In other words, Proctor again gains the courage to tell the truth, but the truth still fails to save him. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he struggles to do the right thing, but when he does it leads to his downfall. By illustrating Proctor's difficult journey to the truth and the disappointing result of that journey, Miller emphasizes the idea that society is not always interested in honesty.
In the play, the purpose of the character Giles Corey is to be the scapegoat who suffers the punishment that should be given to another, which ultimately leads to his destruction. The stage directions explain Corey's numerous accounts with the court and the unfortunate fact that "No man has ever been blamed for so much. If a cow was missed, the first thought was to look for her around Corey's house" (38). The natural response to a crime in Salem is to put the blame on Giles Corey, foreshadowing the court's later willingness to find an accused person guilty even without the proper evidence. Corey's refusal to give names to the court puts him in jail for suppressing critical information. Giles refuses to reveal information relating to the trials, and to break him down, "Great stones they lay upon his chest until he plead aye or nay. They say he give them but two words. 'More weight,' he says. And died" (Miller 125). Corey's last words "liberate the individual conscience of the defiant Corey from the law of society they become the weight of the truth that he, Nurse, and Proctor possess" (Marino 170). Essentially this "weight of truth" will begin and end with those who fight for justice as Giles dies to forfeit the future loss of more lives. Giles Corey makes the role of scapegoat heroic by dying for the benefit of others and also for the truth, since he refuses to contribute to the lies going about in the Salem court. Despite Corey's dedication to his family and to the truth, he meets a violent and tragic end.
