Comparing Loyalty In The Scarlet Letter And The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Massachusetts during the seventeenth century was an extremely religious and strict society filled with many rules and expectations. In The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, this society produced several themes and motifs are revealed through the characters' thoughts and actions. In both literary works, the central theme of honesty is prevalent. The importance of honesty and integrity is easily apparent through John Proctor and Arthur Dimmesdale. Another important theme is the notion of the inherent strength of men versus women. The Crucible portrays men in a more favorable light, for they have strong resolve and courage while the women succumb to greed and hysteria. The Scarlet Letter, on the other

The teenage group of girls that cause most, if not all, of the hysteria and turmoil in Salem demonstrate a weak will and overflowing jealousy and greed. In short, they personify sins and unsavory human traits. Mary Warren, the housekeeper for the Proctor family, demonstrates this pusillanimous nature when she is swayed over to Abigail's side by the other girls. “...Mary, as though infected, opens her mouth and screams with them...Abigail, out of her infinite charity, reaches out and draws the sobbing Mary to her...”(Miller 118-9). She is corrupted and falls to peer pressure despite knowing what was the right thing to do. She caved under the pressure and knowingly sacrificed John Proctor to save her own reputation and life. John Proctor and the other husbands, on the other hand, stand firm and tall in the face of this tragedy. They never give up, and one man is crushed to death before he would even relinquish his family farm. John Proctor and Tituba were both imprisoned, but Tituba because insane and John became a better man. These facts show how gender stereotypes play a part in this play, and how men were seen as more ethical and strong than women. The Scarlet letter takes a different stand on the matter, and portrays the female characters as more resolute and steadfast, compared to the two main men in the novel. Both Chillingworth and Dimmesdale succumb to their personal sins, be it greed, revenge, or adultery. While both Hester and Pearl had to deal with many trials over the course of their lives and much pain, they stayed true to themselves and never let their circumstances defeat them. The men, on the other hand, capitulated and gave in to their vices. “Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto latent, but active now, in this