Queenie Chen Pd. 3 November 18, 2016 The Crucible - Reputation Task: Preserving one’s reputation is a prevalent theme in The Crucible. Conduct a detailed examination of two characters who are concerned with their reputations. How does this affect how they behave, the ultimate decisions they make, and other characters in the play? How are their situations similar or different? Is a good name more important than the truth, or are they indeed the same thing? How do these two characters exemplify this idea? One of the most prevalent theme in The Crucible is preserving one’s reputation. Reputation plays a huge role in Salem because the fear …show more content…
Admitting to his sin would ruin his reputation forever, but if it meant saving his wife and Salem from witchcraft, he would carry this weight of shame. It 's also concluded that if he had not slept with Abigail, no one would be in this position at all, so he was realizing his past mistakes and is willing to take the blame for himself, risking his own reputation. By the end of the play, Proctor’s desire to keep his good name, however, led him to make the heroic choice of not making a false confession. Instead, he would rather die knowing that he has some truth to himself. “Proctor, with a cry of his whole soul: Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lie! 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!” (IV, pg.143). Throughout the whole play, Proctor felt like a fraud to everyone around him because they all saw him as this well respected and honest man in society. If he confessed to witchcraft, he would be lying to himself and to everyone else. He already holds so much guilt and shame for his adultery that he loses control over his soul. His good name was the only part left of him that was still pure. Proctor hastily decided to not sign his name away because he would have nothing left of himself. By refusing to give away his name, he redeems himself for his
As human beings, we each display specific traits and qualities that define our character and shape our personalities. The way in which we carry ourselves establishes our reputations, as well as how others identify us. We are each prone to making mistakes, and unfortunately, the mistakes we make can affect the way people see us as well. The struggle to regain a good name can be difficult and uncertain once someone’s reputation is tarnished. In Arthur Miller’s timeless play, The Crucible, a well-respected man named John Proctor betrays his wife and struggles to gain her forgiveness and his good name in the village of Salem. Although John Proctor betrays his wife, he
In Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible preserving one’s reputation is a major theme. The play takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, revolving around witch trials in 1693. In the play there are two men, John Proctor and Giles Corey, whom of which both try to protect their good name and reputation. Throughout the play they portray the idea of protecting their reputations.
In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the people of Salem, Massachusetts prove time and time again that they care more about their reputations than the events that are taking place and how these events are affecting the people around them. Having a good reputation can be a good thing but when being concerned about your reputation clouds your judgement, that is when it becomes a dilemma. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses having a good reputation, the character of Parris, and how reputation and The Crucible tie into modern life to enlighten the reader that even though having a good reputation is great, it should not cloud one’s ability to see the harm they are doing to others.
“It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently” (Warren Buffett). Arthur Miller was a well known American playwright, essayist and a very important figure in the American theater. Arthur wrote some very important plays throughout his life and The Crucible was one of them. The Crucible is a very well written play about the Salem Witch Trials and how the people chose their own reputation rather than telling the truth and having a consequence for it. Having a good reputation in a small town like Salem is very crucial. This is evident throughout the acts in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. John Proctor,
In the play “The Crucible” written by Arthur Miller, demonstrates a them that is represented in each character in which they all treasure the most, and that is reputation. Abigail Williams is charged with participation in which craft, and tries save herself by confessing to the court all of the names of the girls she seen with the devil. Reverend Parris is worried about his status in Salem because he is worried that the rehearsal of witchcraft was in his home, and that it might ruin him. Lastly there’s Judge Danforth, and he wants to prove to all and others in the court that he knows how to do his job and he wants respect from the town of Salem. Reputation is a key theme in this play because reputations is important to human lives as well. We all want to be known for great successes and at times we feel that we want to be accepted in society, just like these characters.
