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. In The Crucible, the selfishness of others’ to uphold their reputation results
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Even though Colleen shows her distaste towards Jennifer, she seems to be a little jealous at how she does not care about everyone’s opinions, only her own. Colleen, who is at the top of her class, is faced with the many stresses of becoming Valedictorian, maintaining healthy relationships with her friends and family, keeping good grades, college interviews at Ivy League schools, etc. With so much on their plate, how do the students stay sane? The answer is that they do not. Through all of the characters in Conversion pushing themselves to be “perfect,” they start to act strangely. The mass hysteria that breaks out in Danvers, Massachusetts starts with Clara. Clara Rutherford struggles with the stress of maintaining her reputation of the most popular, well-rounded student at St. Joan’s. Most people love Clara; however, she definitely has her enemies. The quote “when a girl 's on a pedestal, there 's nothing some people would like better than to shove her off it, just to know what kind of noise she 'd make when she shattered” (Howe 11), shows how even the most popular girls at school have those who want them to fall off of their pedestal. Many people want to be popular, but staying on top can possibly be the biggest stress of one’s life, so is it really that important? This …show more content…
In The Crucible, many of the characters blame others and conform to the dishonesty of their society in order uphold the good reputation of their name. For example, Mary Warren knows that Abigail Williams and Mercy Lewis are faking their accusations of witchcraft among people; however, it is to much of a struggle to be honest, therefore she conforms to their false beliefs and continues to accuse innocent people. Also, the ideal Puritan woman does not speak out, she is humble, religious, and domestic. If Mary Warren were to speak out about the false accusations, she would have been going against the typical standards of a Puritan woman. Mary Warren is pressured to either tell the truth or continue lying. She has a moral compass; however, the pressures to conform result in Mary’s choice to go along with Abigail. Another example of the struggle of upholding one’s reputation is shown when Danforth says, “I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me” (Miller 91). Danforth may believe Proctor, that the girls are faking it; however, he has already condemned many to death. He cannot be known as the judge who condemned hundreds of innocent women; therefore,
Even though Colleen shows her distaste towards Jennifer, she seems to be a little jealous at how she does not care about everyone’s opinions, only her own. Colleen, who is at the top of her class, is faced with the many stresses of becoming Valedictorian, maintaining healthy relationships with her friends and family, keeping good grades, college interviews at Ivy League schools, etc. With so much on their plate, how do the students stay sane? The answer is that they do not. Through all of the characters in Conversion pushing themselves to be “perfect,” they start to act strangely. The mass hysteria that breaks out in Danvers, Massachusetts starts with Clara. Clara Rutherford struggles with the stress of maintaining her reputation of the most popular, well-rounded student at St. Joan’s. Most people love Clara; however, she definitely has her enemies. The quote “when a girl 's on a pedestal, there 's nothing some people would like better than to shove her off it, just to know what kind of noise she 'd make when she shattered” (Howe 11), shows how even the most popular girls at school have those who want them to fall off of their pedestal. Many people want to be popular, but staying on top can possibly be the biggest stress of one’s life, so is it really that important? This …show more content…
In The Crucible, many of the characters blame others and conform to the dishonesty of their society in order uphold the good reputation of their name. For example, Mary Warren knows that Abigail Williams and Mercy Lewis are faking their accusations of witchcraft among people; however, it is to much of a struggle to be honest, therefore she conforms to their false beliefs and continues to accuse innocent people. Also, the ideal Puritan woman does not speak out, she is humble, religious, and domestic. If Mary Warren were to speak out about the false accusations, she would have been going against the typical standards of a Puritan woman. Mary Warren is pressured to either tell the truth or continue lying. She has a moral compass; however, the pressures to conform result in Mary’s choice to go along with Abigail. Another example of the struggle of upholding one’s reputation is shown when Danforth says, “I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me” (Miller 91). Danforth may believe Proctor, that the girls are faking it; however, he has already condemned many to death. He cannot be known as the judge who condemned hundreds of innocent women; therefore,