It hardly takes a discerning eye to realize that life does not consist of fairy tale endings. That fact is all too apparent in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, a work which has been labeled a tragedy by many critics. Robert Heilman defines a tragedy as a work of literature in which a character divided within the self makes choices, bears the consequences of those choices, gains a new awareness, and suffers victory in defeat. As you will see, John Proctor is a perfect The main choice which Proctor must make is simple enough to recognize: lie about his participation in witchcraft or proclaim his innocence and be hanged; however, th