The Crucible And The Scarlet Letter Essay

In The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the protagonists are accused of unspeakable crimes in Puritan New England ruining their reputations. Although the reason for punishment may differ, the protagonists, John Proctor and Hester Prynne, lost something in common: their reputation. Their acceptance of their punishment shows the importance of their reputation, the corruption of their communities, and the fear of judgment by their peers. The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, both set in the 17th century Massachusetts Bay Colony, follow the lives of the protagonists John Proctor in The Crucible and Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter. The mentalities of both the communities as well as the religious values …show more content…
Powerless, Hester is publicly humiliated at the village scaffold and accepts all the blame for the crime, refusing to give up the name of her lover to protect his reputation. What little power and reputation she had as a woman is taken from her; her once good name now tarnished. Forced to wear an embroidered, scarlet letter “A” upon her breast, she is not accepted in the village and willingly moves to the outskirts of the village along with …show more content…
They rebelled against community standards, engaging in adultery. The also attempted to seek resolution to their circumstances. Hester returned to the very community that shunned her and provided charity work, offering counseling and embroidering, while still wearing her “A”. Proctor confessed to being a “lecher” (Miller 102) in an attempt to stop the witch trails. Both protagonists also kept their morals even while in the face of death. Hester refused to let the shunning ruin her mentality; she instead turned the situation around making it an enlightening experience for her. Proctor refused to give up what little he had left, his name, even if it meant saving himself because to him, his name would be his legacy and if he were to destroy that, he would be left with nothing. Both of the punishments were self-inflicted. Their rebellion leads to the resolution and compromise with themselves. Hester is incriminated then enlightened. She forgives herself as well as her lover for their sins and reconciles with her past, as she is able to return to her painful past back in her old cottage house. Proctor commits adultery but does not admit to it for fear of judgment of his peers. As an indirect result, the witch trial hysteria erupts. Proctor comes to his senses and confesses and is wrongfully convicted of witchery. He is enlightened while