In The Crucible, keeping up with one's reputation is a common theme. I believe a good name is more important than the truth. Although the truth may seem like the right thing to go by, your reputation determines where you go in life.
Would you rather have a good reputation or tell the truth? When asked this question, most would usually turn to telling the truth out of good nature. Some may say that they don’t care about what others may think of them, but that is not the case. When it comes to a life or death situation like in The Crucible, most will lie and try to keep a saintly reputation. Everyone within society is perfectionists. No one wants to be labeled as something that might interfere with their life in the long run. When accused of something, you either did it or you didn’t. Majority of the time, what you are being accused of is the truth. In order to maintain this good reputation that everyone sees so badly if it isn’t a good one, you must lie sometimes.
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In The Crucible, many people are accused of performing witchcraft or being a witch.
If you were found to be guilty of either of these crimes, you would be killed. If you were known to do things out of the ordinary and things that weren’t necessarily seen as “good”, then you were automatically a suspect of these crimes. Even if you didn’t, so many accusations could affect your life. To get back into the safe zone, if possible, of not being a suspect, you’d have to lie as much and as good as possible. Having a good reputation or even not having a reputation could save your life. If in this time, someone were to accuse someone else that had never gotten into any trouble and was seen as a saint, it would be hard to believe that they had done these crimes and they could very easily get off the hook without even being questioned. So yes, I believe that having a good name is more important than telling the
truth. A character seen in The Crucible as someone who was very concerned with their reputation was Abigail Williams. Once being caught of doing something within the realm of witchcraft, she instantly denied it. She tried to pin everything she was being accused of on anyone she could think of. She made it look like she did absolutely nothing wrong and she was the purest of the pure. When she was eventually caught in the act of doing witchcraft, she decided to run from her problems. She stole from her uncle and ran away onto a ship. Another character that was concerned about their reputation over anything else was John Proctor. He had had an affair with Abigail Williams and when the time came he could have used that against her, but instead he didn’t mention it because it would ruin his reputation.When given the opportunity to get away for free, Proctor does not take the opportunity because if he did, he would have been seen as a sidekick of the devil. One more character that puts their reputation over the truth is Judge Danforth. During the questioning of Abigail Williams, he realizes she is guilty but he can’t say anything about it. He can’t say anything about it because if he does, everyone will realize that he had sentenced so many innocent lives before and he will most likely lose his job. So instead, Danforth just goes with keeping his good name. In The Crucible, keeping up with one's reputation is a common theme. Although the truth may seem like the right thing to go by, your reputation determines where you go in life. When it comes down to it, having a good name will most definitely be the choice to go with.
Absolutely not! Telling the truth in any circumstance will get you a good name. It will mean that you are honest and care about being right! Reverend John Hale said in the last Act, “I quit this court!”(The Crucible Literature Book). Hale discovered he was guilty of all these hangings and instead of admitting that guilt, he just quit the court. Being truthful could have saved this whole witch trail incident in many ways! Having a good name in this play is how you are accepted in this society. The three men are all examples of why you should always find the facts of something instead of believing what you hear from others! Abigail was a liar and when John Proctor proved her guilty, she ran away with Mercy Lewis. This just proves that you can’t ever get away with a lie! Make sure to always keep a good name and a good reputation. If keeping a good reputation isn’t possible then you may risk the chances of rejection. Rejection is a good reason why none of these people would confess their guilt. If John Proctor told others his sin he would be frowned upon. Reverend Parris would not be not be respected as a religious man anymore. Lastly, Judge Danforth wouldn’t be able to keep his job as a judge and would most likely be
They say “Honesty is the best policy”, but that isn’t necessarily true especially for those who lived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Honesty may have been a good trait for someone to have, but during the witch trials people rethought that. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller portrayed many people as good puritans. Always loyal and honest throughout their lives, and avoiding any sins that they possibly could. But there were people who had to sin to save their lives or even to save their reputation. Abigail Williams was just an young girl who turned to lying in order to save herself during the Salem Witch Trials. At the same time, Elizabeth Proctor was not agreeing with the witch business that she was accused of. You could tell lies during this time, and no one would think that you were turning too sins because the entire town was becoming obsessed about all those accused of possible witchcraft. While some were being accused, others were avoiding the truth when confessing. Like when Abigail never confessed to drinking blood when she was with Tituba and Betty. In The Crucible, Honesty was portrayed
People will always have something to say regarding what kind of a person you are whether it is good or bad. In the drama, “The Crucible” reputation was one of the biggest concerns for the people of Salem. Everyone was pointing fingers at each other, making accusations of being witches, or so-called “running with the devil.” If you use quotation marks, be sure to cite the source. If the marks are for effect, then italics should be used in instead. Reputation influences the actions and motivations of three major characters: Elizabeth, Proctor, and Parris. Use your thesis statement last, stronger effect and better organization. All three characters encounter some sense of being ambushed and their name goes down the drain. A person’s reputation makes or breaks them and always follows them till the day that they die. Their name and legacy lives on forever.
There is an old adage: “The truth will set you free.” How true is this statement in relationship to The Crucible? In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many characters are being testified against in court and are being punished, even sometimes by the death penalty. One example of someone who told the truth but still got hanged in court is John Proctor, he admitted to his affair and didn’t lie in court and he was still executed along with some others. Another example of somebody telling the truth but still getting hanged is Rebecca Nurse, although she knew she was going to die but she still told the truth because of her dignity. The last example of someone telling the truth but still getting hanged is Giles Corey, he called out the Putnams and the court for manipulating people but he still ended up getting stoned to death in the end. The saying: “The truth will set you free.” does not apply in this book, because everyone who tells the truth gets hanged or goes to jail.
