Examples Of Honesty In The Crucible

In life, mostly everyone’s goal is to be honest and true. Keeping a good name is what many people want for themselves. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, shows many examples of characters showing dishonesty and honesty. Some characters favor their integrity by admitting mistakes and refusing to lie just to save their own lives. Other characters choose to lie to save themselves. I don’t believe it is right to lie to save yourself or someone else no matter the circumstances.

In The Crucible play, Elizabeth Proctor lies in court when she is questioned about the affair between her husband, John Proctor and Abigail Williams. John Proctor confesses to the court that he committed adultery in hopes of shaming Abigail’s name. Judge Danforth then asks

John Proctor if his wife would admit to knowing about the affair, and John tells him that his wife will never lie. When Elizabeth is brought into the courtroom to be questioned she tells the court that her husband had not committed adultery, not knowing that John had already confessed. Elizabeth lies because she is loyal to her husband and does not want to see him be punished.
The people that lived in Salem, Massachusetts at the time of the witch trials were highly religious. They lived up to their Puritan lifestyles. In the play Abigail Williams is not a reflection of this idea. She is caught in an affair with John Proctor, caught dancing in the woods, and accuses many innocent people of witchcraft to get the attention off of her. Abigail cared more about her good name in the town that the truth.
Although there were some people in Salem that did not live up to their religion completely, there were some that absolutely did. For example in the play, Elizabeth Proctor is portrayed as a sweet, Puritan woman. She is well liked in the town of Salem. In the play she is accused of witchcraft by Abigail and the other afflicted children. Abigail accuses Elizabeth of sending her spirits to stab her in the stomach with a needle. She is arrested and shortly after brought in for questioning about her husband's affair with Abigail where she lies to protect him. Until this point she is seen as an honest woman. Her lie shows that as a person, she believes in protecting her name and the name of those she loves over the truth.
Lying to protect yourself or someone else is not right. Being honest in all situations will prevent more problems from arising. The impact the dishonesty had on The Crucible is surely an example of why honesty is always best.