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Importance Of Reputation In The Crucible

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The people in The Crucible know that having a good reputation is extremely important. They are all known to have a good name in their village, and would like to keep it that way. That is why when whispers of witchcraft start coming around, most characters kept quiet. No one wanted to tell the truth for they feared it would only ruin their name. The struggle of keeping a good reputation was encountered by many in The Crucible. In Arthur Miller’s play, Miller illustrates that when put in tough situations, people chose to keep their reputation rather than trying to do the right thing. This is shown through specific events such as keeping a good religious reputation, John’s internal conflict in regards to his affair with Abigail and the court, and the hangings at the end of the play. Keeping a good religious reputation is very important for many people in the play. When Reverend Parris discovers his niece Abigail in the woods along with other girls, he starts to worry about his religious reputation. He ends up confronting her as he fears there is practice of witchcraft happening in his own house. He goes to her and says, “Abigail, 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 compromise my very character” (Miller,144). By saying words such as “long” and “fought” he is trying to explain the many struggles he has with the church already. He knows this incident will only

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