John Proctor
John Proctor is the protagonist and the tragic hero of the story The Crucible. He was highly respected in the town of Salem. John Proctor was a sympathetic character, who tried hard to do what is just. He was unable to achieve his goals, because of his obsession with his family’s name. This obsession led to his downfall and inevitably his demise. In the story John’s wife Elizabeth was accused of being a witch by Abigail, the woman he had an affair with. This caused John to swallow his pride, and admit to having the affair. He did this in hopes that he could show the judge that Elizabeth wasn’t a witch and that Abigail was acting out with a “whore’s vengeance.” This showed how he was able to humble himself, and do what is just.
When things did not go his way, Proctor would resort to shouting and even physical violence. When Elizabeth was accused of being a witch, John went to many extremes to try and show that she was innocent. During the play he showed many outburst of rage and even threatens to beat people. These flares of anger can be justifiable, because of the witchcraft trials that were happening, defining him as a sympathetic character.
John Proctor’s flaw was his obsession with his family’s name. John took great pride in his reputation and in his family name, because in Salem reputation is tremendously important. His name had helped him to achieve his goals in life and had earned him great respect in the town. When he was accused of witchcraft he