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Fear And Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

914 Words4 Pages

I am exploring the question of are we are motivated by fear, human nature, and just how far we will go for our reputations. All three of theses are major themes in the Cucubile by Arthur Miller. And each theme plays a major part in how the Crucible was rounded while also showing a very strong perspective on how the author wanted the reader to perceive the crucible.

The reason I think that we continue to read, study, and perform the Crucible to this day is because it was a major part in history where many innocent people were killed due to fear and false accusations. The Crucible was written about a time period that Arthur Miller acknowledges as a time where fear and reputation totally took over. “fear doesn't travel well; just as it can warp judgment, its absence can diminish memory’s truth. what terrifies one generation is likely to bring only a puzzled …show more content…

Many of the characters in the crucible are very worried about how they are seen by others. John Proctor is worried that his reputation in Salem will be ruined because he committed one of the biggest sins adultery with Abigail. Even though John knows that all the girls in Salem are pretending, he still isn't sure if he should confess to what he knows to be the truth. “ john, if it were not Abagail that you must hurt, would you falter now? i think not” (early act 2) On the other hand, Reverend Parris is worried about his reputation as well because Abigail is his niece, and he can't even control her; but yet he is looked to as the authority of the town of Salem and everyone looks at him for direction and guidance. “ I must Call reverend Hale to come to Salem” Parris decides to call in Hale for help and guidance because he has no control over the girls. This shows just how badly people in Salem were willing to go to keep their reputations, making it one of the major themes displayed in the

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