John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the vast assortment of characters set in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, are all seriously screwed up in one way or another. Tempers fly and accusations are thrown around like nothing. However, there is  a handful of people who are even relatively sane in the play who attempt to do something about the madness around them. One of these people is John Proctor, who is presumably the hero of the play, if not the main character. He is a good natured fellow who believes in doing what he believes is right and is not afraid to speak his opinion, even when it is not the popular one. This can be seen in his willingness to give up everything to tell the truth about his sin, to part with his land, his wife, and even his life to make things right in the village of Salem. He also has a way of bringing people to see the light, as we can see in the case of Reverend Hale and Giles Corey, who turn from the side of the court and Parris to stand by John Proctor. However, he does have his faults, as which can be noted by the fact that he had sex with an underage girl (thus making him guilty of adultery and statutory rape, not to mention that he created a psychotic serial killer in the process). However, while he did screw up, he admits that he did and asks for forgiveness, which I believe he should be allowed to recieve. After all, he is only human, and all humans sin at one point or another.

Luke Mallette