reasons that he didn't tell the court.
In the court scene, at first John delays telling the court that he has committed lechery with Abigail. He did this because he wanted to protect his name. He has a strong determination to protect and maintain. He also thought that Mary would provide him with enough evidence so that he didn't need to reveal his affair to the court. He is a very loyal man and this shows when he stands by his decision to fight against the court and help his friends even though he has found out that his wife will not hang for at least a year because of her baby. John Proctor's words, “I have known her, sir. I have known her.” In this scene are very courageous as he is giving away his good name and risking charges from Abigail.
He is very proud of his name and it has taken a lot to get him to tell in the end, like the arrest of Elizabeth and that the court will not listen to Mary Warren's confession, but mainly he confesses because his friends and many of the respectful people in the town have been arrested and as they will not confess, are certain to be hung. John, although distant from Salem and it's people, still has a sense of responsibility for what has happened to them and he feels that he has to help them as he is indirectly to blame. He also makes the decision because he does not want Elizabeth to die for him as he feels that he is unworthy, “My wife will never die for me. I will bring your guts into your mouth but that goodness will never die for me. This leads him to bring Mary into court and as her confession didn't have any affect he had to use his last resort, to confess himself and face the consequences. This is one of many serious decisions that John Proctor has to face as a tragic hero. When John sacrifices his name it is a great tragedy for him as he feels that he will be scorned by the rest of the village and that it will reflect onto his sons. He felt that his reputation was more important to uphold than his life, and we see that when Elizabeth lies in court to uphold his name, that it is important to the rest of Salem to uphold their names as well.
The theme of reputation continues right until the end of the play as he rips up his confession “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life!” This seems to be John's greatest fear at the moment, ruining his name. This is because it has effects on him and others. This seems to have an affect on the audience as we are surprised that he does not confess and live just so he can be seen as a moral person after he is dead. This is where we feel catharsis for John. This is a trait that a tragic hero must impose on his audience. Towards the end of the play we start to see John Proctor' true heroism. This is where he starts to realize his destiny and that only his own actions have brought him to this point. John has seemed to develop a new personality as has Reverend Hale. The importance of the words that John Proctor tearfully says when he rips up his confession is that he is repenting for his sins, as he has made up his mind, and he will die, and keep his good name. He finally sees some goodness in himself. This horrible thing has somehow brought him peace and he realizes that by dying, he will gain his goodness and his name will not be dishonored.
Through his death John Proctor achieves many things, his good name is restored, by him not confessing, “He have his goodness now, god forbid I take it from him.” By this point the trials have got to a ridiculous state and people are starting to dislike the hangings as many of these people were respectful and did not deserve to die. This act mainly concerns the perversion of justice that is happening at that time in Salem. This shows that the witch trials were actually vindictive, in that the purpose of the trials were not to cleanse the town from witches, but to cleanse the community of unwanted people, at first the disreputable members of the community, and then much to the dislike of the villagers, the people who the likes of Parris and Putnam want to get rid of. He also manages to finally undermine the court, by proving that the trials are false and are only being carried on because the name and integrity of the government and theocracy in Massachusetts is at risk. John dies heroically. He does not give in to save his own life, and until the final moment is loyal to his friends, by not giving any names in his confession, and then by not confessing. He also remains true to his faith and therefore is seen as a martyr by the people in Salem.
We see John Proctor as a tragic hero at the end of this play because, as Arthur Miller stated in Tragedy and the common man, 'the tragic feeling is evoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is willing to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing, his sense of personal dignity. So we see John as a hero because he fights to the death for what he believes in and his story generally arouses empathy in the audience. His sense of reputation in this play is very important to him, which is why he is willing to die for his name. Through his death however, he manages to restore his sense of personal dignity, and to finally aid the prevention of the Salem witch trials. He also manages to regain the respect of the others in the town. John Proctor died a tragic hero and a martyr along with Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corey.
