The Crucible – Tragic Hero Persuasive Essay
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The character of John Procter in Arthur Millers The Crucible was a great example of a truly tragic hero. He measured up to every one of Aristotles requirements. He was not a perfect person because he had many faults and was not completely good or bad. Best of all, he knew that he was not perfect and he recognized and regretted the errors that he made throughout his life. Then, after the reader stays with Procter while he confessed all of his horrible sins for the whole town to hear, he had was a massive downfall as the result. Coincidentally enough, that downfall came from his trying to do something about his errors and sticking up for himself and his beliefs. He did something great, which anyone with a heart would pity him for. Being a real and relatable character is another one of Aristotles tragic hero requirements and John Procter was most definitely one of those types of characters.
The faults and imperfections of John Procter were clear. He was definitely not a perfect character. He cheated on his wife by having an affair with a teenager. He only went to church when he felt like it. Almost worst of all, he had the chance early in the play to put a stop to the girls accusations, but his desire to keep his good reputation kept him from testifying against Abigail and the others. Whats great about John Procters character is that he realized all of his faults. Knowing that he was a bad person and that he had made mistakes, he tried to do something about them. He stayed with his wife and worked to fix things between them, attempted please her and make her feel better and more secure. He had his reasons to back himself up for not going to church. Once the accusations got personal and involved his wife and the wives of his close friends, he did make the attempt to do something about them and stop them. Eventually he even admitted to everyone that he was an adulterer.
Then what did he get for his brave attempt to save his wife and his friends? What did he get for risking ruining his reputation and his good name in the town? He got arrested, taken away from his wife and friends and sentenced to death. How could you not feel pity for him? This man was only trying to save the lives of the people who he loved and who he cared for. He didnt deserve to die. He put himself out on a limb to help the others and to prove to the courts that his wife and everyone else were in fact