There is finally no middle ground open to John Proctor. He must commit himself to one side or the other. His choice is to commit himself to his friends and die an honest man. The significant self-laceration which John Proctor undergoes while struggling to make his choice is finally convincing because it is perfectly in character, “Miller uses Proctor as a vehicle for the play’s major moral questions” (Bloom;23). Proctor is weak, like most men, but he has the potential for greatness likewise common to all men. When John Proctor shouted "I am no saint” (1163), he asserted his human frailty and vulnerability. As the tragic hero of Miller’s drama, Proctor faces his downfall due to his lack of commitment to humanity....
