Reputation, the one piece of social behavior that can make or break a person. Reputation is how people gain first impressions of people from others. Arthur Miller created one of his most famous texts upon the basis of one’s reputation, and a sort of mockery of the McCarthy case that occurred in the 1950s. During this time, a person could be accused of communism, and if they confessed, they were let off, but their good standing was ruined; however, if they didn’t confess, their name was still dragged through the mud and ruined. Arthur Miller used this to make an analogy to the Salem witch trials of the 1600’s in his play, The Crucible; in which we see many characters act differently to their reputation being ruined. Some characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller appeared to have no issue with writing away their standing in the community in order to save their own
John was one of the main characters in the play. He and Abigail Williams had an affair, and because she was in love with him, she tried to have his wife Elizabeth hung for witchcraft. John came to the rescue, but was unable to convince the courts of Elizabeth’s innocence. Shortly after, John himself, was indicted for witchcraft. Towards the end of the play, John is about to be hung, and was weighing the pros and cons of acquiescing. After thinking back and forth on it for a while, Proctor made his decision. When asked why he wouldn’t allow his written name to be seen he said, “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,” (pg. 1232, line 1). This statement got John Proctor hung, and because of his and several other people refusing to recognize themselves as witches, the Salem witch trials in The Crucible were
Our reputations are beliefs and opinions that are held by our friends, family and even complete strangers about bout us. Someone’s reputation determines how they will be seen before even meeting them, almost like a first impression. Which is why your reputation is something you need to handle with care and protect, however some will go to extremes in doing this for instance the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. It is a look into what it was like back in the 1800’s during the Salem witch trails. During this play Miller makes the strong argument of the importance of reputation and the countless ways people will protect it. In the play this occurs with many of the characters some more than others yet it’s of importance to everyone in some way or another. The protection of one’s reputation also occurs outside of the play, an example of this would be in politics and sports. In the play The Crucible, Author Miller makes the argument that reputation is incredibly important and people will go to great lengths such as betrayal and lying to protect it, quite often ones morality will become altered when protecting their reputation.
In the 1950s, the Red Scare over Communist infiltration grasped America, turning friends against one another and prompting Communist accusations left and right. If accused, you could confess to Communism and accuse others, or face indictment yourself. This concept is quite similar to the Salem witch trials, in which accused witches were put in the same predicament. Written during the Red Scare, Arthur Miller produced a play called The Crucible, which uses the Salem witch trials as an allegory for the Communist hysteria. In this play, rumors of witchcraft stemmed from the boredom of a few teenage girls, and blossomed into an unprecedented hysteria. Accusations became widespread, and, since confession was the only way to avoid a hanging, confessions became widespread as well. When only a small group of stubborn resisters were left, the main character John Proctor had to make a difficult decision on whether he should confess or hang, and ends up hanging along with a few others to help save the integrity of their community. In his play The Crucible, Arthur Miller demonstrates that while some may view self-sacrifice as a pointless loss due to pride, the decision to sacrifice one’s life for the good of his community and the elimination of conformist attitudes is very noble. The enormity of this decision can instill a feeling of guilt and responsibility upon another, as occurs to the protagonist John Proctor, and can cause one’s views and actions to be altered.
The Crucible, a play written in the 1950’s by American playwright, Arthur Miller, is based on the chaotic witch hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1600’s. Abigail, a sinful protagonist in the play, is the root to the myriad problems that conspire throughout the play. She is to blame for the executions of innocent citizens, and for acts of lechery between marriages. An important reappearing theme throughout the play is one’s reputation and the extremes the characters would take in order to preserve their name. The characters in The Crucible, particularly, Parris, John Proctor, and Judge Danforth, use the sanctity of their names to prioritize how they will look in the public eye, rather than what is beneficial to them individually.
It is always shocking when someone that was generally well loved and respected is ruined. Because such people usually have few enemies, often times, the cause of their hardship is out of control hubris. Excessive pride can ruin even the most morally upright person by motivating them to do things they would never do unless they stand to lo. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Miller utilizes the prideful nature of John Proctor and Mary Warren to demonstrate how arrogance can lead to the downfall of any kind of person, whether they are a moral person or a social climber.
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 off a reputation they have gained. The characters with the most significant conflicts resulting from reputations are John Proctor, Reverend Parris, and Abigail Williams.
