Living in Salem, Massachusetts in the 1600s, reputation was extremely significant in a town where social standing is tied to one’s ability to follow religious rules. In Salem, having a good name is the only way to have a good reputation among other people, or to receive a fair trial. In the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, character’s actions is influenced to keep their name pure. Arthur Miller uses John Proctor and Reverend Parris to elucidate how preserving one’s reputation is a prevalent theme throughout the play.
Initially, Miller argues that characters who are most concerned with their reputation are dangerous to society; they are willing to let others be harmed and fuel hysteria in order to protect themselves. Reverend Parris is one
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John Proctor, among a few other characters, is willing to die to keep the reputation of his name. In the beginning of the play, Proctor is constantly struggling with the weight of his sin and the fact of revealing his transgression to the public torments him. However, when his wife, Elizabeth Proctor, is accused of witchery and is being tried, he voluntarily sacrifices his name to protect her (3.110). Even though he gives his reputation up by acknowledging his affair with Abigail, he also preserves his integrity by being honest for the life of his wife. Another example is seen towards the end of the play when Proctor is given a second opportunity to confess to the court of committing witchcraft to save himself, but instead, he refuses to “lie and sign [himself] to lies” (4.143). Proctor realizes “the goodness in [his name]” therefore, it is “white enough to keep it” so, he must go through with the hanging because escaping death is not worth poisoning his name for the rest of his and his children’s life. This action further exemplifies John’s integrity because he is compelled to blacken his friends’ reputations, as well as “[his] name” for his children (4.143). Overall, Arthur Miller reveals how compelling keeping you notoriety can be throughout the
Julius Caesar once said, “I love the name of honor, more than I fear death”. When Caesar said that, he stated that there may be moments in a person's life where their honor is questioned, but in the end, only the person who would die to preserve their good name are truly worth honoring. Arthur Miller use The Crucible to portray John Proctor as an honorable man who made a few mistakes to have people question his honor. In The Crucible, John Proctor is shown to be a respectable, honest, and kind hearted man.
Reverend Parris “For surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it.''- Rev. Parris Reputation is the defining factor of all humanity. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, reputation seems to be the main focal point of most characters. Reverend Parris, the minister of a small town in Massachusetts with a villainous past, allows reputation to influence his everyday life. In this classic short story, Rev. Parris demonstrates the importance of reputation by greediness, hypocrisy, and fictitious thoughts.
People convicted of witchcraft belonged to the Puritan society which is known for its severity and its devotion to Christianity. The environment is thus propitious to all sorts of judgements. It is for example the case when John Proctor is asked why he does not attend Church every Sunday: "In the book of records that Mr Parris keeps, I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath Day" (Miller 53). Hale here makes an assumption that Proctor is not a good Christian since he is rarely at the church. He does not ask whether John is a good father or if he helps his neighbours, all he cares about is whether he is physically present at the office every week.
However, when they are all brought into a deadly situation, they all rather keep their good reputation then saving their own lives or doing the correct thing. This show how a good reputation is important in Salem where social position is tied to one’s abilities to follow religious
In Salem, Massachusetts, the witch trials of 1692 revealed the town’s masquerade, leaving nothing but the truth. Arthur Miller utilized this event to confront the idea of conformity in American culture, as well as ideas of justice and principle. Each of the characters in The Crucible, through their personal struggles, further discloses the nature of humans and social structure. Miller has the ability to dissect the causes of such moral conflicts using their motives, actions, and individual pressures, which still remain relevant in modern-day constructs such as American politics. To begin, as one of the prominent characters throughout the story, Reverend Hale’s conflicts are initiated by his personal commitment to God.
He finds his goodness that and has concerns about whether his sons can “walk like men in the world” when he himself has “sold [his] friends”, so he refuses to confess (Miller 143). Elizabeth praises John for not confessing until very late, but he says that he hasn’t confessed out of “spite” and that it is “hard to give a lie to dogs” (136). John Proctor cries of his whole soul: “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”(Miller 143). At this point in the play, John Proctor has lost nearly
Introduction: In Miller play “The Crucible, “ many characters are obligated to decide whether they should confess to witch craft and ruin their name or to be hanged for dealing with something that doesn’t exists. Our main character which is John Proctor was admitted to doing witch craft and chose to keep his name instead of sacrificing him self over a tarnished name Argument: John proctor last act in the play was an act of excessive pride. His actions throughout the play were foolish REASON1, AND EVIDENCE 1: John Procter figured a display of his signature would take away his pride. Proctor says “I have three children – how may I teach them to walk like men in the ...”
In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible", John Proctor is our passive protagonist as he tries to save his wife and others that were accused of witchcraft. Unfortunately, his attempt was in vain and his evidence had backfired. His knowledge did not stop the witch trials because of his self-respect, and the children's high reputations, and Abigail's tactful nature. John Proctor valued his self-respect because it made him confident and helped him stand up for what he believed in. John proctor's name was synonymous with honor and integrity and was most respected in Salem.
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
Based on the tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible is a hard-hitting tale that reflects upon the subjectivity of goodness and virtue, sparking the reflection of the importance of moral behavior during times of hardship and crisis. In an unyielding and restricted Puritan community like Salem village, a bad reputation could result in social exclusion and scorning from the community. As a result, many members of the community would go to extremes to avoid tarnishing their reputations. The Crucible asserts that those who are concerned only with protecting their standings are dangerous to a society, as they are willing to blame and hurt other people in order to protect themselves.
I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Miller 153). This quote truly demonstrates Proctors character as a whole, as he is willing to be hung for the sake of proving his worth to the court. Specifically, Proctor knows he is truly innocent, and wants to make the courts aware of his innocence. His unwillingness to confess to witchcraft, is because of his personal beliefs regarding reputation.
In the Puritan village of Salem, a man 's reputation is very important. Throughout the play, John Proctor is very worried about his reputation and his ‘name,’ “Because it is my name … How may I live without
The Crucible: Self Preservation is Motivation By definition self preservation is the “..set of behaviors by means of which individuals attempt to preserve their own existence and the psychical processes that establish these behaviors..”. For The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, self preservation has been shown to have affected multiple characters, including John Proctor, Samuel Parris, and Abigail. In The Crucible, self preservation is also the greatest motivation . John Proctor is one of the characters being affected by this trend of self preservation being motivation for the characters of The Crucible.
The Downfall of Salem In this world there are many different types of people such as those who follow and those who lead. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has four different categories of people; the liars, the power-mongering, the rebellious and the ignorant. The play is used to display the conflicts of the Salem Witch Trials with these four factions constantly opposing each other. Only to discover who is in the confines of the Devil’s keep and who is under the will of God.
Our countless endeavors, whether wrong or right, tend to just how much someone values their self-worth. We humans are naturally built to muse upon how others think of us, and this is the basis for our self-conscious pursuit for our reputation and identity. No where is this more apparent in The Crucible. The play, The Crucible, is a homage to many themes, as it dives into the story of The Salem Witch Trial. Preserving one’s reputation is a theme exemplified heavily in the book, as almost every character struggles with their identity, which in turn, affects their decisions.