This essay investigates the influence and importance of reputation in the lives of John Proctor, Reverend Paris and deputy governor Danforth. It analysis the origin of their reputations as well as to the extent they’ll go to protect it. I achieved an A+ for this essay (92%)
Topic 1 - Reputation
In Act Three of The Crucible, Mary
Warren states ‘My name, he want my
name.’ Discuss the importance of
reputation in the play with specific
reference to three relevant characters.
Essay word count: 656
, The Crucible by Arthur Miller illustrates the influence and importance of reputation in the
lives of certain individuals as they are faced with decisions based on reputation that will
have severe consequences in their life as well as others. Through the analysis of John
Proctor, Reverend Parris and deputy governor Danforth, the origin of their reputations will
be exposed as well as to the extent they’ll go to protect it.
For John Proctor, his individual conscience and sense of decency, his public reputation,
has been tarnished by the affair with Abigail as “[he has] made a bell of [his] honor!”. He
struggles to forgive himself as “the magistrate sits in [his] heart that judges [him].” “A man
will not cast away his good name” suggests that Proctor’s reputation is important to him,
but his own vision of truth is independent from the morels of Salem. This leads him to
publicly admit his sexual relationship with Abigail with genuine grief and shame by saying .
His confession to the charge of lechery means that he loses his good name but retains his
integrity. By tearing up his signed confession, he gives up his chance to avoid being
hanged. He refuses to betray the names of others and to “blacken all of the them” which
saves his personal dignity which means he is able to look at his children as a good man. In
refusing to join the community’s lie and remaining authentic to himself, he is able to find
redemption.
In contrast, Rev Parris is more concerned about his public status and wealth than the
health of his daughter, Betty, or the embarrassing fact that Abigail and Betty dabbled in the
supernatural and danced naked in the forest. This demonstrates that his only concern is
losing his position as Salem’s priest and tarnishing his family reputation by saying “they
will topple me with this!”. Throughout the play, Parris’s pretentious need for material wealth
and control is the basis of his reputation. Corey remarks that Parris is “well instructed in
arithmetic,” implying his love for money. He relies on the fact that he is a graduate of
Harvard College, demands ownership of the house he lives in, insists on using the
community’s money to buy golden candlesticks for the church’s altar by saying “I am not
used to this poverty”. His desire for public control is exposed when the asks “Excellency, I
would postpone these hangin’s for time” as “[he] fears there will be a riot here”. Reverend
Parris fears being exposed and showing himself as a hypocrite when he conceals the
truth, thus revealing his desperate desire to protect his personal interests and reputation,
even though this leads to unjust trials and hangings.
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