John Proctor Hero or Stooge
John Proctor is a very important character in the play The Crucible. Some may say his character is that of stooge. I say John Proctor’s character is more similar to that of a hero. In the story John’s wife was arrested and accused of witchcraft. As a result John went to the courts in an attempt to prove his wife’s innocence. In the process of trying to prove his wife’s innocence, the governor presents John with a deal. If John drops his charges they will allow his wife to have her baby before she is hung. Since John originally went to the courts to free his wife he could have taken the offer but he refused. He refused because his friends had wives who were also being falsely accused of witchcraft. John could not just forget about them which was heroic of him. He did not originally go to the courts to assist his friends which supports the fact that John is not a stooge. When the opportunity to fight for the innocent (not just his wife) presented itself, John took it even though the outcome was unpredictable. John even sacrificed his good name in the town in efforts to prove that Abigail is not as honest as she claims to be. He admits to an affair that he kept secret for a long while for the sake of his good image. If you have read The Crucible you’d know that John cares a lot about his name in the town. For example John rips up his written confession of witchcraft because he does not want it to be posted on the church door, for all to see even though he knows that he will die because of it. John would rather die than make lies about him public. This also shows that John is a man of integrity and courage.