Analysis Of John Proctor s The Crucibles - 1212 Words

Celine Christiansen Mrs. Evans English III H November 23, 2015 The Crucibles â€Å"I have given you my soul; leave me my name!† bellowed John Proctor to Danforth in Act IV. The Crucibles was written by Arthur Miller reminiscent of McCarthyism in the 1950s. Reputation and integrity is set forward in the story, as it causes the plot to develop and advance, and it is discernible all throughout the story, especially the end. Reputation is tremendously significant in theocratic Salem. The pernicious accusations of witchcraft cause the characters in the play to choose whether they want to salvage how they perceive themselves or how others perceive them. In the play, characters face a difficult decision of choosing their†¦show more content†¦The plot began unfolding when Abigail and other girls accused multiple innocent individuals of witchcraft. A hysteria developed, creating chaos and leading to multiple deaths of the guiltless individuals accused. However, in order to avoid death, these individuals can choose to â€Å"confess† to their si ns and lose their integrity in order to save their life and reputation. Abigail Proctor lost the quality of being honest the moment she began to spread lies. The situation corroded Salem and deteriorated, and she began to exploit the situation to cause damage to Elizabeth Proctor. Abigail claimed that a fiend had taken possession of many individuals in Salem, declaring of having seen them with the devil, including Elizabeth. â€Å"She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me!† (Miller 23). Abigail’s concern with her reputation led to her accusing several individuals in order to regain her good reputation. As the situation progressed and the plot unfolded, Abigail continuously blamed other people to save her reputation, and when challenged, she brought more people down with her. Parris, her uncle, firmly believed his reputation was salient and must be preserved at all costs. Therefore, at the start of the story, Parris believed Abigail’ s actions would threaten his reputation. â€Å"You compromise my very character† (Miller 11). This remark, made by Parris, illustrates how his reputation is essential. He had seen the girls dancing in the woods, and his