John Proctor is not even close to a stooge. He changes a lot throughout the story, but his actions reveal that he is a hero. John Proctor made a mistake by having an affair with Abigail, but he fought so hard to redeem himself. He fought hard for forgiveness from Elizabeth and from himself. He does think about Abigail from time to time, but he has stated that he will "cut off his hand before he reaches for her again". He wants a second chance, that is what he is fighting for in the end.
In the last scene of the Crucible, we see that John Proctor has been in jail for about 3 months. We see him "confess" to being with the devil, but in his confession, he says that he doesn't see anyone else. He doesn't want to make innocent people suffer so that he can live. He also rips up his confession. This here is something heroic. He breaks Danforth's system and doesn't give the church the satisfaction of ruining his name. John Proctor dies with honor; he finally redeems himself for his sins. Making that choice is something only a hero could do, not some stooge.
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ReplyDeleteDoes redeeming himself make him a hero? To me, his motivations seem very selfish. What qualifies as a hero to you? Personally, I don't think that just because someone makes up for their sins necessarily tilts the scale to make them a hero. The definition of a stooge is one who is influenced by others. Many of his decisions are influenced by other's opinions. He doesn't confess because he wants to save his name, and he doesn't want to give the other men the satisfaction of having him bend to their will.
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