Theme Of Lying In The Crucible

Improved Essays
Everyone lies. Various scenarios prompt people to deceive others, to protect one’s self, to protect one’s family, and to protect one’s reputation. A lie is a statement used for the purpose of deception for one’s reputation or name. In Salem, Massachusetts, one’s name and reputation means everything because if one has a bad name, he or she will not receive trust or respect. This play suggests that lying is vital at certain times and that many people hope to achieve an exceptional reputation through lying. Significant characters in the play The Crucible lie in order to preserve their reputations.
Parris is the Reverend in Salem which means he has an immense name that people trust so this motivates his lies in order to secure his good name. Something is happening with Betty, and Susanna comes to find out what happened to her. Susanna is looking at Betty to see what is wrong with her and Parris does not want anyone to think that she is a witch; he wants to believe that she is fine. Parris assures Susanna, “There be no unnatural cause here” (Miller I.62). Parris knows that if the word gets out about Betty being a witch, his reputation will be
…show more content…
For example, researcher Alex Lickerman, believes that people often lie to “avoid suffering painful consequences” (Why We Lie). Based on this theory, he would support the argument that the people of Salem are most likely lying to save their families. However, the pressure on the characters in The Crucible to be viewed as good Christian citizens far exceeds what one’s need is to protect one’s family. Lickerman states, “We lie to obtain protection. We protect ourselves” (Why We Lie). People lie as a defense mechanism so that they will not get hurt by others. More often than not, people will go to extreme lengths to protect themselves, even if it means damaging their family through

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Moreover, the Putnams, John Proctor, and Rebecca Nurse are all gathered in Reverend Parris’ home when he informs them that he is bringing a witch specialist over to find witches in Salem. Rebecca states, “…I think you’d best send Reverend Hale back as soon as he come,” (180). Rebecca knows that there is unrest in Salem between the villagers. Rebecca rightly thinks that this will cause the villagers to be sent to their boiling point and peace will be lost. Nurse’s unwillingness to have a witch specialist in Salem for the good of the town will cause her to be accused.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Having had grown up in a household with two sisters each being being two years apart i know what it is like to lie in order to avoid being punished. Growing up my sisters and I would always blame each other to prevent punishment. My mom would eventually grow tired of trying to figure out which of us three actually did it and either be left off the hook or be punished equally. When my sisters would get in trouble for something i did i would feel guilty and was obliged to try and make it up to them by letting them use one of my toys or confessing to my mom.…

    • 1197 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Shame is an ever present theme in the literature we have explored this year. In Angela’s Ashes, Frank’s mother Angela often feels shame about their financial state. Huck Finn, in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn feels shame often in who he is and what he does. The Crucible centers around John Proctor’s shame in his sins against his wife. We explored immense shame this semester and uncovered many instances of the effects of shame.…

    • 705 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    The Crucible Lies Analysis

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages

    In one day, a person usually lies plenty of times whether it is a compliment, or they want to escape some kind of punishment. Humans have been telling lies since the beginning of spoken language, and it has always led to problems. Throughout the play,The Crucible by Arthur Miller, deceit and lying are the primary roots of all the problems, and almost all the characters lie at some point to either protect themselves, or to accuse others. John Proctor lies to protect himself from false accusations, and to keep his sins a secret. One of the many lies Proctor tells, starts when he comes home and Elizabeth is cooking dinner for the family.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since the beginning of time, humans have been generally selfish people. When put in dangerous situations, the human race tends to be selfish, as in that moment all that matters is surviving. However, this selfishness can result in immoral decisions, potentially hurting others as a result of these selfish decisions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, selfishness plays a key role as to why innocents are put to their deaths because of other people’s desire to prosper in society. The characters in the story are able to put their morals aside, and create false accusations putting others in danger for their own benefit.…

    • 1091 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Lying is something that all humans do. Whether you lie for good or for bad, it is in our human nature to do so. People lie for many reasons, a lie can be big or small. For example in the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, it shows the consequences of lying. The characters, Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, Samuel Parris, and Thomas Putnam all lie for different reasons.…