A crucible refers to a harsh test, and in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, each person is challenged in a severe test of his or her character or morals. Many more people fail than pass, but three notable characters stand out. Reverend John Hale, Elizabeth Proctor, and John Proctor all significantly change over the course of the play.
Have you ever told a lie to protect yourself or someone you love? People lie for their own purposes. Some people lie for themselves or for their close one. They depend on the lies so much that they do not care that their lies might hurt others. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, almost all the characters lie for their own desires and to protect their own interests. Even though lies are forbidden in their religion, some people are blind to understand the punishment of lying. The concept of lying to save oneself is also evident in “Fear Was Reason For Lying About Shooting, Woman Says” by Mary Spicuzza. The article highlights how a woman hid the truth about witnessing a murder just for the sake of her own life. Another article, “The Truth
Crucible- a severe test, a hard trial or also could be define as a pot for melting metals. A severe trail could be as other then a physical it also could be mentally a severe trial like person verses self. In The Crucible, Miller reflects the theme that pressure can force people from there can force their morals. The characters in The Crucible have morals that they must up hold to be accepted into the town and church. It is a struggle to keep these values when there are moral hazards like desires, greed, hate, and obsession.
Bad reputations during this time period had greater influence on people’s lives. One way to prove this is by reading The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. This play displays the effects of acquiring a bad reputation. Many characters from this play deal with a conflict based on a reputation they have gained. The characters with the most significant conflicts resulting from reputations are John Proctor, Reverend Parris, and Abigail Williams.
Fear, resulting in chaos, and overturned lives affected the personal decisions of John Proctor, thus creating inner conflicts, as well as desperation in the story. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Proctor's stand in a society where opinion drove fate created ignominy towards him and his beliefs. At first he hid his horrible sin inside, fearing the consequences. When he finally did, he was placed in a tangled labyrinth of feelings as to what his next action should be. Lastly, it's Proctor's defiance and integrity in his own self that proved him stronger than the entire community of Salem. Proctor's tremulous feelings and general unease of the situation built up to his defining point of confession. Theocracy came together to take coerce control Salem and it's actions. Proctor saw this and feared, for diabolism was a practice unheard of. Danforth states, "You must understand, sir, a person is either with the church or against it, there be no road between. We live no longer in the dusky afternoon and evil mixed itself with good and befuddled world. Now by God's grace the good folk and evil entirely separate"(63).
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that discusses many issues and spurs contemplation within the reader. While reading this play, because of the controversy of many issues detailed within, it is difficult for one not to take a look at one’s own morals and determine what one would do if placed in a similar situation. The key issues discussed within this play, the effects of hysteria, marital betrayal, and the murderous powers of lies, are portrayed intriguingly and effectively. The lessons that can be learned from The Crucible are still quite applicable today.
Although a strict society composed of high morality and disciplinary laws may be necessary for safety, it causes internal conflicts within the individuals. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller a theocracy in Salem rules and guides the citizens into doing what is “right”, but eventually backfires due to issues of reputation and jealousy. Society has a lot of influence on the citizens, and with a bad reputation, it is nearly impossible to live in a Puritan society. Salem’s strict Puritanical social structure causes personal struggles for the individuals involved in the events of The Crucible, and then eventually these personal struggles affect the society overall.
Parris: "Aye, a dress. And I thought I saw – someone naked running through the trees.” The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller had very many themes in it. Some of these themes stood out more then others. These themes would be hysteria, reputation, and hypocrisy. These themes were present throughout the entire play, from the beginning till the end. When you think of a Puritan religion you may think of a very good, morally perfect society. This wasn’t the case in Salem, Massachusetts. It was actually the opposite in the play, there was lying, cheating, stealing and just about everything else you wouldn’t want in your society.
Reputation is the beliefs or opinions that are generally held about someone or something. A famous American poet once said: “Oh reputation dearer far than life”. James Russell Lowell highlights the importance of reputation by declaring it more important than even human life itself. This idea is also found in ‘The Crucible’ as many characters will be challenged between telling the truth and dying, or saving their reputation. In ‘The Crucible’, this theme beholds a key position in the unrolling of the story as an impression of control over the outcome of people’s lives is created by its importance.
In every conflict there always seems to be at least one person to blame. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many problems arise that deal with live and death. Many innocent people in this play were hanged during the Salem Witch Trials. Of course, there are many people that may be blamed. In The Crucible, one may find Abigail Williams, The Putnams, and Mary Warren to blame. Abigail was manipulative, The Putnams were very jealous, and Mary Warren was weak-willed.
The desire for power and authority has always been a part of the human nature. Today’s society most often use power to dominate one another and fulfill one’s personal intentions, which can affect other people in many ways. Having power and authority is truly gratifying but it is terrifying if abused and used for selfish acts. The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller is an example to illustrate the consequences of abuse of power. The characters Abigail Williams, Deputy Governor Danforth and Reverend Parris use their power over society by manipulating people and using their authority to fulfill their personal intentions, like material gain, vengeance, maintaining social status and reputation, and attention, which eventually lead into a mass hysteria.