John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

John Proctor, in my opinion, was a hero. Some might look at all of the wrong he'd done in life and look down on him, but I believe that Proctor died with his heart finally at peace and content with his actions. But he wasn't able to reach this point without going through some stressful hardships.

John Proctor's two main struggles dealt with the two main characters: Parris and Abigail. With Parris, Proctor didn't attend his church services. This was because he didn't like the sermons Parris preached about, which lately had been about hell and damnation. He probably felt uncomfortable because he felt that the sermons were targeted at him, since he committed a sin that he was highly guilty about. This sin leads us to Proctor's next main struggle, Abigail Williams. He had committed adultery with her against his wife Elizabeth. After his wife found out, they had an estranged relationship. He tried to remain away from Abigail as much as possible. Abigail, who still had feelings for Proctor, made matters worse by doing everything she could to try to ruin Goody Proctor. After the Salem Witch Trials started, this included falsely accusing Goody Proctor of being a witch.

John Proctor is determined to not let Abigail cause anymore havoc in his life, and in the town. When trying to prove Abigail's guilt goes wrong, Proctor not only makes matters worse for Elizabeth, but gets himself in trouble as well. When given the chance to save himself by "admitting" he conducts witch craft, he says he does so that he can be with Elizabeth. First he has a hard time when they ask him to sign his name on the evidence document, but then he can't take the lies anymore and rips the document up, truthfully admitting that he has not actually committed any witch craft, and accepts being hung. He is tired of his life of lies and sin, and he no longer wants to suffer through it. I commend him for his grown-up act, and I think it was honorable of him to do. Therefore, he is a hero in my book.