As I began reading The Crucible I thought John Proctor was just an adulterous old man but later when I saw how he defended Elizabeth and how he yelled at Abigail I started liking him, so I thought he was a hero.
But right before starting this blog I googled the word "stooge" and got this: "A person who serves mainly to support and assist others"(dictionary.com)
So I got to thinking and I came up with the conclusion that John Proctor was indeed a stooge. He had the opportunity of having his wife back with him and being able to see his children grow up, HE HAD A BABY ON THE WAY FOR GOD'S SAKE! But this man decided to stay and continue fighting he knew that this would only end badly, and it did, and who did he help by staying and fighting? No one! Giles Corey was tortured and killed and so were all those innocent people that he was trying to help when he decided to continue fighting.
Another part in which John Proctor presents himself as a stooge is when he had the opportunity to sign the paper and confess to being a witch but he decided not to when he saw Rebecca Nurse, he was set to being able to stay with his family and live his life but when he saw her he immediately said "NO!" and he went to the hanging tree. He didn't do anything to help himself, these people were insane, the killings would've continued and the people whom he loved (his family) stayed behind having to deal with the hardships of not having someone to sustain the family.
John Proctor was a stooge, he served mainly to support others, never thinking about his family and what they would have to deal with if he was condemned.
I disagree with your point of view. Even though Proctor had an affair with Abigail, he regretted it and tried everything to not get his wife hanged. He was also very upset with the false accusations about his friends and would not drop the case because his friends were still accused and he thought that it was just plain wrong. I think instead Proctor is portrayed as the tragic hero, his fatal flaw being that he had an affair with Abigail, but he is otherwise a good man and tries everything in his power to fix his wrongdoings.
ReplyDeleteIf only he would have held on for a few more months! Everyone was released once the hysteria died down. In the book, he died for something- protecting others: heroic. In real life? We can only guess. He left his family behind: stooge.
ReplyDeleteNoemi, I really liked your post (not only because it agrees with what I say), but because you really gave your opinion, and backed it up with facts from the play. Good job!
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, and I agree with it, however the difinition I found of stooge was: slang for someone who is taken advantage of by another. I can see where you are coming from, yet there is more I think to hime being a stooge. I also think he is partly a hero as well- he died for what he believed in. So ultimately I agree and disagree with your point of view, you know-Proctor's actions can be looked at in loads of different ways that can bring out either the good or bad side of what he did.
ReplyDeleteI liked your response. It does not agree with what I said, but I understand your point of view. It helped me to reconsider on why he would be called a stooge because at first I did not see that. But yes him leaving his family behind wasn't heroic, especially because of the imbalance now that he is dead.
ReplyDeleteI like your post because it doesn't agree with my point of view, but we have the same points, so it really shows how big of an influence perspective has on interpretation of characters.
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