John Proctor Allegory

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How can a man who cheated on his wife possibly be seen as a hero? Not only that, but it was also lechery - the girl that he cheated on his wife with was only seventeen years old. However, this thirty year old man is also somehow the hero of the story. His name is John Proctor, and he is the protagonist in The Crucible. Now, why would Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, create such a problematic “hero?” If one looks at what he’s done, he doesn’t seem like a very admirable guy. However, that was Miller’s whole point. Miller used John Proctor to explain his allegory to the reader - he showed us that the victims of the Salem witch trials and the communists accused during McCarthyism were human beings - and by doing this, he reminded the reader that despite adversity, one should always remain true to themselves.
John Proctor represents the victims of …show more content…

Proctor is all about self respect. Before he cheated on his wife with Abigail, he has so much respect for himself and his reputation. After he made that mistake, he knew he had to redeem himself. He was known for being such a good man, and he had to prove to himself that he still was that man, despite his mistakes. He openly admitted his lechery when he stated in front of the court, “...God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore's vengeance, and you must see it now (III.374-384).” The phrase “I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat” refers to how Proctor was sexually attracted to Abigail and thus cheated on his wife, and is now facing the consequences. The “whore” that John is referring to is Abigail, so the phrase “whore’s vengeance” means that Abigail started the whole idea of witchcraft in Salem as revenge on Proctor for ending their affair. After John Proctor admitted to cheating on his wife in front of a judge, he took one step closer to regaining the self respect that he once had for

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