The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Reputation; what significance does this one word have that a Spanish proverb states, “He who has lost his reputation is a dead man among the living”? According to the townspeople in theocratic Salem, an individual was to become prestigious and sacrifice everything for a good name. There was no such thing as private moralities, instead, a person’s reputation was a public matter showcased for the town to judge and discern. Nothing is more unimaginable than having to lose an influential position. Throughout the play “The Crucible”, individuals base their actions on safeguarding or earning a standing. Miller uses the characterization of Reverend Parris and John Proctor to demonstrate that when one exclusively focuses on the preservation of their reputation, one is more likely t o use outrageous actions and deception to hide one’s faults.

Socrates once said, “Regard your good name as the richest jewel you can possibly be possessed of -- for credit is like fire; when once you have kindled it you may easily preserve it, but if you once extinguish it, you will find it an arduous task to rekindle it again”.In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Miller utilizes the Salem witch trials as inspiration for a parable of McCarthyism of the 1950’s in which the HUAC would decimate one’s reputation on the grounds of suspicion as a communist. Miller reflects this in his story of trials of townspeople suspected of witchcraft. Miller develops the theme of the importance of reputation in society through the contrast in characterization of his characters Reverend Parris and John Proctor, who are most concerned with their good name in the eyes of their community and god, respectively.

“The conflict created when the will of an individual opposes the will of the majority is a recurring feature of drama.”

In the play, “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller, Miller describes the lives of the people living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. It was a time where people would have an opportunity to get revenge on others by accusing them of witchcraft. These accusations caused the people living in Salem to be concerned about their reputations. Reverend Parris, John Proctor, and Abigail Williams are examples of people who are concerned with their reputations throughout the play.

The world is so full of stupendous works of literature, which are subjected to a plethora of different personal interpretations. It is inconceivable to imagine that each novel has only one prominent underlying message or theme. Arthur Miller, the American dramatist and playwright, out of The University of Michigan, was able to transform one of the most notable accounts of mass hysteria and loss of rational thought, and mold it into an elaborate and complex drama. Miller’s, The Crucible tells the story of the Salem witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in the late seventeenth century. Literary lenses are used to assist readers in admiring and evaluating literary works, in an overabundance of ways. When analyzing The Crucible through the historical, psychological, and archetypal lenses, the reader can see the prominent niche that each lens plays within the story, significantly impacting the reader’s point of view on not only the story itself, but as well as the broader connection to society as a whole.

It is necessary to have trust, loyalty, forgiveness, and honesty when living in a healthy community. But when people within the community begin to show betrayal, revenge, deceit, and suspicion, then the balance of the community is disrupted. In the Puritan community, they focused on doing God’s work by taking care of their neighbors and made sure to not be distracted by matters unrelated to God. Their extremely religious and simplistic lives isolated them from any disruption in the community. However, motivations of others led to the accusations of those in the community, which resulted in chaos. This occurred in the event known as the Salem Witch Trials, where twenty were executed and hundreds of others were accused. Arthur Miller, in his play, The Crucible, demonstrates how the thirst for revenge fuels the devastation of a community through the characters of Thomas Putnam, Ann Putnam, and Abigail Williams.

Every day as humans we are pushed to our limits, these circumstances test are mental strength and how strong our morals are. In Arthur Miller 's, The Crucible, several characters in Salem, Massachusetts were tested internally by the Witch Trials. In his play he uses examples of how difficult situations can bring out a person 's true self. Using the word crucible has a significance between the characters and title since the definition is a severe trial. In The Crucible John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey are characters who illustrate being tested during the severe Witch Trials. These characters all struggle against facing the deceitful court and their worst enemy, themselves.

Reputation is very important to the characters in the theocratic town of Salem in The Crucible. John Proctor mentions that he cannot “live without a name” (143). His life is meaningless if he does not have a good reputation. For many characters in the play, including Abigail Williams, Elizabeth Proctor, and John Proctor, tries to protect their reputation.

“Your reputation and integrity are everything. Follow through on what you say you’re going to do. Your credibility can only be built over time, and it is built from the history of your words and actions.” Maria Razumich-Zec put into words the importance that society places on reputation. It has become clear that what other people think of someone is far more important to that individual than what they may know to be true about themselves. In todays society is very rare to find people that are content with what they are, despite what the people surrounding them believe. This notion that in order to be validated there has to be external approval dates back to the seventeenth century and earlier. During the Salem Witch Trials, men and women were killed daily due to the thoughts of others. In Arthur Miller’s Crucible, it is clearly demonstrated that reputation is a huge role in the daily lives of people.

Long ago in the quiet town of Salem Massachusetts, witchcraft was of major concern. Throughout the chaos, keeping your name free from the attention of the village was what the townspeople wanted to do The varying degree of pride throughout the village was overpowering. If you could save yourself by throwing the blame on someone else.

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.

What does it mean to be a victim of society? A victim of society can more or less be defined as someone who is harmed by their surrounding environment. But being a victim of society is not nearly as it seems as people may easily play the victim in order to manipulate others, and that scenario holds true in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. In this play, a crisis regarding the question of witchcraft is introduced in the village of Salem, a town ruled by a theocracy of Puritan beliefs. The dilemma first emerges when Betty, the daughter of Reverend Parris, the minister of Salem, is not responding after having danced in the forest with Abigail Williams, Parris’s niece, and many people around the village begin to believe it as an act of witchcraft.

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.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller in a play based off of the Salem Witch Trials. The play ends with the town in mass hysteria. A girl is struck with lust, an innocent slave is accused, and a man struggles to do the right thing. Three characters that influenced the development of mass hysteria throughout the play are Abigail Williams, Tituba, and John Proctor.

Arthur Miller’s 1953s drama The Crucible is the story of the Salem witch trials in 1692. The people’s reputation in the village of Salem is represented by the accusing of one another to protect their social standing. A bad reputation in the time of the Salem witch trials could have resulted in a social or even physical punishment.