The Crucible John Proctor Reputation Analysis

Even today, there are many people with solid reputations. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible shows how having a reputation can influence a flow of events. The play presents Reverend Parris, Reverend John Hale, and John Proctor as characters who use their reputation to influence the witch trials. One of the first to act through their reputation is Reverend Parris. Reverend Parris is shown to care deeply about his reputation throughout the play. Right at the start of the play we see that the Reverend has influence over the people. Abigail Williams states, “Uncle, the rumor of witchcraft is all about; I think you’d best go down and deny it yourself” (Miller 9-10). Williams recognizes that he has some degree of power, and that he could diffuse the whole situation- which he does not do. We next see him using his reputation to prolong the trials as John

The first way he does so is by trying to stop the accusations. Proctor states, “I-I have no witness and cannot prove it, except my word be taken. But I know the children’s sickness had naught to do with witchcraft” (Miller 68). Because of this, Reverend Hale himself begins to doubt the accusations being made. Later on, he attempts to save Elizabeth Proctor by confessing to lechery with Abigail. He admits, “I have known her, sir. I have known her” (Miller 110). Thanks to Proctor’s reputation, the confession nearly stands until it falls apart with his wife’s lie. The final and most important way Proctor uses his influence is by refusing to sign the testimony given to him. He says, “Beguile me not! I blacken all of them when this is nailed to the church the very day they hang for silence!” (Miller 143). He knows that because he has a good name, if he signs it he will bring further madness onto other Salemites. In that light, he chooses to not oblige and prevents the chain from continuing. Thus John Proctor uses his reputation to end the witch trials once and for