Act one

John Proctor is The Crucible’s protagonist. He has major issues. John was a very fortunate character. He had a nice farm, three sons, and a wife. He was the kind of guy who spoke his mind. He took pleasure in exposing hypocrisy and was respected. Most importantly he respected himself. All it took was on shameful sin to destroy proctor’s self respect. He made the mistake of sleeping with the seventeen year old Abigal. He had committed adultery and lechery. In Act one Proctor’s lust for Abigail, which led to their affair is revealed. Proctor’s sin led to Abigail’s jealousy of his wife. John Proctor had become the thing he hated most, a hypocrite. Since through out the play Proctor challenges authority there is no question to why he was attracted to Abigail. In Act one Abigail told Proctor that she and the girls had nothing to do with witch craft and that they just were dancing in the woods. Proctor’s smile widened and he said to Abigail, “Ah, you’re wicked yet aren’t y.” Abigail seemed defiant when it came to authority and that may have been what attracted John Proctor to her, besides the fact that his wife was sick. He was consumed by the feeling of guilt. He is revealed as a character whom has lost his self respect, and his goodness.