How Does Abigail Williams Show Reputation In The Crucible

675 Words3 Pages

The Crucible Essay John Lewis once said, “Live a life that is so honest, if someone said something bad about you, no one would believe it.” Building a certain reputation is a task most fail to acknowledge. Many elaborate through their actions the particular person they pursue to be known as, but many do the opposite. No matter if you’re unfamiliar to your attempts or fully aware, every one’s reputation is in their own hand’s to maneuver in the direction they strive to drive it in. In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, reputation is amongst the most important priority, aside from religion. The characters are knee deep in lies, temptation, and guilt that make it difficult to maintain a clean slate. John Procter, the tragic hero, Abigail Williams, …show more content…

He is known to the townspeople as a religious man who remains faithful to his wife and works hard to pursue his farming. He feels that through his good deeds, he may erase his sins. By maintaining this mindset, the guilt eventually tears Procter apart. The author uses John Procter as a symbol of the realistic struggles of a Christian, which is evident in his forgiving actions. Although Procter is known as a faithful man in more ways than one, his affair with Abigail Williams later results in manipulation, lying, and distrust. He allows the guilt to pave a path of sin. Towards the end of the Crucible he realizes there is more to life than playing the role of a good man and take action to become a good man through honesty. The author also uses Procter as a symbol of the many downfalls of life because once Procter realized reputation wasn’t amongst the most important things in life, it was too …show more content…

Deriving from her childhood, Abigail Williams seeked the attention and affiliation she never received as young girl. From this she was the prime reason for the hysteria and problems arousing from her town. She manipulated, lusted, and used her evil desires to send 19 innocent people to their deathbed all for her own satisfaction. She never attempted to mend the broken relationships she caused because she knew there was no turning back from her actions. She was suffocating from the problems amended by her own actions, which is why she maintained her bad reputation. Because of previous lies she was caught in a trap she was unable to escape from. When you imagine an active reverend in the church, an intellectual, driven, and faithful man comes to mind. This is exactly what Reverend Hale strived to be. He was in the center of every miscommunication and problem the church was involved in. He was known as the solution to the problem and enforced this in the minds of the townspeople. Although he managed to fool the people, it’s clear to the reader he is more of a problem starter opposed to a problem solver. He as well as the other characters, was obsessed with his reputation and partaking in actions that would make him appear as a more dominant male