A Good Name The central theme of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is having a good name. The author gives a brilliant example of the hysteria surrounding witchcraft with young girls in Boston, Massachusetts. Abigail Williams is one of these young girls who is involved in this event, she is one of the first to beginning accusing other young women of witchcraft. A good name is so powerful in the play, the majority of the characters are vastly affected by the consequences of their reputation, depending on if their name is seen as good or bad. Reverend Parris plays a prime role in this hysteria ; in the beginning of the story he struck his niece, Abigail Williams, because he …show more content…
Rebecca Nurse is an elder in the society, she was seen as an extremely good Christian woman who had a very plentiful life and was an active member in the community. Elizabeth Proctor was also a very highly respected woman, she had many children, 3 young boys, and her husband was a respectable man. Elizabeth had a good moral compass; when she was questioned about her husband’s affair with Abigail Williams, Elizabeth denied any such accusations against her husband, not knowing that he had already confessed. On page 1335, Danforth is questioning Elizabeth Proctor, “Look at me! To your own knowledge, has John Proctor ever committed the crime of lechery? Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher!” She replies, “No, sir.” This partly soiled their good name and reputation because the church assumed them both to be liars. Rebecca Nurse was wrongfully accused, she refused to confess to a lie because she knew that her punishment from God would be a lot less harsh as long as she told the truth. Despite the fact that Rebecca was such a highly respected woman, she was still …show more content…
Whether or not people handled their power correctly was also a judgment passed onto them by their name, it did not matter who was accused of witchcraft only the highest of the highest had the power to deny such accusations. Many did not deny the accusations because they were afraid of being accused themselves, the Crucible sets a good example of just how powerful names can be to people. Some people would do just about anything for the respect that comes when given a certain name, others simply just want to be able to be proud of their name and have the Lord pass the respect and judgement onto
Around the time of the witch trials, the people in Salem were very religious. Rumors were easily spread and it was nearly impossible to prove yourself innocent if people were talking about you otherwise. During the witch hysteria, innocent people were imprisoned and and executed because someone has accused them of being a witch. It is understandable that some would accuse others to save themselves from imprisonment or from possible death. However, I believe Abigail should be held responsible for the imprisonment and execution of innocent people because she threaten the girls, so they would act bewitched and she also lied about getting stabbed by a needle and making it look like as if Elizabeth Proctor did it with witchcraft.
During the late 17th century a total of 200 people were accused of participating in witchcraft, while 19 people lost their lives to the mass hysteria. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a group of girls start a huge uproar in Salem, Massachusetts when they start screeching about Salemites being associated with the Devil. Throughout the play write, it shows the consequences of mass hysteria and how it puts people's lives in danger. Abigail Williams causes a wave of mass hysteria and because of her trickery, innocent people have died by her and the other girl’s actions, for this Abigail is the most unforgivable character in The Crucible.
If Abigail, John, and Elizabeth would have been honest to begin with then many innocent people would not have lost their lives and left the town in despair. Abigail Williams lied to many people a during the entire story. In Act 1, Abigail made Reverend Parris believe that she was dismissed from working for the Proctors was due to the fact that “She (Elizabeth) hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It’s a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman!” (Miller, 140).
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
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the setting is Salem, Massachusetts during the late 1600s where the town’s pious Puritan beliefs directly influence their government. A 17-year-old girl named Abigail Williams had an affair with John Proctor, a wealthy, married man. Abigail is told by John to move on but instead, Abigail starts accusing the townspeople of witchcraft, including John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth. As this hysteria begins to rise, other people such as Thomas Putnam, a rich landowner, start to also allege Salem villagers. In this play, the author illustrates the central idea that people should not allow jealousy to control their actions.
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.
During the hysteria of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, many people were accused of practicing witchcraft. Therefore, their reputation, was ruined. Other people committed many sins in order to keep their reputation clean in town. For instance, some characters had to lie, fight, and accuse other people of witchcraft which could get the individual out of trouble and keep their hands clean. when a person got accused of being a witch, the person’s reputation would get ruined and the person would go to jail or be hanged.
Abigail defies all judgements against innocence as she is the driven evil force in The Crucible. Arthur Miller shows Abigail Williams to instinctively defend herself, as it is the humane reaction when accused of wrongdoing. It is common to tell a lie but, the intention of sabotage is a different story. Abigail had many tricks up her sleeve to manipulate the court. Her purpose to convince the town of her innocence was one of many.
Proctor is widely respected in the Salem community. However, he has a secret that threatens his reputation. He cheated on his wife Elizebeth Proctor with Abigail Williams. As a result, he has a strong internal conflict regarding his integrity. Proctor is a benevolent man at heart, however he has sinned according to puritan law.
During the trials, even some active accusers and the magistrate were doubtful of her accusations because of her respectable reputation (Linder). Moreover, Rebecca was innocent because she never confessed to her accusation and responded, “I am innocent and God will clear my innocency” (Ray). Also, the first jury’s verdict on her of “Not Guilty” and the probation granted by Governor Phips that proved her innocence were purposely overturned by her rivals and accusers (Ray). In
Abigail Williams was the goody two shoes that kept her reputation high, until she turned on many with a single lie. In The Crucible By Arthur Miller, is set in the year of 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts where a witch outbreak has jailed many of the women from a fault of one girl named Abigail. It causes havoc in Salem that will lead to death in the village. Abigail has shown many transformations and showed that she is very dynamic from her emotions, to her actions, and to her experiences throughout the story of The Crucible. Abigail has shown that she has grown mentally and emotionally.
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.
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.
The Tragic Hero, John Proctor The Crucible is a depiction of the hardships from the Puritan lifestyle. The story brought out the true characteristics of Puritan believers, shadowed by the evils in the world. During the Salem Witch Trials people were hysterical due to their dealings with the devil. Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, and Mercy Lewis started the accusations that would lead to the end of innocent men and women including John Proctor.
Tragedy Mr.Miller wrote the tragedy of the crucible. The setting of the crucible is in Massachusetts bay during 1692/93. The tragedy is a dramatized and partially fictionalized play. The tragedy of the crucible begins with a rumor that started with nine girls. The play focuses on the inconsistencies of the salem witch trials and the behavior that can result from dark desires and agendas.