John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

John Proctor, as portrayed in The Crucible, is simply a human being who is neither completely  a hero or a stooge. Imperfection is a large part of the human condition, and Proctor most certainly has his faults, particularly his affair with Abigail and dishonesty to his wife. This issue is the underline internal struggle Proctor battles until the climax of him choosing to defend his wife or protect his reputation. Even though deciding to confront Abigail and sacrifice the fact of him committing adultery to save his wife can be seen as heroic, it is important to notice that a considerable portion of Proctor's actions were motivated by guilt, which isn't always the most holy calling in Puritan standards. However, at the end of the play, he realizes the corruption and vengeance in wrongly accusing others and gives his life to attempt to end the vicious cycle of false finger pointing. This act is heroic because not only does Proctor develop into a selfless voice of reason, but he was motivated by his own moral code of ideals. Overall, Proctor is a man who learned the error of his ways and endeavored to use that knowledge to help others in the way he thought was best. Therefore, he was not a hero or a stooge, but was a growing individual.