...tend to misuse their powerful influence over a group of individuals, as seen in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Many characters with power try to maintain their respectable reputations but along the way end up dissipating the authority they have. Other characters misuse their positions of power over certain individuals for personal gain such as love and for wealth and land. Individuals with respectable authority tend to misuse their power in hopes of maintaining their idea of a perfect reputation. Reverend Parris is known as the town reverend, a title with power and high expectations. He has power over the town due to his title but he misuses the power he has over his slave from Barbados, Tituba. Once Parris discovered that Tituba was present in the woods with the girls dancing, he felt as though she were responsible. He used his power, as her boss, to threaten Tituba into giving information as he asks her “who? Who? Their names, their names” (Miller, 47). Parris then asks Tituba if she saw “Sarah Good” with the devil which starts the chaos of arbitrary accusations. Parris forces Tituba to reveal the names of individuals who were taken by the devil by using his power over her as her employer. He is the reverend of the town and therefore a town filled with witchcraft would destroy his reputation so he uses his power to pressure Tituba...
Words: 1737 - Pages: 7
...In The Crucible, some people’s reputation seem to be more important to them. John Proctor, Abigail WIlliams, and Reverend Parris worry more about their reputation than about family and lives. Proctor is more worried about his good name and is scared to confess his affair with Abigail. Reverend Parris is worried about about his job and image than his daughter's sickness. Judge Danforth worries about his good name, like John, than about the people’s lives. Abby is one of the girls accusing people of witchcraft. She cares more about her importance and reputation in the community that she does not care that she is the reason the lives of people, who were accused, are being taken. In The Crucible, the characters make it clear that reputation and importance is more important than family and life....
Words: 625 - Pages: 3
...is when a person protects themselves or someone else, whether it be by telling the truth or a lie. In the town of Salem many people use Self-Preservation to protect themselves from the consequences of performing witchcraft. However, others may use Self-Preservation to protect their reputation or image in society, such as Reverend Parris. He himself started, what is called a chain of self-preservation when he reported Abigail Williams and the girls performing witchcraft. This led to Abigail having to use self-preservation to protect herself from the consequences of witchcraft which later on led Elizabeth Proctor to protect herself and her...
Words: 1167 - Pages: 5
...Although John Proctor is a dynamic character, throughout the drama he stays true to his values: his reputation, bravery, selflessness. On the other hand is Reverend Parris, whose personality deeply contrasts with Proctor due to his lies, cowardice, and selfishness. One thing is blatantly mutual between these two, and that is their concerns for their reputation. However, the extreme honesty in Proctor and the nearly nonexistent honesty in Parris is where the deep difference lies when it comes to the two saving their reputations. Proctor’s integrity is transparently demonstrated through his confession to adultery and lechery in court: “A man will not cast away his good name.” (Miller 110). This quote shows that although he has sinned, Proctor...
Words: 503 - Pages: 3
...She denied the claim and insisted they were only dancing and he had been mistaken and saw no one naked. Reverend Parris was angry and didn’t believe her. He further pressed her to tell him why she left the household of John and Elizabeth Proctor, and how it came to be that no one had called for her services in seven months. “They want slaves, not such as I” Abigail insisted (Miller 13). There had been many young girls in the woods the night Reverend Parris caught them dancing, including a servant named Mercy, who had been the one running naked. Reverend Parris had not been mistaken. John Proctor’s housemaid Mary had also partaken in the evening events. Reverend Parris had stepped out of the room when Mary arrived. She pleaded with Abigail, “Abby! Abby” we’ve got to tell. Witchery’s a hangin’ erro, a hangin’ like they done in Boston two years ago!” (Miller 19). Suddenly Betty whimpers from her bed and Abigail begins to shake her. Betty jumps from her bed...
Words: 1755 - Pages: 8
...particular that are the center of the chaos are Reverend Parris and John Proctor. Both are credible figures in the society and are respected by many, but they have very different views in values and morality. They bring out each other's contrasting qualities and they play the central foils of the story. Arthur Miller uses Reverend Parris and John Proctor as the central...
Words: 603 - Pages: 3
...Divya Kumar Mr. Kirley ENG3U1-05 November.11.2015. The Crucible: Is John Proctor truly a tragic hero? A tragic hero is a person with admirable qualities yet they have a tragic flaw that leads them to their downfall. In Miller’s play “The Crucible,” the protagonist, John Proctor, is a tragic hero known for his good reputation yet commits adultery with Abigail thus making it a tragic flaw that leads to his death. John Proctor is a tragic hero because he is a well-mannered person that has a good reputation. John strongly believes in Elizabeth’s good morals by proving his honesty and bond towards Elizabeth and speaks up for her as he tries to get her and his friends’ wives out of jail. He tells Danforth...
Words: 1085 - Pages: 5
...The Crucible - Act 4 Scene 1 Question 2 We see a worried, distraught Reverend Parris. In the previous act he was a firm supporter of the trials and willing to charge anyone who didn't support them as being against the trials, him, and even God. However, as Act 4 begins, Parris has changed (also like the town). He comes to the court shaking and upset and tells Danforth that his niece Abigail Williams and Mercy Lewis have run away. Parris isn't worried about the girl's well being. Things are made worse as they have broken into his safe and taken his money, "thirty one pound is gone. I am penniless." From Act I we have seen Parris' concern over his career, his ministry, and his status in town. He went against his initial beliefs that the girls were afflicted with witchcraft when he saw it could actually benefit him if there was such afflictions. Now, his biggest fear has come true. He has lost everything. Reverend Parris also realises that if Abigail and Mercy Lewis have run away because "they fear to keep in Salem any more" it will only be a short amount of time before others in the town also turn against the courts. Question 3 Reverend Hale enters the court demanding pardons for the condemned prisoners. Danforth says 12 others have already been hung for the same charge; pardons for the rest of the accused would be unjust and would crack the voice of God's law with "whimpering." Hale says a week's postponement would seem like mercy to the public, not weakness...
