In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, reputations play a vital role to the story and development of characters as it determines their behavior. Preserving their reputations is the driving force of some of these characters, influencing their actions and the direction of the story. Three characters that go to great lengths to preserve their reputation are Samuel Parris, Abigail Williams, and John Proctor. These character’s reputations influence their behavior and almost dictate their actions in their goal to preserve their reputation, sometimes even clouding the truth. In the story, Samuel, John, and Abigail are so concerned with their reputations that it drives them to extremes. For example, Samuel Parris is concerned with his own reputation to
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The witch hunts originate from Abigail’s attempt to elude being persecuted and having her reputation tarnished for the events that happened in the forest. Abigail blames Tituba for the events that transpired in the forest and simultaneously accuses her of witchcraft, with Abigail telling her friends, “Now look…all of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam‘s dead sisters. And that is all. And…let either of you breathe a word…and I will come to you in the black of …night and I will bring…reckoning” (Miller 5). With this statement, Abigail heralds the witch-hunt, and forever clouds the truth, preserving her pure reputation permanently at the cost of innocent lives. Abigail eventually accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft to try and take John Proctor to herself, much to John’s dismay. Upon his wife’s condemnation, John, knowing the truth, decides that the hunt has gone on long enough and takes the matter to court to prove Abigail is lying. When John tells this to Mary Warren, she tells John that, “She’ll kill me for [testifying]! Abby’ll charge lechery on you, Mister Proctor!” (Miller 31). Mary’s cries in this moment show the measures that Abigail is willing to take to preserve her reputation at this point. It shows the reader that Abigail is willing to murder or accuse anyone that could expose her lies to keep her reputation clean and to avoid …show more content…
When John is to be executed, he is offered one last chance to confess to witchcraft or to be hanged. John chooses to falsely confess, which must be accompanied by a written document. John takes the document upon signing it and tells Governor Danforth, “how may I teach [my children] to walk like men in the world and I sold my friends” (Miller 60). John sees the signing of the document as selling out his friends, and says that he will be branded a coward should he confess to save his life, as John was the only one that steadfastly fought against the accusations, and bending to them would go against everything he fought for. Danforth tries to get the document from John and asks him why he refuses to hand it over and be freed, to which John replies, “say what you will but my name cannot [be tarnished] …. How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name!” (Miller 60). John cries out to him and tells him that he has given them his all, but to leave his reputation alone. In signing the document John believes that he is giving them his name and his reputation, John refuses to lose the only thing he has left and takes the document away, sealing his
The witch hunts originate from Abigail’s attempt to elude being persecuted and having her reputation tarnished for the events that happened in the forest. Abigail blames Tituba for the events that transpired in the forest and simultaneously accuses her of witchcraft, with Abigail telling her friends, “Now look…all of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam‘s dead sisters. And that is all. And…let either of you breathe a word…and I will come to you in the black of …night and I will bring…reckoning” (Miller 5). With this statement, Abigail heralds the witch-hunt, and forever clouds the truth, preserving her pure reputation permanently at the cost of innocent lives. Abigail eventually accuses Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft to try and take John Proctor to herself, much to John’s dismay. Upon his wife’s condemnation, John, knowing the truth, decides that the hunt has gone on long enough and takes the matter to court to prove Abigail is lying. When John tells this to Mary Warren, she tells John that, “She’ll kill me for [testifying]! Abby’ll charge lechery on you, Mister Proctor!” (Miller 31). Mary’s cries in this moment show the measures that Abigail is willing to take to preserve her reputation at this point. It shows the reader that Abigail is willing to murder or accuse anyone that could expose her lies to keep her reputation clean and to avoid …show more content…
When John is to be executed, he is offered one last chance to confess to witchcraft or to be hanged. John chooses to falsely confess, which must be accompanied by a written document. John takes the document upon signing it and tells Governor Danforth, “how may I teach [my children] to walk like men in the world and I sold my friends” (Miller 60). John sees the signing of the document as selling out his friends, and says that he will be branded a coward should he confess to save his life, as John was the only one that steadfastly fought against the accusations, and bending to them would go against everything he fought for. Danforth tries to get the document from John and asks him why he refuses to hand it over and be freed, to which John replies, “say what you will but my name cannot [be tarnished] …. How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul, leave me my name!” (Miller 60). John cries out to him and tells him that he has given them his all, but to leave his reputation alone. In signing the document John believes that he is giving them his name and his reputation, John refuses to lose the only thing he has left and takes the document away, sealing his