John Proctor-Hero or Stooge

In my personal opinion, John Proctor is a stooge. This is not to say that he lives an entirely pointless life, or is a terrible person. This is just to say that he, by definition, is a person who serves merely to support or assist others". In the Crucible, he doesn't do anything particularly fantastic. The argument for him being a hero could potentially be that he is consistently trying to clear his wife's name, and is trying to help her no matter what. The problem, is that in actuality he is just trying his best to clean up the mess he has made. He had an affair with Abigail, which is the first problem, not that all adulterers are bad people, but he very well made a mistake. From there, Elizabeth find out, she has problems with Abigail, and Abigail wants her gone so she can be with Proctor. This lustful desire is what got us here. This is what initiated the ceremony in the woods and what caused the chaos that ensued. Now, John is trying everything to protect his wife from what he indirectly imposed on her. I suppose that is a good thing, he is in fact trying to clear his mistakes, but he is also trying to retain his reputation. Him saying that he knows Abigail would usually ruin his name, however in this case it was just taken as part of the trial to understand who is guilty. Even with revealing this major truth, he has so far not gotten any blood on his hands. He doesn't think before he acts, and he has proven to be dishonest. He lives his life in a circle:making mistakes and trying to fix them. This is what makes John Proctor a stooge in my mind.