Preserving one’s reputation is a prevalent theme in The Crucible. Several of the characters are concerned about their reputations. Do you think a good name is more important than the truth? Write an essay with at least four paragraphs explaining your response to this question. You may use personal experiences, observations, or examples from previous readings in order to support your position.
This disgusting behavior seen today is also seen in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. The Crucible is the story of a young Puritan woman in 1692 Massachusetts who made false witchcraft accusations in an attempt to save her life and to end a rival’s life. While her actions are horrific and the cause of numerous deaths, the actions of the adults around her that enabled her lies to cost lives are despicable. Through his dishonest characters, specifically Reverend Parris, Judge Danforth, and John Proctor, Miller exposes the evils of lying to save one’s name and the destruction that inevitably ensues.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dramatic play that expresses a very important message and that is how far people would go to save themselves from the hands of death. There are many characters in the Crucible who are guilty of taking innocent lives, but there are three major characters who, without a doubt, are the most at blame. The play takes place in the city of Salem, a city filled with people that would do anything to keep their reputation clean. Throughout the play, Miller is introducing multiple characters that experience changes in their decisions and negatively influence more people eventually leading up to the witch trials. The main point that the story revolves around is that people would rather lie and blame someone else instead of confessing and accepting the punishment.
Many counterparts can be drawn between good and evil in The Crucible, and Miller’s juxtaposition of the characters shows the audience how one person acting with integrity can influence a society for good, and vice versa. Reverend Parris is an example of somebody who is extremely concerned with his standing in Salem village. He is afraid that when the people hear
Taking responsibility. Often times you will find yourself in an either difficult, or awkward situation where telling the truth is going to alter the conversation, and the person’s mood either for the better or worst, this leaves you thinking is being honest the right thing to do? This idea of being responsible for your actions is brought up countless times, both in real life and in fiction.
One’s identity can make or break you. This is being demonstrated in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, “Half- Hanged Mary” written by Margret Atwood and “The Lessons of Salem” by Laura Shapiro. The play The Crucible is about how reputation impacts the puritan and Salem society, while “Half-Hanged Mary” is a woman who is accused of witchcraft when innocent and is hanged but does not die. “The Lessons of Salem” is about the Salem witch trials through Americans history that has to do with the inequalities of the people when these texts are examined together they indicate that reputation is the most important thing a person can have in life. Reputation is a powerful tool but if not used properly it can easily ruin your life.
One Choice Can Change Lives Who knew one seemingly innocent lie could cause 19 deaths and pit an entire town against itself? That’s exactly what happens in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Authors often use similar plot devices, and their favorite one is having their characters face a test. In a small town called Salem in early America, something terrible is happening.
Reputation is the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. Reputation can directly correlate with pride, which is a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one 's own achievements. Reputations are very important to the characters in The Crucible and if they want to preserve their reputation, through pride, they do whatever is necessary to keep it. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the characters John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Judge Danforth all show dramatic actions to preserve their reputations, each of these characters either hurt themselves or others by being prideful and dishonest for the sake of their good name. There are several ways that Abigail Williams shows her objective of preserving her reputation in the book.
During the Salem Witchcraft Trials, hysteria spread in the quaint little town of Salem, ruining people’s lives and reputations. The Crucible perfectly illustrates that a person 's reputation is important in most aspects of their life. Although the perspective of what is a “good name” has evolved throughout the years, it still remains as significant as it once was in modern
Goodness and nobility is determined by an individual’s morality and their willingness to follow a virtuous path in their life. It is also determined by the ability of an individual to acknowledge their shortcomings and become more self-aware. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a good man as he showcases righteous morals and principles. This is shown, as he ends his affair with Abigail, protects his wife and his friends’ wives, and dies to preserve his integrity and honour. First, John Proctor shows his goodness, by refusing the physical advances of Abigail, who wishes to continue their love affair.
Reverend Parris shows the first example of the importance of reputation in the Salem. In Act I, lines 63-66, Parris discovers the girls dancing in the forest; he recognizes the threat of witchcraft that has formed in his
Power, the ability to maintain control, command, or authority over others can often be determined by one’s reputation and his or her persuasiveness. This principle is displayed within The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, in which follows the town of Salem, Massachusetts attempting to navigate through a “Witchcraft” outbreak supposedly lead by the Devil. Within such a theocratic society such as Salem, the Devil is often associated with death, fear, and uncertainty. While his name alone is often believed to be able to influence others in to following through in certain actions. The Devil, as a key figure behind the immense “witchcraft” occurring in Salem, is crafted by Miller as the most influential “character” due to his infamous reputation and his ability to control characters’ actions.
One of the main elements that eventually build up to the main plot in the play is power. Many of the characters in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible have a strong desire for power. The Salem witch trials empowered several characters in the play who were previously marginalized in Salem society. It gave them the chance to misuse it leading to horrible suffering and even deaths of some innocent people in the town. Some of these characters are Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris.
The Crucible Essay What others think about you is all people seem to care about. So when your reputation is good and is on the line, you will do almost anything to protect that. Reputation is the main value that the characters in The Crucible are trying to protect.
For example, Deputy Governor Danforth knew the truth behind witchcraft, but he refused to announce it because he feared that his reputation would be destroyed. Next, Abigail caused many people to be hanged so she denied the truth and kept her name clean. On the other hand, John Proctor died because he valued dignity, and decided not to live with a dirty name. All things considered, many characters in “The Crucible”, valued their reputation among other people more than the truth, which caused other people to get harmed and die. The Witchcraft Trials of 1692 were the cause of the death of a lot of innocent people because having a good reputation was very important to some characters in The Crucible, like Judge Danforth and Abigail.
