The Importance Of Reputations In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller many people’s own reputation have effects on the story. People are inherently concerned about how others think about them and sometimes this causes issues. When people become too concerned about their reputation things can start to go downhill and people can become more absorbed. Sometimes a person even gets to a point where they are so concerned about how they are viewed by society that they lie and compromise other people 's positions. They might even end up going to drastic measures in order to make people think highly of them. Throughout the play, many different characters care too much about their reputations which leads to trouble in the story. The most obvious characters who demonstrate this are Abigail …show more content…
As an official of the court, Danforth cannot admit he is wrong even though it is evident he knows he is, because he is fearful of people not trusting him in other situations. Although this concern is valid, when people’s lives are on the line, it is best to let your pride go. The reader can see this when Hale asks Danforth to pardon the accused in the trials and Danforth responds with, “You misunderstand, sir; I cannot pardon these when twelve are already hanged for the same crime...now hear me...I will not receive a single plea for pardon or postponement. Them that will not confess will hang...Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part; reprieve or pardon must cast doubt upon the guilt of them that died till now.” (Miller 1222) Danforth’s concern for what the people of Salem think of him is also shown when he is so desperate for Proctor to confess. If Proctor does confess it means he would not necessarily be wrong in terms of what he has done in the court . He needs John Proctor to confess to dealings with the devil so that his name in the court is still pure and people continue to trust him as a judge. The way Danforth reacts when Proctor starts to become wary about signing the papers shows this, “Come, then, sign your testimony. Give it to him. Come, man, sign it...Do you sport with me? You will sign your name or it is no confession, Mister!” …show more content…
People judge others on their reputation, and they base how they think about people on rumors. This seems to be why people are so worried about their reputations, especially in The Crucible where they are dealing with things that could ruin you forever. For each of these characters, Abigail Williams, Governor Danforth, and Reverend Samuel Parris, their concern about their reputations end up sending the trials into even more chaos and tragedy then they are in the beginning. The characters in the play are way too worried about their reputations and this leads to selfishness and the demise of self and others. A lot of the horrible things that happen in the story can be easily avoided if people stop worrying about their ego’s. The Crucible teaches an important lesson of how caring too much about what people think of you can lead to social and moral