?What is left when honor is lost?? Publilius Syrus' quote, though dating from 100 B.C., still seems pertinent to our era (Quotations). Many people still feel that once integrity is lost they are nothing and many are willing to stand up to keep their integrity. Without integrity, we are nothing. During the time that Arthur Miller wrote his most famous play, The Crucible, innocent men and women are accused of having Communist leanings. Their whole lives are ruined in a short amount of time because they refuse to compromise themselves by selling out their friends. Miller tries to make a statement about these unfair trials by comparing them to the Salem witch-hunts and trials of 1692. The main protagonist of his play is a man named John Proctor who is accused of witchcraft but stands up to maintain his name and his honor, even though he is hanged for it. During the H.U.A.C. trials some took stands for their beliefs with the knowledge of possibly being shunned by society. Knowing this, instead of taking the cowards' way and giving the names of their friends, they refuse to tell the committee anything in the same way that John Proctor stands up against a court that is ruining the lives of innocent people.
He is a farmer in Salem who has an affair with Abigail which ultimately changes his life. There are only a few people that know about the affair. “Proctor thinks that in lying to the court, he will be only adding a lie to the sin of adultery” (Sundstrand). This quote shows that John has guilt and believes speaking up about the truth will have the best outcome for him. Therefore, Proctor confesses to the court about the affair. The reason he does this is to save his wife Elizabeth, who lies for John in order to save his name. This works in the fact that Elizabeth is saved, but John is scheduled to be hanged. His decision is the climax of the play because the deaths start to add in numbers. The choice is smart because people would have found out sooner or later that John had committed adultery. John knew the consequences would not be good for his choices. He did not want his name to be ruined across the town for his kids and did not want to be on the confession list on the wall of the church. John is eventually hanged and dies because of the decision to have his life taken because he feels like it is better to die than to lie anymore. His choice affected the lives of other people not just his own. John’s name gains more honor and self-respect since the hanging because he chooses his wife’s life instead of his
John Proctor is an honest, though harsh, man who is clearly the protagonist of The Crucible. Before the beginning of the play, John had an affair with Abigail Williams, a girl who worked in his household, which was abruptly ended when Elizabeth Proctor, John's wife, fired her. This event causes Abigail to desire revenge against Elizabeth while she still pines for John. Once the trials are well underway, Abigail accuses Elizabeth of being a witch, which leads to her arrest. John goes to the court in defense of his wife, where he reveals that he did indeed committed adultery with Abigail in an attempt to expose her as a fraud and a liar. Unfortunately, John's appeal falls on deaf ears and he is arrested as well. While his wife manages to get a temporary stay of execution, due to the fact that she is pregnant at the time of the trials, which in the end saves her by insuring her life until the chaos, hysteria, and persecution comes to an end, John is sentenced to death. The play ends with his hanging, but his death puts an end to the trials.
John Proctor is the protagonist in The Crucible. He becomes the person who fights for what is right. As the story goes on, the secrets of Proctor are revealed, and it is discovered that he committed adultery with Abigail Williams. In prison, before he is hanged, Proctor asks, “Who will judge me? God in Heaven, what is John Proctor, what is John Proctor?” John Proctor was a confused soul who discovered what he truly believed, and did not disobey what he decided to believe.
The reputation of a person is very important to their standing in the community, and especially in a religious community. In the play the Crucible, Arthur Miller shows the importance of social standing by religious beliefs and contemporary social dynamics. Therefore, the play was based off of a historical context, witchcraft, some characters represent as a scapegoat while others act as an antithesis of being a witch to meet the society’s standards.
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.
John Proctor has pride in his beliefs and in himself. He is always trying to stand up for those innocent people who are being accused of witchcraft and being hung. He has good morals and keeps on telling the truth to the people who are lying. These are the reasons why he has built himself up a good name. When people think of John Proctor, they will think of his good deeds and morals. This could be a main reason why he just cannot give up his name. “[With a cry of his soul.] Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I like 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 Crucible Act IV) In this example John had confessed his sin and the Judges want to hang his sin on the church doors for everyone to see. John knows that people like and think highly of him so he knows that that cannot happen! There are two other characters in this story that also have pride in themselves and cannot have their names taken away
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.
Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a statement to the 17th century witchcraft. The Crucible renders John Proctor as a puritan, a husband, and a highly respected man. His name is his prime possession. John Proctor is a farmer and a villager who is faced with intense dilemma. He also commits adultery, which becomes his tragic flaw. Therefore he is to make a decision to tell the truth and ruin his name or lie and save his most prized possession. By this John Proctor is portrayed as an honest, tenacious, and faithful man.
The pressure of following the collective can cause self-denial of their own identity, especially when trying to conform to society’s definition of an American identity. The Crucible is a play written by American Playwright, Arthur Miller, tells the true stories of the Salem witch trials and the false