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John Proctor Integrity

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How does one deal with lust? For John Proctor, the protagonist in The Crucible, the fatal flaw of lust propels him to make decisions that will eventually cost him his life. Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, created a classical play about the witch hunts and trials during seventeenth-century Salem. This small-scale town in Massachusetts serves as an example of a community engulfed by hysteria. At the center of the story is John Proctor, who had been initially portrayed as a flawed but generally well-meaning man. Proctor is greatly affected by his past affair with Abigail Williams, a young woman who once worked for his household; she serves as a primary accuser and instigator of the trials. Abigail accuses innocent people of being witches based on lies; she specifically targets Elizabeth Proctor to ultimately retake John and take Elizabeth's spot in their bed. …show more content…
Ultimately, Proctor finds himself between the need to either tell a lie to save his life or to maintain his moral integrity by choosing death and staying quiet. Miller uses Proctor's journey to convey broader themes of redemption, guilt, and personal integrity throughout the play. John Proctor's moral and internal dilemma between honesty and immorality further contributes to his downfall and the result of him becoming a tragic hero. In The Crucible, John Proctor's fatal flaws and internal conflicts highlight themes of redemption and personal integrity within a society riddled with dishonesty and hysteria, Proctor's transformation from a reputation-driven man into a person of moral integrity reveals Proctor as a true tragic

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