Essay About Reputation In The Crucible

Reputation can be an important part of someone's life. This is because people are often judged on their reputation even if it's not accurate. For this reason most people want a good reputation. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, the importance of reputation is an idea that appears over and over. Because the play takes place in a puritan town of Salem, most people are in each other's business. In the play, while some characters' concern about their reputation can be seen as selfish, Miller shows that worry about one's name can actually be selfless.
Throughout the crucible Abigail is trying to gain a good reputation in the town. In act one parris asks Abigail if she has a good reputation in Salem and she responds to Paris by saying “why,I am sure it is, sir. There will be no blush about my name” (miller 11). explanation here. Abigail starts

in act one abigail is caught dancing in the woods and parris is her uncle and doesn't want to receive a bad reputation from niece so he says, “I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me, in the parish,you compromise my very character”pg…(parris) in this quote parris had just found out that the girls had been dancing in the woods, he doesn't want people to find out because that will ruin his reputation.towards the end of act 4 parris wants john to sign the contract to confess from witchcraft he exclaims, “it is a great service sir. it is a weighty name; it will strike the village that proctor confesses. I beg you, let him sign it. The sun is up, excellency!”(131). In the quote parris wants john to sign for witchcraft because if he didnt and john gets hanged the people will start to think parris is lying because john is a big part of the town and his reputation would be over and no one will ever believe him