One of the main themes in The Crucible is reputation. With so many of the townspeople yelling accusations of witchcraft and pointing fingers, a person's reputation became a thing of utmost importance because it was who you were and how you were viewed. However, as the trials went on, reputation no longer mattered to the courts as even the ‘best’ and most upright citizens were brought in on accusations and then later tried, and hanged. One such example is Rebecca Nurse. In the end John Proctor recognizes that reputation is still a representation of who you are. Personal integrity is the only thing that can stand against mass corruption, as illustrated by John Proctor, who had decided to hang rather than confess to crimes he did not commit. …show more content…
Another theme often shown throughout the play is revenge. This is seen in Abigail Williams more than any other character because it is vengeance on Goody Proctor that leads her to accuse. Abigail refers to Goody Proctor as a "cold, sniveling woman" in Act I. She also threatens revenge on the other girls if they should say anything about the dancing and witchcraft that occurred in the woods the night before when she says "If any of you should breathe a word, I will come to you in the dark of some terrible night with a pointy reckoning". At the end of Act I, there is an outburst from Abigail that comes from worrying about being disgraced for casting charms with her friends in the forest. Tituba’s confession allows another way out though, and Abigail confesses to Devil worship, which redeems her and absolves her from guilt, according to the theology of Salem. In this outburst, she cries, “I want to open myself!...I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” In this confession, she accuses the others of being witches, shifting the burden of shame from herself to those in question. The other girls soon follow her example after seeing her success, leaving a trail of hysteria in their wake. In Act III, Proctor finally breaks down and confesses his affair with Abigail after trying to expose her as a fraud. He is quoted, “A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything. I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is…God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance…” Proctor knows from the beginning that the witch trials will constitute nothing more than “a whore’s vengeance” (ie, Abigails revenge for ending their affair). This scene, in the courtroom, marks the climax where Proctor’s concern for justice outstrips his concern for his reputation. The re-prioritization of values enables him to do what is necessary but he finds that his actions are futile, as Proctor is called a liar and accused of witchcraft by the court. His final attempt at honesty to redeem himself ultimately backfires and destroys him. In Act IV, Proctor cries out, trying to save himself from the gallows, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” The part that John Proctor cannot bring himself to do is signing on his confession. In part, this unwillingness is a reflection of how he would not be able to live with himself knowing that other innocents died while he was freed. More importantly however, it illustrates his obsession with his good name. In Salem, where reputation is everything, Proctor’s desire to preserve his good name keeps him from testifying against Abigail. Now however, he has come to the understanding of what a course of action necessitates—namely, that he tell the truth and not lie to save himself. “I have given you my soul; leave my name!” he roars; this defense of his name allows him to die with courage and his ‘goodness’ intact. Early on in the play Miller shows his protagonist as flawed, towards the end of Act one, by discovering that Proctor has committed adultery. Many things said by Abigail lead us to the conclusion, for example, “I look for John Proctor that took me from my sleep and put knowledge in my heart...you loved me John Proctor, and whatever sin it is, you love me yet!” This makes the audience see him as a flawed character and very complex. However, the audience may feel some respect for him later on, as his humanity is shown and as he makes mistakes as well. Miller's purpose through writing 'The Crucible' was to express his own views on what was happening in America at the time in 1953. Miller uses the character of John Proctor to put across his views. He is interested in the character who does not allow himself to be caught up in hysteria, but thinks for himself and stands up for his values. Miller wants to teach his audience about social awareness with insight into personal weaknesses through his characters. Miller's play deals with difficult and controversial issues making the audience think about the pleasant and unpleasant experiences of human nature. In the middle of Act two, when Hale is questioning Proctor, Hale asks, “How come it is only two that are baptized?” and Proctor responds, “I like it not that Mr Parris should lay his hand upon my baby.
I see no light of God in that man. I'll not conceal it.” From this judgment, Proctor shows the audience that he does not trust Reverend Parris in the least, further allowing Miller to develop this relationship throughout the play. This quotation also shows us that Proctor is willing to isolate himself from the church in order to demonstrate his views. When Proctor later tears up his confession, the audience immediately sees a change in his character. Proctor now feels proud, saying, “Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink with it!” John Proctor finds it easier to forgive himself and he now wants Elizabeth to forgive him. At the end of the play Elizabeth cries, “He have goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!” We The audience, now full of admiration and respect for Proctor at the end of Act four, have finally forgiven him for his mistakes. By the end of the play through Miller’s notions of goodness through Proctor, the audience learns that everyone makes mistakes and that by forgiving ourselves, others will be able to forgive us as well. Miller teaches throughout troubled times, that it is important to remain
strong.
