The Crucible

Discuss John Proctor as a type for the American hero in literature and use citations from The Crucible, “Tragedy and the Common Man,”

can somone give me citations on why john would be an american hero. please help. thank you.

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American heroic characters tend to hold traits of individual conscious, rebellion, and strength of moral character. Somewhere mixed in there is the sense of the underdog trying to do the right thing in the face of overwhelming odds or opposition. Proctor’s character contains a caustic blend of pride and self-loathing, a very puritanical combination indeed! One the one hand, he takes pride in his farm and his community. He is an independent spirit who has cultivated the wilderness and transformed it into farmland. Furthermore, his sense of religion and communal spirit has led to many public contributions. In fact, he helped to construct the church in town. Proctor has a strong moral compass yet, like the American hero, he is vulnerable to his own temptations. Proctor overcomes these temptations but at a heavy price.

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http://plays.about.com/od/plays/a/jproctor.htm