Words: 935 - Pages: 4
...return of Reverend Hale and the judges raised the stakes for many of the accused as the townspeople realized that there would be consequences for those who did not confess. Prominent and beloved members of the community such as Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth Proctor began to be taken into custody. These obvious wrongdoings sparked more opposition, which is demonstrated through John Proctor’s outburst in which he exclaimed “I will fall like an ocean on that court!” The conflict between the courts in Salem and its people would soon bring the play to its...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
...Dimmesdale vs. John Proctor Heroes are often thought as the superior and perfect people in society. However, The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible illustrates that everyone, including sinners, can be a hero in certain situations. The Scarlet Letter, a book about the consequence and change of identity after committing adultery between the main characters, Hester and Dimmesdale, has many similarities with The Crucible, a story about an unfair witch-hunt in Salem, Massachusetts. In the two books, Dimmesdale and John Proctor are depicted as heroes despite their critical flaws in their lives. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller, the authors of The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible, portray contrasting symbolism such as hypocrisy and justice through similar but different characters: Reverend Dimmesdale and John Proctor. Identified as an adulterer in the story, Dimmesdale’s hypocrisy is clearly shown through the context. The story starts off with the punishment of Hester for her sin, adultery that she had committed with Dimmesdale. As Hester does not blurt the name of the child’s father when questioned about the crime, Dimmesdale as a Reverend, the holy man, speaks up. He states, “though [the man that has sinned] were to step down from a high place, and stand there beside thee, on thy pedestal of shame, yet better were it so, than to hide a guilty heart.” (Hawthorne 58). He continues that the “silence” of Hester is just “[adding] hypocrisy to sin.” (Hawthorne 58). Ironically, his statements...
Words: 1281 - Pages: 6
...the more indirect conflict of John Proctor and Reverend Hale—hinge upon the theme of the importance of reputation. In a time when ones good reputation is the cornerstone for a content, healthy existence, it makes sense that reputation is an important recurring theme in The Crucible. John Proctor’s reputation is built upon his willingness to argue for what he thinks is right while managing to stay just this side of being a reputable, upstanding Puritan citizen. This is shown when Proctor is quick to come to verbal blows with Reverend Parris, culminating in Proctor dictating, “I like not the smell of this “authority”” (29). Proctor’s reputation of integrity and...
Words: 433 - Pages: 2
...or improve their reputation. John Proctor displayed his blackened, but courageous reputation through sinful actions and sharp witted words during exchanges of towns members about witchcraft. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, innocent people are hanged because the citizens of Salem avidly protect or improve their reputation. In the early pages of the book, Thomas Putnam subtly accuses Proctor of being overly worried about the witchcraft occurring when he hadn’t been “at Sabbath meeting since snow flew.” In a town that is so religiously based as to not allow dancing, the comment alerts the reader that Proctor is considered a black sheep amongst...
Words: 691 - Pages: 3
...situation where reputation, and social standings are closely linked to religion, and an overall foundation of a society, morality tends to take a vital role. In the book, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the author is able to show a distinction of personal ideals, and/or moral standards of two men with high reputations amongst their town. Although initially protagonist John Proctor is portrayed as unethical, and Parris as a man who is moreso respected, the author is able to manipulate Parris as a character foil to Proctor, in order to convey the true meaning of moral integrity, and the value of a good name. Initially, it comes to show that Proctor may be considered unethical, while Parris goes on to be portrayed as a man who is moreso...
Words: 837 - Pages: 4
...Alexis Wauford Mrs. Hollewell The Crucible 11 May 2017 Importance of Reputations in The Crucible The desire to maintain an upstanding reputation greatly affects characters in The Crucible. During this time period, people were very concerned with their positions in society. They were in a very judgemental community where everyone knew each other, and because of this, people were very worried about how others perceived them. A poor reputation could cost someone their social life and many characters made decisions based upon this. The decisions that the characters made affect not only themselves, but the characters around them. A few examples of characters who worry about their reputation are John Proctor, Abigail Williams, and Reverend...
Words: 859 - Pages: 4
...Who was Really Responsible? “Don’t touch me-- don’t touch me!... You’re the Devil’s man!” (Miller 110). These words come from Mary Warren, a simple, yet nice, caring assistant for the Proctor family whose feelings were changed about his master within a minute by a Devilish girl who’s name is Abigail Williams. Abigail was the Proctor family’s assistant while Elizabeth was sick throughout seven months of her life. During this time, John Proctor, and Abigail had an unexpected affair behind Elizabeth's back, which eventually led to Abigail being fired. During this time, Abigail’s cousin, Betty, became very ill and would not wake up, which began to get people wondering what exactly happened go her. Betty’s dad, Reverend Parris was worried sick about...
Words: 468 - Pages: 2