The Crucible was a rather strong book, it had battles both internal and external, there were also betrayals and vendettas… but a few stuck strong to their morals of what was wrong, and what was right. After the girl’s acts were, undoubtedly, in the eyes of the law, seen as entirely real, people who would not otherwise have been accused of witchcraft were now eligible to be under Satan’s spell. One John Proctor, saw himself above the nonsense, that witches could not exist in Salem, his wife, his children nor him; But, when Mary Warren said to the court that he used his spirit to drag her into court to testify against the girls, the judges deemed her word more truthful than his. After actively and repeatedly denying the claims, he was sentenced to death, for only a witch could lie in the face of god.
In the crucible, I believe reputation and respect was interwoven in the term of the play the ‘‘crucible’’. Reputation and Respect can also be a theme or a thematic idea in the play, reputation is very essential in a town where social status is synonymously to ones competence to follow religious rules. Your standing is what enables you to live as one in a community where everyone is bound to rules and inevitable sequential instructions. Many characters for example, john proctor and reverend parris, base their action on the motive to protect their reputation which is only exclusive to them. People like reverend parris saw respect as what made them important or valuable in a town like Salem, this additionally imprinting to his character as a very conventional man.
First, in The Crucible, John Proctor is very well known in the town of Salem. “John Proctor was not simply a farmer but a man of significant wealth derived from diverse sources: inheritance, farming, rents, tavern keeping, and commercial ventures” (McGill 5). The Proctors get their wealth from many sources which has caused them to be very high in the social class. “Miller does refer to Proctor as a farmer, notes that he has followed the family tradition of tinkering with inventions, and consistently implies that he and his friends represent a social element inferior to the Putnams” (McGill 5). During The Crucible John Proctor is constantly faced with the problem of preserving his good name. “Previously preferred over truth, his good name is now preferred to life itself” (Popkin 7). John Proctor’s reputation is very important to him and he consistently tries to maintain his status in Salem. When it comes to his trial he chooses to give up his own life rather than tarnish his ...
This statement is true for John Proctor, he judges himself harshly for his sins and is disgusted with himself. John Proctor is a foil to most characters in the play. They are conformists and submissive as a result of the restrictive lifestyle they had to lead.
Arthur Miller portrayed forgiveness in The Crucible in a way I had never thought possible. There were many characters in the novel, but the three that appeared to be most important were John Procter, Abigail Williams, and Elizabeth Procter. John Procter was a farmer in his mid 30's who was married to Elizabeth Procter. The Procter's lived in the outskirts of town and were, for the most part, good Christians. John was a very proud man, who was considered a leader by many of the townspeople. John Procter's one mistake was having an affair with their servant Abigail Williams. Although John confessed the affair to his wife, she never fully forgave him. Abigail Williams was around 17 years old and was a very misleading girl. She was the leader of a group of girls in falsely accusing many innocent people of witchcraft. In all actuality, Abigail just wanted Elizabeth dead because she wanted John. Another reason that she wanted Elizabeth dead is because she had been fired from being the Procter's servant for so long. Abigail knew that Elizabeth had been catching on that she loved John and the only way she could have John was if Elizabeth was dead. If Elizabeth had just forgiven John of his lechery with Abigail and then moved away, none of the Salem Witch Trials would have ever happened.
Elizabeth Proctor has many moments which show how she is changing throughout the play. When she is trying to persuade Proctor to tell the court that Abigail said the girls were not practicing witchcraft, Elizabeth blurts out, "John, if it were not Abigail that you must go to hurt, would you falter now? I think not." Elizabeth is confessing that she believes Proctor had an affair with Abigail. She is giving him no mercy by showing that she will never forget what happened. When Elizabeth is being accused of stabbing Abigail, she instructs Proctor to go to court, and tells him "Oh, John, bring me soon!" Elizabeth is gaining trust in John. She is forgetting his act of adultery and now has faith that he will defend her. At the end of the play, when Proctor is sentenced to death, Elizabeth says that "he [has] his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him!" Elizabeth is admitting that John was righteous to confess his sin of lechery, and she should have pardoned him. She considers herself impure for not showing mercy, and does not want to take away from his glory. Elizabeth has transformed from an ignorant victim of adultery, to a forgiving, loving wife.
