You could be shunned by the community, or excommunicated entirely. This was the main fear I believe many people held, which is why they did not speak up like John had. John dies at the end as if to almost prove a point saying that this situation is out of control and gone too far. Knowing how much the people respect him and Rebecca Nurse, having them watch the two hang will have a huge impact on them. This is where, I believe, Arthur Miller was trying to go with his play expressing his own idea of what happened in Salem in the 1600s. The way I look at it, Miller sets up Proctor to be the hero of this play. Everything Proctor goes through and his determination to say what he feels is right in deserving to be a hero. Herbert Blau, author of "No Play Is Deeper Than Its Witches," says, "One may not have the courage to be a Proctor at the final drum roll, nor a Glenn at the countdown, but no one doubts they are worthy of imitation." This sums up my belief of John Proctor completely.…
