John Proctor Character Analysis in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem

John Proctor, the stoic, honorable protagonist of the 1957 play The Crucible, is also a minor character in I, Tituba. A well-respected farmer in Salem during the witch trials, Proctor is consistently a voice of reason and an ally of Tituba’s; the fact that he falls under suspicion shows just how out of control the witch trials have become. In The Crucible, John Proctor sleeps with and then rejects the much-younger Abigail, sparking her desire to seek revenge and accuse the Proctor family.

John Proctor Character Timeline in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem

The timeline below shows where the character John Proctor appears in I, Tituba, Black Witch of Salem. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Desire, Patriarchy and the Difficulty of Feminism Theme Icon

Tituba meets and flirts with John Indian, a handsome man born to an indigenous father and a Nago mother. John explains... (full context)

Tituba wants to make John love her, but Yaya cautions that “men do not love. They possess.” She also warns... (full context)

...time of year when enslaved people are able to have celebrations of their own. Though John is dancing with another woman, Tituba interrupts, and they share a special moment. When Tituba... (full context)

John and Tituba become a couple, but he refuses to live with her in her house... (full context)

...Tituba, she gives her a list of tasks and orders her to convert to Christianity. John Indian acts like a child, dancing around and pleading with Susanna for two days off... (full context)

...in slavery, so she has sold all the other enslaved people on her plantation besides John Indian. Now, he lives in an “attractive” little colonial house on the Endicott plantation. Tituba... (full context)

For two days, John and Tituba have passionate, satisfying sex; John also cooks delicious meals with tropical plants for... (full context)

...spirit, and Abena recalls that while Yao was kind and respectful, she is not sure John Indian will be the same way. Tituba regrets that unlike the rest of the enslaved... (full context)

Both John and Susanna try to force Tituba to believe in Christianity and the Holy Trinity, but... (full context)

Tituba tells John Indian about this exchange, and he panics, explaining that white people define witchcraft as dealing... (full context)

...fate. And you will have perverted your heart in the bargain.” Again, both women criticize John Indian, and both hint that Tituba will have to “cross the water.” Tituba decides instead... (full context)

John and Tituba make up, and a few days later, Susanna gets very sick. A witchcraft... (full context)

At one point, some of the partygoers conduct a marriage ceremony between John and Tituba. One woman objects, claiming that John has fathered two children with her. But... (full context)

Two days later, Susanna tells John and Tituba that she believes Tituba is a witch—and that she feels Tituba is responsible... (full context)

Susanna announces that she is dying, and that she is planning to sell John and Tituba to a new master. Both are horrified by this thought: John because he... (full context)

Still, Susanna is firm that John and Tituba will belong to this new slaveholder, Samuel Parris—and worse still, that they will... (full context)

On board a ship, Parris pours ice-cold water on Tituba and John and formally marries them. Tituba feels that she is going to be ill. As the... (full context)

...the sternness of Parris’s religious life, and this allows Tituba to empathize with them. Meanwhile, John is back to his usual self, making jokes and playing games with the sailors on... (full context)

At night, Parris interrupts Tituba and John when they are about to have sex to force them to pray (alongside Elizabeth, Betsey,... (full context)

Tituba and John spend the year in Boston while Parris tries to find a parish that will hire... (full context)

Without telling John her plan, Tituba successfully aborts her baby, though she feels very conflicted about this decision.... (full context)

...is extremely rural; there are less than 2,000 people, and cows wander the streets. Tituba, John, and the Parris family arrive at their new home, and Abigail runs into the house,... (full context)

All the villagers from Salem, including John Proctor and Anne Putnam, come to greet (and do some snooping around) Parris. While Parris... (full context)

Tituba’s knowledge of the villagers’ worst impulses unsettles her. Worse still, Parris hires John out to a neighbor, meaning Tituba barely ever gets to see or sleep with him.... (full context)

John tells Tituba that she does not know how to survive in the white man’s world.... (full context)

...Tituba gets frustrated, Goodwife Sibley reminds her of the horrible things that happen to witches. John begs Goodwife Sibley to help them. (full context)

...it all, Tituba continues to insist that she will “never! Never!” cast suspicion on others. John Indian comes in and begs Tituba to accuse others and save herself. He then asks... (full context)

...is being chained, Goodwife Goode asks who will take care of her daughter Dorcas, and John Proctor volunteers; this then causes suspicion to fall on the Proctor family. (full context)

...Goodwife Nurse can be taken down, Tituba fears even more greatly for her husband. Yet John Indian seems to be getting along just fine, causing Tituba to recall Hester’s complaint that... (full context)

One day, John visits Tituba in her makeshift jail. Tituba is horrified to see that he has changed,... (full context)

John Indian stops visiting, and Tituba is taken back to the jail in Ipswich. On the... (full context)