In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, various characters, whether from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some sort of grave conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be wrongly accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and his family. As a result, he struggled with severe internal conflict throughout the play. For starters, Proctor was considered a strong person in the community and was respected for it. He was a handsome, hardworking and revered man in the community. To the people of Salem he was a dedicated farmer who had done nothing to tarnish his family name. His attitude was “. . . balanced and not easily led. . .” from the rumors and hysteria surrounding Salem at the time of the witch accusations (Miller 21). When others came to the conclusion that it was witchcraft and began to fear, Proctor kept a realistic and skeptical look on the situation. Contrary to popular belief at the time, Proctor would have missed church and openly disagreed with Reverend Parris (Scheidt and Calandra). Despite this, he had a strong faith in God and followed his own moral standards more than the strict rules set by the Puritan church at that time. He was revered in Salem as an honest man who always spoke his mind and who had the ability to silence hypocrites with his quick logic (Sparknotes Editors). Whenever Reverend Parris tried to tear Proctor down with criticism of his church attendance and Sunday activities, Proctor could always... middle of paper ......pain is the fuel of the internal conflict he experienced during the majority of the work. In conclusion, there is no denying that John Proctor made a grave mistake and betrayed his wife and his own moral code. Despite this, he was a strong and balanced individual who cared for his family and wanted to leave them a good name. He would not have felt such a high sense of guilt if he had not expected so much from himself, which is the quality of a moral person. John Proctor was a good man who truly deserved the title of protagonist in The Crucible.Works CitedMiller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Viking Penguin, 1980. WebScheidt, Jennifer L. and Denis M. Calandra. “Cliffs Notes on the Crucible.” CliffsNotes.com. Notes on the cliffs. 2010. Network. September 18, 2011. SparkNotes Editors. "SparkNote on the Crucible." SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Web. 18 September 2011.