In a novel a character has many chances to define who they are and fix their mistakes. In the case of John Proctor in The Crucible he has proved himself to be a stooge in my opinion. A stooge is known as a chump, idiot, oaf, goof, fool, and dummy. I feel all these words perfectly describe the character of John Proctor. He had so many chances to fix what he started in the book but he was foolish enough not to do anything so many people died. By having the affair with Abigail the niece of Reverend Parris he started the Salem witch trials. Only Abigail, Elizabeth Proctor and himself knew about the affair, no one in the town had any idea about it. So when the girls were running around in the woods they were performing a ritual to have Elizabeth Proctor killed. Abigail wanted Elizabeth dead so she could take her spot as the wife of John. This started the witch trials because everyone thought that the women of the town were performing black magic like the girls were caught doing in the middle of the night. John Proctor was completely aware of this but he did nothing to stop it not wanting to spoil his good name. If it was found out that he had an affair he would be looked down upon and horrible things would happen to him since he had sex outside his marriage. So many women died because of an affair he wanted no one to know of. Those are not characteristics of what I define as a hero.
John Proctor stood aside while many people in his town died because they were accused of being witches. Witches were only being accused because of his affair that he wouldn’t own up to. That is what a coward would do not a hero. John Proctor looked out only for himself and no one else that is what a stooge does not a hero, he saved no one but himself in the book.
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