Why People Lie In The Crucible

The Ninth Commandment in the Bible states, “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour” (Exodus 20:16). This Commandment is crucial to everyone who believes in God and studies the Bible. It applies to all forms of lying. If God commands for humans not to lie, why does everyone do it? An example of this is shown in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a fictional play, loosely based on events that happened during the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts at the end of the seventeenth century. In this play, people are executed for being honest, as well as punished for being dishonest. The article titled, “Why People Lie” by Paul Ekman explains the different reasons behind why people are deceitful. Some of his reasons were that people

In stereotypical teenage drama movies, like Mean Girls, the high school girls make up lies about themselves to make them look better and make others look worse. It is all to keep a reputation. Abigail’s uncle, Reverend Parris, is not the one being dishonest, but is trying to usher the truth out of his niece, “...I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministry’s at stake...you compromise my very character” (Miller 11). He is worried that his reputation as a minister is ruined because of Abigail’s lie that would give him a negative name around the town. Sometimes another person's actions cause others to suffer the consequences. Then, there are some people that decide to stretch the truth by making up excuses to keep from sabotaging their reputation. Julie Indvik and Pamela Johnson think “giving excuses too often undermines a person’s reputation by making him/her seem self-absorbed, unreliable or unknowledgeable” (Indvik 5). Like untruths, the smallest excuse can make someone form a different opinion of an individual. If it is done frequently it can ruin a reputation and the relationship they may have together. To some, having a certain status means everything and they will lie to protect it at all