Society notoriously places pressure on all aspects of life, and pressure to conform to and uphold a reputation is no exception. Many people also naturally want to obtain authority and exert power over others, which often leads to negative outcomes when they try to conform to and uphold a reputation while maintaining their authority. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Katherine Howe’s Conversion, a classic telling of the Salem witch trials parallels a modern day story of a group of girls affected by a mystery illness when members from both communities struggle with attaining authority and power while also upholding their reputations. The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts during the 1600s when there was a distinctly Puritan culture
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The girls in The Crucible try to alleviate the pressure of conforming to and upholding their reputations through attaining power, which proves to be too heavy of a responsibility and leads to the execution of innocent people. Likewise, Danforth in The Crucible tries to preserve his own reputation as well as the court’s reputation through gaining power and establishing himself as an authority figure, though it also results in the condemnation of faultless townspeople. In comparison, Conversion shows readers how gaining authority and power in an effort to preserve a reputation does not necessarily benefit others. Both works provide evidence that the overwhelming pressures society places on conforming to and upholding a reputation have more negative effects than good effects and act as examples that show conformity and upholding a reputation are not always the ideal solutions. They also comment on how gaining power and authority to aid in upholding reputations can lead to negative outcomes. Through their works, Miller and Howe seek to provide readers with the courage to veer away from the expectations and pressures of society by showing the harmful results that accompany gaining authority and power to conform to and uphold a
The girls in The Crucible try to alleviate the pressure of conforming to and upholding their reputations through attaining power, which proves to be too heavy of a responsibility and leads to the execution of innocent people. Likewise, Danforth in The Crucible tries to preserve his own reputation as well as the court’s reputation through gaining power and establishing himself as an authority figure, though it also results in the condemnation of faultless townspeople. In comparison, Conversion shows readers how gaining authority and power in an effort to preserve a reputation does not necessarily benefit others. Both works provide evidence that the overwhelming pressures society places on conforming to and upholding a reputation have more negative effects than good effects and act as examples that show conformity and upholding a reputation are not always the ideal solutions. They also comment on how gaining power and authority to aid in upholding reputations can lead to negative outcomes. Through their works, Miller and Howe seek to provide readers with the courage to veer away from the expectations and pressures of society by showing the harmful results that accompany gaining authority and power to conform to and uphold a