Though he does make some mistakes, John Proctor is essentially a good man. In act one, Proctor exchanges angry words with Reverend Parris and says, "I may speak my heart, I think!" (30). Parris is more concerned with money than God, and John honestly speaks of how wrong that is even though it would get him into trouble. When Reverend Hale asks him why his third son is not baptized, John tells him, "I like it not that Mr.
The only thing John Proctor wants to be is an honorable man in the eyes of Puritan society. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible John Proctor repeatedly tries to do good for other people. John’s motivation motivation to retain his honor is seen throughout his actions. Since John Proctor is motivated by his honor, his decision to admit he committed adultery creates doubt in the guilt of the accused.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, various characters, whether it is from physical trials or unseen personal struggles, experience some kind of major conflict. There are those who spend every day in fear, wondering whether or not they will be falsely accused of witchcraft. There are others who struggle with more internal trials, such as forgiving those who have hurt them. The protagonist, John Proctor, was a man of strong moral constitution, and held himself to a high standard for the sake of his good name and family. As a result of this, he struggled with a major internal conflict throughout the play.
In terms of rebelling against Reverend Parris he doesn’t ‘…see no light of God in that man…’ it clearly tells us that Proctor has no trust in Parris at all and even not trusting a Reverend shows a sign of rebellion against the authority. As Parris is a Reverend it means he is a member of the Church and so has some authority over some people, however with Proctor he does not comply with what Parris tells him causing him to essentially rebel against the authority (the Church) by not baptising his third child because of Reverend Parris. But as well as that another reason why Proctor does not want Reverend Parris to baptise his third child is because of how selfish and prideful he is. ‘…I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you comprise my very character…’ this quote shows the type of character that Reverend Parris is, only caring about his reputation and his authority instead of looking after his family. He is more concerned about what happens to him and his position instead of his family, so we understand why John Proctor does not want his third child baptised by him as there is ‘…no light of God in that
See the ECB's ECB's ECB's ECB's ECB's ECB's ECB's ECB's ECB' This quote from Proctor is riddled with references to God and the judgment God passes on Proctor’s actions. Proctor also repeats the references to God earlier in the play, when he tries to convince Elizabeth he is not guilty of having an affair with Abigail. Proctor says, “I have roared you down when you first told me your suspicions. But I wilted, and like a Christian, I confessed. Confessed!
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.
Many people believe that teenagers are reckless, rude, and untruthful human beings. It seems that teenagers are always under the pressure to “look cool,” and not do anything embarrassing. Reputation means a great deal to many high schoolers, because it seems that you only get one chance to make a good impression. In the Crucible, Abigail and the other girls fear that their reputation will be destroyed if the would be known as witches. Teenagers today have so much pressure on themselves. They have to get good grades, to get into their choice of college. They also are under the pressure to have and keep a good reputation, just as Abigail and the girls of Salem had to keep theirs.
The concern for one's reputation could be the main problem the crucible is written off of. This is because throughout the story there is problems caused because of the concern for what people will think of one individual. Three characters in specific faced this Reverend Parris, Abigail Williams, and John Proctor. They all three faced at least one major circumstance where they were worried about there reputation in the town which would affect what they would do in order to protect it. With all the actions taken in order to protect their reputation The Crucible is filled with all sorts of twists and turns.
The theme of reputation is undeniably a theme within the Crucible because of the ranging motives, selfish characters, and selfless characters. Every event that happens over the course of the plot exemplifies the true character of the individuals involved, and every character's actions had a reason behind it. Almost all of the characters are focused on keeping their name clean. For example, when Proctor is deciding whether to confess or not, he thinks about how he wants his sons to remember him. Strong Puritans, like the Nurses and Coreys, refuse to confess and die because they do not want to be remembered negatively. Similarly, both protagonists and antagonists do everything possible to avoid social punishment and embarrassment, for it would