“Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence and thereby eventually lose all ability to defend ourselves and those we love” (Julian Assange). There is a point where there is nothing left to do, a point of weakness where things must come to an end; even if it means drowning in sorrow. Indiscretions are constantly made, there could be another side to the story, but no one is there to listen. Drowning in sorrow means there is no coming back, especially when the cards are stacked against you. In the novels The Crucible written by Arthur Miller and Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult many indiscretions are made. Weakness, hatred, judgement, and doubt are shown in both novels through the struggling …show more content…
Reputation is an important part of many peoples lives, its value, others opinion, and it sticks with you forever. John Proctor’s reputation is a huge part of who he is, and he lost it when he was accused of witchcraft in the trials. All he had left was his name which he refused to give up, he begged for it by saying “how may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (Miller 133) Likewise, Jack St. Brides reputation was ruined, but his had been tarnished before he even moved to Salem Falls. Jack had been convicted of rape, which true or harmed his reputation because people automatically assume the worst about him. The townspeople had a meeting where they discussed how dangerous Jack was, and where Amos, who is a very well known man said “‘It has come to my attention,’ Amos began, ‘that there is a stranger among us. A stranger who slipped into our midst under false pretenses and who even now is waiting for the best moment to strike’” (Picoult 124). Jack fought to reclaim his good reputation by being friendly, but because he was only known as being the dangerous criminal that was new to town he would never succeed. News spreads quickly in a small town no one goes unseen; so once you’re known for something it sticks with you
“No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices.” In the case of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Edward Murrow is uncannily accurate. The Crucible, set in Salem, Massachusetts during the Salem Witch Trials, proves that when one antagonist has accomplices, they can destroy the lives of many. In this story, Abigail destroys the lives of everyone in Salem. That being said, in times of stress or panic, people's’ true traits and personalities can be discovered, as shown in the cases of John Proctor and his damning indiscretion, Rev. Hale’s panicked realization, and Mary Warren’s naive and fearful indecision; all of which develop throughout the play in response to different stimuli.
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible reputation was a critical factor for characters like John Proctor and Reverend Parris. As a hard working farmer, John Proctor cared very much about having a good name. Reverend Parris had a good reason to care about his reputation since he was a very respected religious leader. I don’t think reputation is everything but for these characters it was very important.
In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the character John Proctor will not lie and confess to something he did not do. Thus, he is hanged for his principles. Proctor has two main principles he felt were more important to respect and uphold than his own life. The most obvious one was his reputation. In theocratic Salem, where private and public ethics are regarded equally, one’s reputation plays an important role. In such an environment where reputation is regarded so highly many are afraid of guilt by association. Various characters base their actions on the desire to protect their own reputations, in order to keep them in the best light possible. Towards the beginning of the play, John Proctor sought to keep his good name protected, despite the fact it could have easily been tarnished if his secret affair with Abigail Williams had been found out. Because of this, he misses his opportunity to stop the group of girl’s accusations because he’d rather preserve his own reputation then testify against Abigail. Eventually, he is forced to relinquish his good name to save his wife from being persecuted against for a crime she did not commit. When she is asked to back up her husband’s confession, Elizabeth chooses to protect her husband’s reputation rather than tell the truth about his affair. Because of this Proctor is eventually accused as a witch and is to hang. By the end of the play, right before Proctor’s hanging is to commence, he is given the choice to sign a confession. The confession being that he was a witch, he trafficked with the devil, and that he saw other prosecuted witches trafficking with the devil. After much inner turmoil and debate he agrees to sign the confession, but refuses to give it to Judge Danforth or Judge Hathorne. He exclaims, “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” asking that he be allowed to keep the paper and his reputable name. When they refused, claiming that they had to nail it to the church door so all of Salem Village may see, John rips it up. He will not allow his name to be tarnished, even if the only way to keep his good reputation is to die for a crime he didn’t commit.
“It takes a man with real heart to make beauty out of the stuff that makes us weep.” –Clive Barker. Everybody makes mistakes, but only the people who recognize the good in those mistakes are the people who can be redeemed from them. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, many characters are put in desperate situations. Each person learns new things and further develops from each experience. Proctor learns how important his name is, Hale experiences extreme guilt over his actions and Giles learns to think before he speaks. In conclusion, in desperate situations individuals who possess insight are able to experience redemption.