As we all know reputation is a really big deal in today’s society. Hardly any kid can be themselves because they are so scared they won't fit in or be popular. Many adults feel the same way. If there neighbor buys a boat, they feel like they should buy one to just fit in. In “The Crucible” it is the same way reputation is very important to them and they don’t want to ruin there reputation even if it is gonna sacrifice them being alive, they want to make sure they keep their good name in the community. In this novel there were a bunch of characters who cared about their reputation. Parris, Abigail, Rebecca Nurse, and John Proctor. The main two who cared about their reputation would be Abigail and John. Many characters in “The Crucible” are concerned about their reputations. Two of the main characters especially concerned with the betrayal of their reputations are Abigail and John.
p; When Proctor was first faced with the decision of living with a lie or dying with the truth, he chose life. He decided that a lie was a minute sin in comparison to voluntarily giving up the life with which God blessed him. After signing his confession, he was notified that it would be hung above the church entrance for all to see. Besides believing that publicity was unnecessary to a valid confession, Proctor did not want to blacken his name. Because of committing adultery, he knew what it was like to live with a bad reputation and did not want his sons to have to live with a name marked by witchcraft. Proctor crumbled up the paper in front of his accusers and chose death rather than advertise a lie.
Proctor says to her, "You're coming to the court with me, Mary. You will tell it in the court." (Miller 80). This is to prove that he is not in volved in witchcraft. He does not want his name to even be associated with the thought. He there fore makes Mary testify to the court about her doll and therefore clears the accusation that he was doing what we consider voo-doo. Furthermore, at the end of the play Proctor is persistent by saying that no matter what anyone says to convince him differently, he would rather die an honest man and save his name. John Proctor took pride in his name. It took persistency to make his intent clear to others.He eventually dies for his cause. Therefore making him a martyr.
Salem, Massachusetts 1692. Reputation is everything to the Puritans in Salem. The characters in, The Crucible, obsessed with it. THey know that reputation can save you, or kill you.
Margret Mitchel once said, “With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.” Many members in The Crucible that should read this quote. In The Crucible, there is a group of girls caught dancing in the woods. From that scene to the end of the play there are many characters accused of witchcraft. There are many people that are willing to go to certain lengths to keep a good reputation in The Crucible by Arthur Miller.
In “The crucible” reputation plays a major role in each character. For each character, reputation is what they live for and worry more about how society sees them. When their reputation is in trouble, they become a different person. Reverend Parris, Abigail, and Proctor become desperate and insane individuals once their reputation is in danger. Reverend Parris was not a major character in the story but he at the very beginning he showed that he worried more about his reputation than his daughter and Nieces safety.
In Arthur Miller's The Crucible the theme of having a good reputation is crucial to the story and holds more significance in my opinion than any other present theme. Miller presents the importance of reputation to us through the direct statements of characters and also through the fact that a character may represent an idea that pertains to reputation. As an example one of the leading characters John Proctor makes it very clear throughout the play that his name or reputation means the world to him. This is showed very clearly towards the end of the play where instead of follow the other characters and give in to the idea of witchcraft only to blame another person and save himself Proctor holds
At the end of the play however Proctor’s desire to keep his good name leads him to make the heroic choice not to make a false confession and to go to his death without signing his name to an untrue statement. “I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” he cries to Danforth in Act IV. By refusing to give a bad reputation to his name he rather dies with it being good. John Proctor went out like a G I would have done the same thing you cannot let your name have a bad reputation especially in a small town like Salem.
In The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, the characters have an innumerable amount of concerns for their own reputation. This is an immense theme represented throughout the entire play. The characters are too drawn into the sake of keeping the good of their name. In The Crucible, characters such as Reverend Parris, Abigail Williams, and Mary Warren are highly drawn to their reputations. This affects the way they act because it brings their actions into play. Their situations are similar because they all attempt to defend the sake of their name. The differences are the reasonings behind it. In the Puritan society, a good name is more important to them than the truth because their being becomes frowned upon by the community around
The number one thing most people are lacking now days, is motivation. Reputation is a great motivator. To have and keep a good reputation, you must be consistent.In The Value Of a Good Reputation, it explains how we can use reputation to positively affect our motivation, it says; “Let your good reputation serve as motivation for you to try and improve yourself” (Lickerman 3). In the Crucible, many characters were faced with the hard choice of protecting their integrity or their reputation. In the town of Salem,