Analysis Of Arthur Miller s The Crucible - 2138 Words

Crucible Character Essay - John Proctor #6 In Arthur Miller’s â€Å"The Crucible† the protagonist is a man by the name of John Proctor. Proctor is a very complex character because he doesn t have the cleanest history. He is a man in about his forties who had committed the sin of cheating on his wife with a young girl. This act of his gives a bad first impression to the reader. Proctor however does try to become a better man and do the right thing to save his wife s life, which changes feelings about him as he is then seen as almost a savior. This controversial character faces many obstacles that go against him in trying to save his wife. Early on in the story Proctor is challenged with letting a young naive girl, by the name of†¦show more content†¦Proctor feels that the only way to prove his wife innocent is to reveal his personal relationship with Abigail, so he can reason that Abigail only accused his wife because she wants to be with him and have her out of the picture. This sets up the main feud with Procter being the protagonist and Abigail being his antagonist. John shows his attempt to make things right in his decisions. Instead of being seduced by Abigail again he has self control and tells her that it is over. This choice Proctor makes early on in the story demonstrates his desire to correct his mistakes. It is never more evident that Proctor is trying do good than when he confesses to lechery to save his wife. He tells the judge that he slept with underage Abigail and that is why she accused his wife, so she can get rid of her. Proctor’s decision to not say anything when asked to confess to witchcraft reveals how much he cares about his reputation. He would rather be hung than be known to everyone as a man who performed whichcraft. Proctor is pretty successful in changing his image. He positively changes himself. He goes from being a man who committed lechery, which is sleeping with someone underaged, to a heroic man who dies with honor because he didn t lie and confess to witchcraft to save himself from being hung. He is the most changed character in the story and is controversial because it is debatable whether he is truly a hero