Honor, dignity, and integrity are traits that are becoming more and more rare in our society. The Crucible, a play written in 1952 by Arthur Miller, is based on the Salem witch hunts of 1692 and parallels the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the 1950s. In the play, Miller attempts to focus his themes around traits such as honor, dignity, and integrity, and as a result, the theme "is it better to die honorably or live dishonorably" becomes vital to the story and well conveyed throughout it. The characters that exemplify this idea are John Proctor and Giles Corey, both of whom die by the end of the play, and Reverend John Hale and Abigail Williams, who live through the trials.
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.
The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a story of a great catastrophe which highlights a "free man's courageous and never-ending fight against mass pressures to make him bow down in conformity"(intro. -x) and shows how hysteria can be used for evil purposes in an atmosphere were there is a belief in freedom and right of disagreement.
The Crucible – Characters and Changes & nbsp; Change is good for the future. " We hear the catchy phrase everywhere. From company slogans to motivational speeches, our world seems to impose this idea that change is always a good thing. Assuming that the change is for the better, it is probably a true statement in most cases. The root of this idea seems to come from the notion that we are dissatisfied with the state that we are in, so, in order to create a more enjoyable environment, we adjust.
Explore Miller’s dramatic presentation and development of the theme of power and authority. Even though The Crucible is not historically correct, nor is it a perfect allegory for anti-Communism, or as a faithful account of the Salem trials, it still stands out as a powerful and timeless depiction of how intolerance, hysteria, power and authority is able to tear a community apart. The most important of these is the nature of power, authority and its costly, and overwhelming results. “But you must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or against it,” says Danforth conceitedly. With this antithesis, Miller sums up the attitude of the authorities towards the witch trials that if one goes against the judgement of the court
When one is done wrong in a particularly hurtful or offending way, getting revenge is sometimes thought of as the most satisfying way of regaining ones sense of self worth. This plan, however, holds an immense possibility of backfiring in ways never dreamed of. In fact, the outcome of the situation at hand is sometimes made worse than it might have been if this course of action is taken. Arthur Miller demonstrates this in his tragic play The Crucible, by showing the reader that although giving in to feelings of vengeance is easy to do, choosing the path of forgiveness often leads to better results in the long run.
In the Crucible, Parris did not want to ruin his reputation because if he had not killed all the others who were accused of witchcraft it would have made him look really bad. Although, after they figured out that Abigail was faking the whole the thing. He still had to do what was right to protect his reputation. So this here shows how important and valuable a persons reputation is, in today's society. The people of Salem would
The character who has the most striking struggle with his reputation would be John Proctor. In numerous ways throughout the play, John does almost anything he can to protect his reputation from being tarnished. He makes it very clear that he prioritizes his reputation. The first way he displays this is through his secrecy of committing adultery with Abigail Williams. Even though his wife, Elizabeth, knew about the situation between Abigail and him, he didn’t want anyone else to find out. He knew such a thing would tarnish his reputation. The only reason he admits to this sin is because Elizabeth is accused and is in danger of losing her life. John realizes the only way to save his wife is to tell the court what Abigail’s true ambitions are. He does exactly that by stating this line, “Trembling, his life collapsing about him: I have known her, sir.” By the way this line is written, you can tell this is a
Great events, whether they are beneficial or tragic ones, bring change in a person. These scenarios can give one an entirely new perspective on life, and turn around his way of thinking. Events such as the Salem Witch Trials show the people involved what they could not see before. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor gain valuable insight into themselves, as well as others.
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.
Charles was a greedy man. He was cold hearted and never philanthropic. This "Scrooge" was the CEO of a multi-million dollar stock company in New York City. Charles often told his employees that honesty is the key to success and that he would not tolerate liars. When approached by a potential client himself, he told the client that he would be sure to consult with him before making any major decisions. As soon he left the room, however, he transferred all of the man's stock to a different holder without asking the man's permission. As long as the outcome benefited him, dishonesty was acceptable. This man's hypocrisy parallels Arthur Miller's novel about the Salem witch trials. In The Crucible, the theme of hypocrisy plagues the pages and the three characters that exemplify this theme the most are Danforth, Paris, and Mary Warren.