Hale: twenty-six times in seventeen month, sir. I must call that rare. Will you tell me why you are so absent?
Proctor Mr hale, I never knew I must account to that man for I come to church or sty at home. My wife were sick this winter
It is also stated that john proctor ploughs on a Sunday which is the holy Sabbath day. This would be seen as unacceptable behaviour within a Christian society. Later within in the play proctor is asked to recite his 10 commandments, which he fails to do accurately the basic Christian faith. he appears confrontational and defensive when questioned. He does well until he comes to the last few
Proctor: Thou shall not make unto thee any graven image
Hale: You have said that twice, sir
Proctor: Aye
All the evidence suggests that john proctor does not show signs of a hero but of a villain.
Close to the Play’s conclusion, Proctor is accused of witchcraft by his servant, marry warren Proctors reaction is looked on as irrational, as he his anger gets the better of him as he displays a district of self control. He is heard by the community declaring,
“I say-I say-God is dead”
“You are pulling heaven down and raising up a whore”.
These are dangerous statements within such a society, Proctor suggest that the authority of the court is void-that all are wrong and he is right, this could be as arrogant and self-righteous un-herbic characteristics, proctor’s outbreak in front of the entire community has now cast a black shadow upon proctor’s name and his status within in the Salem society. It is know evident that proctor should be classed and stated as a villain not a hero as he clearly shows signs disrespect to the court and to the Salem society which would not be acceptable.
As john Proctor awaits the rope he is offered his life back if he is willing to confess to witch craft. Instead proctor chooses to die. Danforth sturdily asks proctor
“Is that document a lie, if it is I will not accept it, what say you I will not deal in lies, mister you will give me your honest confession in my hand or I cannot keep u from the rope which way do you go mister”
Proctor crumbles up the paper, which signifies that he chooses to die. This can be seen as a selfish action as he is prepared to leave behind a wife and four children one of which is being expected. Proctor chooses the easy way to escape troubles, as it is a chance to avoid facing up to his responsibilities. He put his own reputation above the well being and happiness of his family. As he cries out “Because it is my name because I cannot have another in my life”
Which finally shows that proctor is apprehensive towards his reputation in the community more than anything else. It is now visible that proctor is showing definite signs of being a villain and not of a hero.
It is clear that john has committed the crime of lechery however when approached by Abigail again, john rejects her advances despite her insistence he is determined to remain loyal and faithful to his wife, despite Abigail’s reminders of the past.
“Give me a word john. A word”
“No, no Abby. That’s done with.
“Abby, You’ll put it out of mind. I’ll not be coming’ for you more”
Which indicates that proctor clearly regrets his past with Abigail and wants Abigail to put it out of mind. As john regrets his affair with Abigail he tries to make amends to gain Elizabeth’s trust. The attempts to please Elizabeth are clear, as is shown when the compliment about the cooking and his promise to buy George Jacob’s cow
Proctor replies to the taste of the rabbit
“It is well seasoned”
“If the crop is good I’ll buy George Jacob’s heifer. How would that please you?”
This implies that john is determined to gain Elizabeth’s forgiveness. Despite the fact that Elizabeth has forgiven him. John struggles with forgiving himself, this suggests a more strong conscience on proctors part, and attribute more readily founding in a hero not a villain.
Although Proctor seems to dislike reverend parris thought the play. It would appear he had valid reasons. Reverend parris does indeed appear selfish hypocritical and obsessed with financial gain. Upon discovering Abigail’s disaperance, Parris is more concerned with the loss of his money than the fact that his niece has absconded as he clearly shows as he replies to Danforth,
“Thirty one pound is gone. I am penny less”
Proctor sees through Parris’s charade, whilst the rest of the village appear to be blinded. It is proctor who recognises and voices the fact that people seeking revenge walk the town Salem and not the devil. Proctor attempts to warn the village he does not keep this information to himself theses are clear actions of a hero an a attempt to save those who even would not be saved
John Proctor may not have attended church for the last seven months but he has good reasons for his absence. Notably, his wife Elizabeth had been sick and proctor being a dutiful husband he turns his total devotion to care for her well being. John is conscious of his absence and ensures hale that he. “Surely did come when he could and when he could not he would pray in his house” Proctor has also been dutiful regarding his responsibilities to the church. He has made his contribution as he has “Nailed the roof upon the church and hung the church door” proctor can now be seen in a new light, his acts of helping the community show that Proctor cannot be classed as a villain but a hero.
Even though Proctor realises that admitting to his act of adultery with Abigail will ruin his reputation, He does so in order to save his wife’s life. Proctor accepts what he has done and he is prepared to come forward to the court and face the consequences of his actions, the destruction of his “good name”
To Danforth’ “It is a whore I have known her, sir. I have known her”. Quietly excepting his fate. Heroically He puts others first even when offered the life of his wife in return for dropping his charge against Abigail and the girls he considers the lives of the many and not him self, Such braveness in a man can only come from a hero not a villain.
Proctor does not simply die for his name which he admits is already stained, he then later on in the book remembers his friends and suggest that if he confesses he will also be unfaithful to them as well as him self
“, And I sold my friends”
“Beguile me not! I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence”.
This quotation suggests that Proctor is afraid that if he confesses that he will also blacken the names of his friends. Proctor recognises that many people will innocently and needlessly die if he gives a false confession. A true hero puts aside his own needs in order to serve the greater good. Proctor is mostly concerned for his sons and the example he is setting them.
“I have three children-how may I teach them to walk like men in the world”
This quotation is saying that if he gives his confession he will be shamed as well as his sons, this courageous and heroic decision reveals that proctor is a caring family man that cares for his friends and puts other people first a type of man that cannot be classified as a villain in any respect.
Conclusion
It is difficult to establish whether Proctor is a hero or Villain. The evidence is contradictory; on the one hand Proctor can be seen as a villain for his wrong doings in the past which involved an affair with a teenage girl named Abigail Williams, This selfish and thought less action precipitates much of the chaos in Salem. Perhaps ultimately he is simply human and has made the mistakes of many. But on the other hand proctor can be seen as a hero to his wife and to his friends, this is shown near to the conclusion of the story when he confesses to the crime of lechery to save his wife and his friends when trying to prove that the girls are lying and it was pretence. In the opinion of the viewers of the book would like for proctor to be a courageous hero, but he only starts to show signs of this during the end of the book but if viewing it as a puritan in the Salem society proctor would seem to be a villain as the amount of evidence shown in the text