    • 1341 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Katherine Howe’s Conversion, the overwhelming amount of pressure to uphold one’s reputation in the communities of Salem and Danvers, Massachusetts leads to an unhealthy amount of conformity. In Conversion, the daily struggles of maintaining the reputation as the ideal St. Joan’s girl, being organized, smart, and well-rounded, become overwhelming. This overwhelming sense of conformity among the girls at St. Joan’s turns to a serious mystery illness that infects many of the students. The outbreak results in chaos across the community of Danvers, Massachusetts, adding to the stress and pressures of the students at St. Joan’s.…

    • 1352 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible is full of blaming and lying. The blaming begun when Mr. Parris caught the women dancing in the woods. After that blaming showed up everywhere from Abigail blaming Tituba, to Proctor blaming Abigail. It was nobody’s fault but the person next to them. Everyone felt the need to tell their own lies.…

    • 702 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, preserving one’s reputation is a prevalent theme that many characters portray throughout the play. Because Puritan towns are so compacted, rumors spread around as swift as a wild fire. If someone does not maintain a healthy image, then the town will lose their trust in them. This will create a factor of fear for the characters who are in a higher social class, or those who already have an outstanding image, because they are scared that the townspeople will revolt against them and force them away from their positions in the community. Therefore, Proctor, Parris, and Danforth are all eager to keep their names pure, which may cause them to be selfish because they will try to achieve their goals through many unfair tactics.…

    • 1072 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    When a mother’s child is insulted, her love for her kid becomes apparent as she slowly morphs into an enormous, hairy, sharp toothed, mama bear. She has become defensive over her child, and is ready to attack at any moment. Arthur Miller, author of the play, The Crucible gives the character, John Proctor the same aura as a mama bear, or for his sake, a masculine manly bear. Proctors’ integrity, dishonesty, defensiveness and hot temper helps to build Miller’s storyline. The argument Miller presents is even if you make mistakes today, there is always room for change tomorrow and Proctors four traits elaborate on this theme.…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reverend Parris, a “man of God”; is one of the more dishonest characters in the play. Claiming to be a man of God, Parris, upon discovering hisniece and daughter dancing in the forest, refuses to let Abigail tell the truth because his reputation would be ruined and he would no longer be paid for his services. While exploring his biography, the reader may discover how Parris is a former merchant who “turned to God”; however, his merchant’s past reveres Parris’ lust for money, especially since his mercantile business failed. Other forms of hypocrisy sweeping the town of Salem lie in the deeds of the townsfolk. As the witch hunt kills and hurt innocent families, greedy land owners accuse their neighbors and neighbors’ families in order to seize their land.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Fable of Witchcraft “He who tells a lie is not sensible how great a task he undertakes; for he must be forced to invent twenty more to maintain that one.” (Alexander Pope). Arthur Miller proves this point very strongly in his dramatic work, The Crucible. One of the main themes in this story is that of lying and how a simple lie can create chaos, more lies and overreactions. In the tragedy, The Crucible, Arthur Miller suggests that when people tell a lie that the situation can quickly spiral out of control and more lies will unfold to build upon the one already told; as a result of her series of lies, Abigail Williams became so uneasy that she left Salem, proving that liars never win.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The words, witch hunts, are usually looked at as a joke or stupidity on the side of the humans. One of the most well-known witch hunts in history was in Massachusetts Salem. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, he discusses the seriousness and unjustness of the crucible. Major power often results in the abuse of power and corruption, is one of the things he said provoked the witch hunts in Salem. In act two, John Proctor was furious because Abigail accused his wife, Elizabeth, of witchcraft.…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible Theme Essay

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Can disastrous consequences happen when people put their own needs before others in society? That theme is in "The Crucibles", a story where the Salem witch trials are taking place in this historical play created by Arthur Miller. In addition, there are many different characters that Miller shows that theme from. Overall, Miller shows that theme through the characters Proctor, Abigail and Danforth. One character Miller uses to display that theme is Proctor.…

    • 638 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Power of Integrity If you were given a choice: your integrity or your life, which would you chose? In the play, The Crucible, the author, Arthur Miller, reveals that most people chose their life over their integrity. The Crucible illustrates that this decision leads greater chaos and distrust through the hysteria that occurred in Salem in 1692. In this time people start to lie and accuse their neighbor of witchcraft to save themselves from the punishment, while their neighbors either hang for their false accusations or they too lie and put their neighbor in the same situation.…

    • 1080 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays