John Proctor Character Analysis

A tragic hero is defined as “a literary character who makes an error of judgment or has a fatal flaw that, combined with fate and external forces, brings on a tragedy” (Dictionary.com). This identity holds true for John Proctor. He is a valued and respectful man who has made a misjudgment while in a dark place. Sometimes a hero can make a mistake that leads to his or her downfall. Many tragic heroes have a flaw that leads to their tragedy and John Proctor’s gets the best of him. In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucibles John Proctor qualifies as a tragic hero because he is vulnerable, proud, and brave throughout his downfall.
John Proctor is far from perfect like all humans. During a difficult, he makes a misjudgment that ultimately costs him
Although he struggles to make a final decision whether to sign his confession or not, Proctor chooses to die while he still believes he is partly righteous. When John Proctor says, “For now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to weave a banner with, but white enough to keep it from such dogs” (133). He demonstrates his strength to stick up for himself. John Proctor recognizes that people like Danforth are manipulative because they abuse their power. He knows he has enough morality to “keep it from such dogs”. Proctor is a brave man since he knows it is better to die with honor than live as a coward. Proctor takes his demise as a real man and finally forgives himself. Just before Proctor leaves to be hung, Elizabeth shows how she admires her husband for his strength in his tragic downfall because she believes “He ha[s] his goodness now and [would never] take it from him!” (134). Of course Elizabeth wants her husband to live, but she understands Proctor. She highly respects his bravery in court glad that he has given himself a second chance. She is pleased he feels he is “good” and worthy to hang beside people like Rebecca