Crucible Essay, Research Paper

The historic happenings of the Salem Witch Trials are told in the story of the Crucible. In the Crucible, the main character is John Proctor. John Proctor is a tragic hero who is a great man but has one single flaw, pride, which will lead to his destruction.

John Proctor is considered the to be a great man in Salem. He owns a good piece of land and farms it very well. He is a devoted husband and loving father of three. There are groups and factions that are present in Salem where John has stayed clear from them. This shows that he does not get involved with all the problems of the town. He also despises hypocrites although he becomes one at the end of his life.

In the previous winter, Elizabeth Proctor had gotten very ill. John Proctor had committed lechery with Abigail Williams during this time. Abigail told John that there was no witchcraft going on. When the trial had started, Elizabeth was begging John to go to the court and explain to the court what Abigail had told him. John didn’t because he didn’t want his relationship with Abigail to become public. When John tried to tell the court about what had happened, it was too late. Than John Proctor was accused of witchcraft. By the end of the trial, Judge Danforth was willing to pardon John Proctor. When all he had to do was sign a piece of paper, his pride took the better of his judgment. He knew that if he signed that paper and gave it to the court, his name and reputation would have been scarred forever. He was worried about his children. Yet, he should have saved his life instead of dying for his pride.

When John Proctor did not submit his written signature of confession, he was sent to hang. If he had given his confession, he would have been able to live. Judge Danforth did not want John Proctor to die because he had thought that he was not a witch. He understood that Abigail was lying. The reason he could not come out with it was because his reputation would have been ruined. All that he had to do was give that confession to Danforth and he would have been given the gift of life.

John Proctor is portrayed in the story of the Crucible where he is the victim of the Salem witch trials. The destruction and end of John Proctor’s life is the result of his pride getting to the better of him. Because he was such a great man and had that single flaw, pride, he is considered to be a tragic hero.