John Proctor: A Character Analysis

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, various characters, whether it is from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution, and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family. As a result of this, he struggled with a major internal conflict throughout the play.

To begin with, Proctor was considered a strong person in the community, and he was respected for it. He was a handsome, hard-working, and revered man in the community. To the people of Salem, he was a dedicated farmer that had done nothing to blacken his family name. His attitude was “. . . even-tempered, and [he was] not easily lead. . .” by the rumors and hysteria surrounding Salem at the time of the witch accusations (Miller 21). When other were jumping to the conclusion of witchcraft and starting to fear, Proctor kept a realistic, skeptical look on the situation. Contrary to the ideas of the time, Proctor would miss church and openly disagree with Reverend Parris (Scheidt and Calandra). Despite this, he had a strong belief in God and followed his own moral standards more than strict rules the Puritan church set out at that time. He was revered in Salem as an honest man who always spoke his mind, and who had the ability to silence the hypocrites with his quick logic (Sparknotes Editors). Whenever Reverend Parris would try to tear Proctor down with criticism on his church attendance and Sunday activities, Proctor would always cou...

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...uilt is fuel for the internal conflict he experienced throughout the majority of the play.

In conclusion, it cannot be denied that John Proctor made a major mistake and betrayed his wife and his own moral code. Despite that, he was a strong, level-headed individual that cared for his family and desired to leave them with a good name. He would not have felt such a high level of guilt if he had not expected so much from himself, which is the quality of a moral person. John Proctor was a good man who truly deserved the title of protagonist in The Crucible.

Works Cited

Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Viking Penguin, 1980. Web

Scheidt, Jennifer L., and Denis M. Calandra. “CliffsNotes on The Crucible.” CliffsNotes.com. CliffsNotes. 2010. Web. 18 Sep 2011.

SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on The Crucible.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 18 Sep 2011.