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Essay Name       : 957.txt 
Uploader         : Ashod Balanian
Email Address    : ashod@earthlink.net
Language         : English
Subject          : Fictional Stories
Title            : John Proctor: A Hero or a Fool?
Grade            : 11
School System    : Public
Country          : USA
Author Comments  : Excellent evaluation of character
Teacher Comments : Well written and excellent detailed description
Date             : 11-12-96
Site found at    : link from another homepage
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			John Proctor : a Hero or a Fool?

	 
	In Arthur Miller's famous allegorical play The Crucible ,the main character 

John Proctor, a young defiant yet respected farmer, shows heroic characteristics 

through intricate situations of theocratic injustice. Set in hysteria and chaos,

the witch trials of Salem village as the trials unfold Proctor finds himself in a 

difficult situation in which his decision and actions decide not only his fate but the 

fate of many innocent people like himself.
	
		
	In the community, people looked upon John Proctor as a very respected 

member of society.  His image opitimized the good, decent man of Salem 

village.  When the hysteria of witchcraft had drawn its claws closer and closer to 

Proctor,  John was determined to take a stand and fight the injustice.  His effots 

alone drew the inspiration of his fellow neighbors, whether it was the signing of 

the petition or sacrificing his life for the sake of the innocent who had been 

accused.  His moral courage and perserverance gave way to others like Giles 

Corey to speak out against the court and  stand for what they believe is true. 	 

	
	Being a devoted father and husband to Elizabeth, for the most part, every 

action he took, in the back of his mind was his family.  Although he had made a 

mistake before with Abigail, he had vowed to himself that he would go to any 

extreme measure to compensate for the past.  On the day of his own hanging, in 

his mind he not only did for his own reasoons but he left behind  a dignified and 

respected memory of himself and the family name.  In there eyes John Proctor is a 

legend in a sense that he sacrificed his own life for the sake of others but mostly 

his family.

	
	For a person as highly thought of as John Proctor, his one significant flaw 

brings upon his downfall.  Throughout the play, I saw a struggle going on inside 

this  man, one that he would never give up in because he couldn't find a way to 

forgive himself.  Even after he had recieved Elizabeth' forgiveness, he realized that 

all aong he was searching for something else, something greater.  That something 

was coming to peace with himself.  When he refused to confess to the "witchcraft" 

and ultimately was sentenced to die,  he realized that this was the greatest thing he 

could do for himself and it was the only way he could be happy.  One of the 

last words he said "..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".  He looked upon death as a form of liberation but more of an answer 

to what he was looking for all along.

	
	In conclusion, John Proctor was a hero of moral courage because he looked 

beyond the physical state of the matter and was more concerned with the moral 

aspect of the situation.  His heroic actions justified everything he beleived in and 

everything he lived for. 
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