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Theme Of Honesty In The Crucible

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An unknown speaker once said, “A real man will be honest no matter how painful the truth is. A coward hides behind his lies and deceit.” This quote relates to characters in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, such as John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey. Each person took action and stood up for what was right. Faced with tough decisions, many characters throughout the play are severely tested by others in their surroundings because of the ways they lie, the ways they make false accusations, and the ways that they ultimately die for a cause. At the beginning of the play, Abigail Williams lies to avoid trouble. She tries to protect her life over the life of others instead of doing the right thing by being honest about what happened in the woods. She lies multiple times in the play accusing others of witchcraft, although it was false. When the courts put Abigail to the test to see if she tells the truth, she fails and drags most of the town down with her. Unlike Abigail, Elizabeth has always been known for her honesty. Her husband John says that Elizabeth never told a lie. Yet when it matters most, Elizabeth lies to try to save her husband’s life. Ultimately, when Danforth and Hawthorne put her up to the test she fails to tell the truth and kills John. John, attempting to save himself, confesses to witchcraft. He lied to the courts and told them that he indeed was practicing the sorcery, when truthfully he was not. John thinks that this is the right thing to do to save his

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