John Proctor, a man who committed adultery and didn't admit it until later, is definitely not a hero. He worried more about his name and his reputation than saving his wife and bringing justice to Salem. In addition, he felt it reasonable to sacrifice himself and not blacken his name any further, leaving his pregnant wife with two children and another one on the way. Proctor got himself into this situation, and he did not do well to get himself out.
However - who can blame him??
John Proctor is neither hero or stooge, he is a victim. He made mistakes in his past, and was trying his best to save his family, his friends and neighbors, and himself, all while having a personal battle with the town minister and Abigail Williams. The legal system was rigged against him, and there was no way out of the situation without loosing one of his values.
I agree, but it was kinda like "either or", and I felt like he was closer to a hero... still valid I guess
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate and agree with your points about leaving his wife and children and prioritizing his reputation. Especially in such a patriarchal society, Elizabeth (and co.) will have to struggle much more to make a living, have rights, or live a comfortable life than if the roles had been reversed. However, I'm not sure that being a victim of an unfair system equates to being a hero. It equates to being a victim, and while you could therefore argue that his death makes him a martyr, that still doesn't necessarily make him a hero. Ultimately, it really depends on how loosely you're defining "hero", I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI disagree- but not completely. John Proctor is neither a true hero or a stooge, but most definitely has heroic qualities. The phrase "definitely not a hero," is too definitive for my taste, because he did have the dauntlessness to stand up to the Salem court to tell them that he was having an affair. Granted, having an affair is not at all heroic but he had the courage to admit something uncomfortable to an influential crowd (not that that justifies it). All in all, I agree with your point that Proctor is a victim, but he is also a mild hero.
ReplyDeleteI agree that he was not a hero or a stooge. He showed signs of both throughout the story, so its hard to tell
ReplyDeleteI disagree with some of your points. His refusal to sign the confession at the end of the play was, in my opinion, not an act of selfishness, but rather an act of resistance and a display of his martyrdom. While I agree that leaving his family alone makes this decision more than a little unfavorable, it was not a decision made in haste. He did not want to be yet another victim of the corrupt system that was Salem; he wanted to die on his terms.
ReplyDelete