Persuasive Paper: John Proctor

John Proctor was a farmer in seventeenth century Massachusetts. He was married to Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor was a leader not a follower. He was a man that everyone in the town looked up to. Proctor was a both strong physically and mentally strong. John Proctor was an extremely proud man, and many were aware of it . John Proctor wants to have a good character and reputation and he sees how important that is.

John Proctor, to me, is a hero. Proctor’s flaws make him human. Proctor realizes his downfall and tries to fix his reputation and by standing up to society. He is good natured with fellow villagers such as Giles Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and others. John Proctor is an independent person. His self-esteem sets him apart from other members of the town who feel one must obey authority at all costs. Instead, John Proctor is a person who speaks his mind when he sees injustice. Proctor is flawed and he’s failed, but he redeems himself and that should give the rest of us, who have our fair share of flaws, some hope. People should be more like John Proctor because he stands up for what he believes in, he contains a great deal of wisdom, and he is courageous

Proctor stood up to authority and went against what the Puritans and Salem did. He stood up for what he believed in. He exposes the corruption that existed in Salem. John Proctor chose not to blame others for witchcraft, and he denied believing in the act itself. Though he knew that choosing to be hung and true to God and himself did not make him a hero, or anything of that nature, it was enough to show that the truth and goodness lies in him. He no longer was a dishonest man that had cheated on his wife, he was a good man that knew the truth and was going to stand by it. John Proctor has the strength to stand up to society and dies in defense of truth.

John has gained a great deal of wisdom. He knows that if he stands by his confession to save his own life, it will give authority to the court and his friends lives and reputations will have been lost to ignorance and the big egos of those who punished them. When John Proctor is asked to actually sign his name, John refuses. Putting his name to paper is just too much for John Proctor. By signing his name he would have signed away his soul. John Proctor understands that if he lies to save his own life, his life won’t be worth living because he will have dishonored his name, the one thing of value he can leave to Elizabeth Proctor, his wife, and his sons

John Proctor is also courageous. Proctor confessed to having an affair with Abigail Williams, even though that is a punishable crime. Proctor said this in order to prove that Abby is accusing Elizabeth of witchcraft because Elizabeth fired Abby after Elizabeth became suspicious. He did it to save Elizabeth which shows that he is a very courageous character. John Proctor also refuses to sign a false confession that would save his life.

He accepts the consequence of not signing the confession without backing down or without being overtaken by fear. Although he wants to live, escaping death is not worth facing the rest of his life with a bad reputation and knowing it’s a lie. John Proctor understood that having a good character and reputation was better than having his life. John Proctor was able to face danger and difficulty without being overcome with fear.

John Proctor has the power to change the life of dozens of other by just what he says and does. John Proctor had many noble qualities. The people of Salem looked up to John Proctor. John Proctor always stood up for what he believed in, no matter what the consequences. John Proctor had great integrity and to him, his name and reputation was more important than his life. Proctor’s pride was too strong to live a lie. People should be more like John Proctor in the fact that he was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in, he was smart, and he was a very courageous man.