John Proctor: A Tragic Hero

Arthur Miller's "Th e Crucible" is clearly a representation of the true meaning of tragedy. John Proctor was the medium, in which Miller utilized to convey a universal depiction of tragedy. A broad definition of a tragic hero is a protagonist who, through faults and flaws of his own and in the society in which he exists, falters in the grand scheme of things. This mistake leads to suffering, which ultimately leads to a self-realization. …

…to these people violated his freedom. He learned that we need to answer to God and God only for forgiveness. The confession revoked Proctor's dignity and his freedom. Miller says, "Tragedy enlightens... in that it points the heroic finger at the enemy of man's freedom."(Miller, Tragedy of the Common Man) Proctor sees this and points a heroic finger at those people who tried to take his freedom in making him sign a false confession.