The character John Proctor from Arthur Miller's; The Crucible is a model example of a tragic hero. Proctor is initially made out to be a character that has committed the sinful crime of adultery and is struggling to re-establish his trustworthiness in himself and his wife. As The Crucible progresses a great transition in nature and character occur in John Proctor, making the audience sympathize with him when his downfall occurs. A tragic hero is defined as someone usually of great stature that falls into a condition of sheer depression. As the audience witnesses the fall of this character they would feel helpless understanding that the fall of this hero was caused by chance, fate or a critical flaw in his character. This essay will outline how John Proctor is initially portrayed by Arthur Miller, what the chinks in his armour are, how his character strengthens, and how John Proctor's inner strength prevails towards the end of the play.
             The audience first see John Proctor as a man of great stature and impeccable wit that has committed a degrading act, which now makes him weaker in personality and filled with guilt. A sense of suspicion also lingers about him, since his wife does not completely trust him after he confessed his sin to her. Miller is describes Proctor as the kind of man – 'powerful of body', 'respected' and even 'feared' in Salem. Ironically after praising John Proctor, Miller reveals to the audience that he is a 'sinner' that has now come to think of himself as a 'fraud' because he cannot confront his own wrongdoing. Within the same act the audience see Proctor in the light of a stern irritable man trying his utmost to erase his sin of committing adultery. His actions are not that of a popular character and with every action he takes he seems to lose liking of the audience. When he is confronted with Abigail, he is forced to hold back whatever is le...