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. The witch-hunt was a perverse expression of panic among all the population to make them stay together, combining a community state with religious power. Any form of individual freedom, the one that John Proctor represents his name on, was considered a terrible enemy to the State power. The people of Salem developed a theocracy also to prevent the disunity of any kind, which could have been lead by any material or ideological enemies like John Proctor.
In the play, mainly towards the end, he can also be defined as a hero in the tragedy of rumours and jealousy that was Salem, because he refused to give the names of the characters that were involved in the witchery. He is “not worthy the dust on the feet of them that hang” (P115). All the court wants to put him in the responsibility of judging. However, he “speaks [his] own sins; [he] cannot judge another. [He] has no tongue for it” (P113). Miller, in this phrase, uses the role of Proctor as the “complainer” against the idea of judging. In these protagonist’s few phrases the author intention is to say that the position of evaluating someone, on the good or bad side, is neither Proctor’s role nor Danforth’s. Only God has the right to say His opinion on others. Proctor is supporting this point and opposing against theocracy and the judges in the courtroom.
On the other hand he might well be seen as foolish because he might had easily saved his life. He would have lived with his wife and children a happy life, possibly. Even though he would have lost his authority of sympathy and respect that he gained through the population of Salem, he would have left his wife pregnant on her own. “Mr Proctor, have you seen the devil in your life? ... I did” (P111). In this quote, Miller made Proctor confess to make the reader think that the farmer did the right choice to sacrifice his name for his wife and children. However he goes back to his confession saying that “it is a lie, it is a lie; how may [he] damn [himself]? [He] cannot, [he] cannot.” (P112). Here, in this citation, Miller wants the reader to make Proctor foolish because at first he did the right thing by saving his life but then he puts himself back into the position of a “dead man” because he won’t confess. His act can also be defined as a heartless action because his death would also affect the lives of his wife and his children. However, even if apparently his action may appear foolish indeed, it is only when reading into the story that we bring to light the justification of his behaviour. He had failed to have faith in the human race to make an end to such an urgent, crucial situation and hence assumed that it was better to die as a respected man than a gutless one.
However, what makes he do these action is the negative aspect of John Proctor which involves a secondary role in the play: his pride; his reputable name would have been “contaminated” if he had confessed, but he didn’t because he is artlessly too proud. “I have given you my soul; now leave me my name!” (P115) Earlier in the play there is another case of this is when his self-esteem would not allow him to admit to his adultery and taint his reputation, hence conceding Abigail to continue the accusations of innocent people; in simple words, if Proctor had confessed previously, before the feverishness of the spell craft trails had swept through Salem, then Proctor may have been listened and Abigail’s denunciations would have been brought to an end. As it stood, the protagonist did not tell the truth until it was too late, therefore costing many innocent souls, including his own. Following on, what caused the story to his eventual downfall was his affair with Abigail Williams. The girl accused blameless people of witchery in order to competently eliminate and erase Proctor’s wife Elizabeth from his life, supposing that if the farmer did not have his wife he would love Abigail instead. “[Elisabeth] is blackening my name in the village! … She is a cold snivelling woman, and you bend to her!” (P19)
To finish, John Proctor is a honourable of his acknowledgement as a hero, even if having a few imperfections. He can be considered a hero because he decided to get executed instead of bringing dishonour upon himself and to the other prisoners. However, his major imperfection is his pride and the obsession with his fine name and account. If he had confessed to adultery, right at the start, maybe the whole event could have been avoided. John Proctor is not also a fool; even though what he does may appear so at the start, there are also other justifications behind his actions. His pride may be defined foolish, but the protagonist himself is not a nonsensical man.