John is heroic because he deserves great honor in the village, and he also tries to save his wife and other people. But his tragic flaw, pride, is the main reason he hangs to death. If the overseer refuses to have an affair with Abigail, or if he doesn't have much pride, he would have survived. Miller creates John Proctor as an example to show people that a person, or hero, will meet their downfall if they have natural flaws and do not realize that they need to change.