A tragic hero is a character that is destined for a downfall or defeat. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there is a debate going on about if the main protagonist, John Proctor, is a tragic hero. Some say he is because of the way he died to save the dignity of his name, yet others say he is not because of the sins he had committed. Proctor is a tragic hero because he learned from his flaw to become a better person and died to save the dignity of his name. During the play, Miller talks about a flaw that Proctor has that is the cause of his downfall. Miller talks about a girl by the name of Abigail Williams who worked for Proctor and his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. She wouldn’t be working for them for too long because Williams and Proctor had an affair. When Elizabeth Proctor finds out, she fires Williams and since then John Proctor has used this flaw to learned from it. For example, in Act III, Proctor confesses his sin publicly to the court. By doing this, Proctor shows his goodness and also has learned how to forgive himself and not live with the guilt. Even though John Proctor has sinned, he tries to keep his name a clean as possible. For example, at the end of Act III, Proctor is arrested for being a witch after the girl who works …show more content…
They say this because he has sinned and does not go to church on Sundays. Although this may be true, the only reason Proctor doesn’t go to church on Sundays is because he plows on Sundays. He plows on Sundays because he has three mouths to feed and his land gives little if he doesn’t plow often. As for his sins, they have been forgiven by his wife when he confessed his affair with Abigail Williams with the court, with God when he died to save the reputation and name of his family, and himself when he tore up the letter to save his and his family’s name and reputation. Proctor is a tragic hero because his flaw was forgiven by God, his wife, and