The Scarlet Letter

This tendency to remain apart can also be seen in his decision not to attend church, rather than take amore active role in the congregation. This independence of character, while it allows him to retain a sane outlook also keeps him from taking effective action.
             Proctor has two great conflicts to overcome. He overcomes the first by his decision to testify against Abigail, despite his guilt. This act constitutes the climax of the play, for it is at this moment that he realizes that he must participate in the community and that his individual needs might have to be sacrificed for the good of all. His second conflict is whether to sign a false confession and save his life or allow himself to be executed. His conscious decision to choose self-sacrifice allows him to both recover the sense of goodness that he lost when he committed adultery with Abigail and also serve his community. By his decision to accept death rather than betray his friends and neighbors, he rises above the tragedy of politics in the play to become its hero.
             John Proctor's greatest strength is his manliness. It is also his greatest weakness, for it leads him into his liaison with Abigail. The guilt he feels over this act of betrayal prevents him from speaking out soon enough and contributes to his eventual imprisonment and death. Thus, in tune with Aristotle's definition of a tragic hero, he dies a death engendered by his own strength, which gains in significance due to the weakness of others. In a play ruled by passions and character, which are larger than life, Proctor, by his very flaws, remains human and, therefore, a character of immense power.
             Reverend John Hale is a minister from Beverly who is called to Salem by Reverend Samuel Parris to investigate the situation. He is about forty years old, and has a strong belief in authority of the church. Reverend Hale is sure about his belief that there are witches and feels that he is carrying out the desires of God himself.