Hero he.ro [heeroh] (plural he.roes) 1. A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.
2. A person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal: He was a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
That is the dictionary definition of a "hero". All of us have a hero. To some, a hero might be a favorite actor or fictional character. To others, a hero may be along the lines of a father or uncle. But what truly makes someone a hero? The word means different things to different people. To me, a hero is a person of admirable traits or qualities that overcome hardships and stand up and defend in something they believe in. In the pieces of The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, the true meaning of a hero is truly revealed. …show more content…
Others can be classified as "good people", others even "heroic". But the true hero of this piece is an unlikely one. A person who was not perfect and had many faults, as well was not completely good or bad. This person was John Proctor, the true hero of the play. He begins as a mere farm worker like an average everyday person. As his life progresses, he makes bad decisions and runs into even worse conflicts.
The faults and imperfections of John Proctor were clear. He was definitely not a perfect character. He cheated on his wife by having an affair with a teenager. He went to church when he chose. His actions weren't primarily the best. He had the chance early in the play to put a stop to the girls' accusations, but his desire to keep his good reputation kept him from testifying against Abigail and the others. These were all negative things about that character of John Proctor, but what makes him a hero? Clearly this truly proves him to be completely opposite from a