noun: a person who is admired for their courageous deeds and imperial qualities.
John Proctor is a man of many faces. Like a hero, he has his weaknesses. He had an internal conflict with being honest and upfront with Elizabeth about the affair with Abigail because he could be tried for adultery if he confessed. Clearly, honesty wasn't his best policy in this case.
When Danforth asked him to sign a written confession, he refused calling it "signing the Devil's book" because he didn't want to be put in that sudden position of being forced to become another follower of their theocracy per say. Like a true hero I believe he stuck to his individual values of nobility and self-accountability even in life or death situations. It's fair to say that Proctor had a guilty conscience not confessing in the beginning when he had the chance to but he was indecisive between the choice of pleasing Elizabeth or pleasing Abigail. To be able confess to adultery for the greater good is a heroic act, one that could take Abigail down rather then the whole town.
Considering that many people lied when confessing in order to live, this is an act of righteousness. In the end, he proves his heroic characteristics by possessing the courage to give a verbal confession while standing his ground.
Wow! Great job Cece :) This allowed me to see another perspective of John Proctor. When we first got this prompt, "John Proctor: Hero or Stooge," I immediately thought stooge. Your post has encouraged me to see John Proctor, as well as other characters, from multiple viewpoints without bias in order to fully form an opinion of them. I assumed that his lies automatically knocked out any idea of him being a hero. You see this as natural weakness and guilt that anyone, hero or stooge, can experience in their life.
ReplyDeleteVery thoughtful piece! You obviously put alot of effort into this and wrote an educated as well as a well defended argument. I especially love how you took the time to properly define what a stooge as well as what a hero was before writing your piece. Way to attack the prompt like a true scholar. Great work :))
ReplyDelete"John Proctor is a man of many faces." --Love this line!! Great entry, you explore all angles of Johns character. I like how you chose to use his mistakes as evidence of his heroic actions instead of labeling him a stooge.
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