Hmmmm..... How would I describe John Proctor?
Outspoken, logical, smart, and rebellious all come to mind. A hero is someone
with "distinguished courage and ability, and is admired for brave
deeds" and a stooge is someone who is taken advantage of or a butt of a
joke. I don't think I would fully associate John with either of those things. A
stooge doesn't venture to do such noble things, and isn't someone who goes out
of their way to save others by fighting against bad guys. On the other hand, a
hero saves the day, sometimes at the last minute but it happens! Not only
does John die but the bad guys get away Scott-free; leaving his friends to a dreadful,
dark end.
The stooge in Proctor gets him killed at
the end. When the story ended I was unsatisfied, John had so much potential and
it felt like he just stopped trying. I was expecting John to fight HARD down to
the very last millisecond, to maintain his innocence, and reveal the truth!
Sadly he failed; very heroic efforts, but falling short is just the story of
John's life in this play. John was the butt of a bad joke and it is really
unfortunate. John had a chance to live and work from the inside to somehow
bring the system down but in the end he just tarnished his name and made
himself look crazy before his death.
The hero in Proctor pushed him to fight
for what he thought was right even when he knew the tables could easily be turned
on him, which they were. He took on these deeds with almost no one on his side.
What I like about John and what makes him sort of a hero is his want to do good
and to make up for what he has done in the past. So much so, that in the end he
chooses to die, to not lie to please sick, vengeful people but to look good in
the eyes of God, Elizabeth, and the others, which is very admirable. He gave up
himself for a higher cause, and chooses to be a hero by going the right way
instead of becoming just like the bad guys in the play.
John Proctor wasn’t necessarily a stooge
or hero but if I were to describe him in two words I would say that John is a:
TRAGIC HERO. John "preferred death to prudence".
Definitely tragic. I guess it's easy for us to look back and say this man acted heroically- standing up for the innocent people. The townspeople that went along with the insanity were the true stooges.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with the fact that he's a tragic hero. I was rooting for him and then he had to die, but I disagree with your statement that, "The stooge in Proctor gets him killed at the end." I think he was a stooge in the beginning and then developed into a hero. Him dying was his heroic act, standing up to the society's craziness, not a stooge's move. I think a stooge's motivation to die would have been different, it would have been because he's fed up with the world and the gov't. Proctor is making a statement. He dies to put an end to the madness, giving up his life to save others. That seems heroic and very well thought out to me, and so he did choose prudence.
ReplyDeleteI like your argument, but is admitting to witchcraft really admitting the truth? I would argue that his death WAS admitting the truth, as he refused to sign a document confessing to something he didn't do.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Proctor seemed to possess traits of both a stooge and a hero, but I feel in the end, he was a hero. He stood up for what he believed in even when it meant losing his life. The only times I could picture him as a stooge would be when he decided to take back a lie he already told, and was hanged for the truth. But for the most part, despite how silly I think taking back the lie was, I still see it as more of a heroic act, because he stayed to true to himself, unlike others who valued their life more than the greater good.
ReplyDeleteI decided to respond to everyone in this one comment. Yes I totally agree that John did very heroic acts and in the end stood up for the greater good, but I just don't think he needed to die to do that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for Your Comments!!!
DeleteI found it interesting how you felt about John when describing him as a stooge. I never thought about him "putting up a fight", as you said. I always felt he was a hero because in the end he died not wanting to live a life of lies and sin anymore. But your points have opened my eyes up a bit more now.
ReplyDeleteGood Job Tre, Love To Hear Your Thoughts On Characters From The Crucible.
ReplyDelete