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John Proctor's Reputation In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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The Crucible has many different themes. One of the major themes in “The Crucible” is preserving one’s reputation. Three Characters who show this theme are John Proctor, Reverend Parris, and Governor Danforth. John Proctor has a good reputation which he wants to keep in tact. This causes events that will get him hung at the end of the play. One of these events is when he was reluctant to tell the court the truth about Abigail. This would damage his reputation because he is married to Elizabeth and the Bible condemns adultery. Another event is when he refused to hand over his signed confession to Danforth. Proctor states “You are the high court , your word is good enough! Tell them I confessed myself; say that John Proctor broke his knees and wept like a woman; say what you will, but my name cannot-” (Page 1231, Act 4). …show more content…

He also has a good reputation and will do anything to keep it that way. Parris shows many examples of this theme in the play. Parris states “ Thomas, Thomas I pray you, leap not to witchcraft. I know that you- you least of all, Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption” (Page 1132, Act 1). In this quote he says that if witchcraft were discovered at his house his reputation in the town would be ruined. He also cares more about his reputation than his own daughter in this scene. Parris will even lie and have other people lie to keep his reputation good. Parris also tried to get John Proctor to confess [even though it would have been a lie] so that it would prove that there actually were witches and thus falsely save his

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He joins the mob and follows the others to protect his own reputation. If he would lose his reputation, people would think of him as a worse pastor than he already is. Also, if there is witchcraft in his household, he will lose his position of being the reverend of Salem. Parris becomes mad and accuses Abigail of compromising his character in this passage: “Abigail, 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. I have given you a home, child.

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In "The Crucible," maintaining one's reputation is a widespread theme that influences the actions of several characters. The pursuit of a positive reputation becomes a motivating factor, allowing characters to make choices that may at times contradict their morals or the truth. A quote that shows how the characters in this play are worried about their reputation is "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." Reverend Parris. Parris expressed concern about how his reputation will be affected by the accusations of witchcraft in his household.

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Throughout the play, he uses this power to control and influence people in the community. He believes that since he is the religious leader of the church in Salem, he has the right to order people around. “You people seem not to comprehend that a minister is the lord's man in parish; a minister is not to be so lightly crossed and contradicted” (Miller 30) Parris believes that his status as a preacher means that people must treat him respectfully. Parris also uses legitimate power when John Proctor comes to court in hopes of clearing his wife's name.

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In Arthur Miller’s play, the Crucible, many characters are faced with a quandary that involves their honesty as well as their reputation. They have the choice to die nobly, or survive and be a stigma to the community and God. Reputation and good social status is a central concern in the town of Salem. Many characters found their actions based on their individual character, sometimes leading to negative choices. The protagonist, John Proctor, shows how truthfully confronting oneself requires bravery and sacrifice.

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Parris is also a very selfish man who is only worried about staying minister and trying to make himself have a luxurious life style. He show how selfish he is by saying” The cause is yet unknown. I have had enough contention since i came; I want no more. ”(Miller, 174). He show himself as being selfish in this line because he doesn't worry about there being a witch in salem, he is only worried about keeping his job as minister.

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