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Theme Of Reputation In The Crucible

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Reputation in the town of Salem in 1692 was a major role in daily lives. The society was Puritan that required for everyone to follow the Ten Commandments. These Commandments were taught through church led by Reverend Parris, who wanted all the gold and resources. Throughout The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, many characters gained their reputations through their actions, which become threatened. Certain people in this town lose control of consequences their choices brought upon them. During the play, John Proctor, a farmer, becomes a very well-known character that has a “blackened” reputation. John Proctor’s reputation has been tarnished because of his lechery and his loss of self-worth.
John Proctor begins to darken his reputation when …show more content…

After confessing his adultery, Proctor is thrown in the jails. Elizabeth is pregnant and wishes for Proctor to live to see his children grown. However, John believes that he has nothing, but a name that has been blacked in the Salem community. He signs his confession witchcraft and release, but refuses to hand it back over because he will have “nothing” left. His reasoning is “Because it is my name! Because I can not have another in my life? Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on my feet of them that hang!” (Miller 1333). Proctor tossed away Abigail, lost his faith in Elizabeth and has lost his love for God. Proctor believes there is nothing left for him. He chooses to hang because he has lost his will to live. John also choose to hang because he cannot bear to live without Elizabeth, but she does not want to love him even though he will help raise their children. Abigail, also, leaves John because he chooses Elizabeth. Proctor has a mindset that he does not have anything left for him, but a name that has lied and has been blackened. The importance of reputation in the society of Salem was majorly important because it led John Proctor to believe his adultery and self-worth blackened his life. His affair was his first step into his own grave because of his unfaithfulness to Elizabeth. Then, his lies pushed him over the edge to make them believe there was no

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John Proctor tells Salem “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name?

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In the play John Proctor is put in a tough situation between life and death. Proctor can either confess to witchcraft, which is a lie, or stick with the truth and get executed. John Proctor believes in keeping his reputation clean and decides to stick to the truth and get killed because of it. Proctor wanted to be remembered as the man who stuck to the truth no matter what rather

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There is no such thing as the truth, people lie and others continue to believe them. Except one, John Proctor from the beginning of the play is on the side of justice, and finding the truth. From the beginning of the play he questions the idea of witchcraft, and believes that it is just another act from Abigail Williams. An example of how Proctor is always on the side of truth is when he is in court and he confesses to having an affair with Abigail Williams. "A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now.

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He realized his affair was wrong, and was trying to set things right in his marriage. His response to Abigail’s begging states, “Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But I will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again”(Miller 1140). Proctor shows that he is trying to right his wrong, but he is still trying to protect his good name. He is proving he is moral and has integrity by trying to right his mistake.

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By looking at The Crucible by Arthur Miller one can see that the characterization of John Proctor reveals the theme of reputation and integrity, which is important because refusing to tell lies to protect his reputation and stop delirium from spreading throughout Salem. John Proctor states that the woman of Salem who have been locked up for witchcraft:”Excellency, does it not strike upon you that so many of these women have lived so long with such upright reputation”(3.1.305-309). Proctor represents reputation because he would rather die than have his reputation downed to a victimizer. Protecting his reputation motivates John Proctor to deny that witchcraft exists in the village. All he hears is crying out of screams and wailing which is a cause of the Devil 's work: “What 's she doing?

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At the beginning of the play, John Proctor is depicted both as a proud man who kept his affair a secret from the public to protect his name, and an honorable man who built the Salem church. Before Elizabeth Proctor was accused, John Proctor tried to distance

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In a setting of Salem, Massachusetts 1692, religion is the direct reflection of one's social standing. Reputation is extremely important for the town, as it is your only way to get a fair hearing and respect from the people. The protectiveness of reputation is necessary in The Crucible to justify yourself when presented with fallacious arguments. In this play the importance of reputation is revealed though the uses of ethos, logos and pathos. The protectiveness of reputation is uncovered through various characters such as Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor.

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Their vindication affect the decisions they make, which results in the outcome of their character. John Proctor is a man that wishes to overcome his past mistakes, and fears that it will tarnish the reputation of himself, and adulterate all sense of nobility within him. Reverend Parris is a man who wants to preserve his reputation as a high official of the village, but is met with fear the he will be labeled corrupt, as everyone around him is being labeled that. Arthur Miller is particularly fixated on showing how upholding one’s reputation, whether selfishlessly or magnanimously, tends to human nature. We humans are naturally built to preserve our reputation, especially met with outside judgement, and this is the fundamental basis for one’s reputation and

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He cared greatly about his family and wife even though Elizabeth was often distant towards him. In the end of the play, Proctor chooses to die rather than sign his confession, ratting out his friends and ruining his good name in the town. He did this to protect the reputation of his children so they won’t have to grow up with a lying father. Lying went against Protctors’ views and that ideal is prevalent throughout the entire play. It is revealed that as soon as he had an affair with Abigail, he confessed to Elizabeth the next day because of the guilt he was carrying around.

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Proctor doubts his goodness and constantly seeks forgiveness. This is evident when he says "I cannot mount the giblet like a saint, my honesty is broke elizebeth, I am no good man. When Proctor finally has the bravery to go to court, despite the risk of exposure, he breaks down under the pressure of Abigails power and denounces god in frustration. As a result of this he is arrested. In act four, Proctor's integrity outweighs his will to live.

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Proctor’s guilt is present when he, attempts to pay for his sins by giving his wife materialistic objects, hesitates to obey his wife's suggestion to accuse Abigail of false bewitchment, and breaks out in anger for not wanting to be judged any longer. The romantic relationship between the Proctor’s is undoubtedly extinguished, but even casual engagement cannot exist without tension since everything John Proctor says to Elizabeth is a symbol of repentance. He offers Elizabeth the possession of a cow and expresses “with a grin” that all he

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