The Crucible Essay Do you find it strange that a man named John Proctor would have rather died than live knowing his family and friends thought he did witchcraft? I do. The Crucible was a play written by American playwright Arthur Miller. Written in 1953, it is a play based on the Salem Witch Trials with some added fictional characters. It takes place in Salem and surrounding towns and builds up to a court where many were tried and executed, and many were falsely accused by teenager Abigail Williams. The people of Salem were mainly focused on being respected by others and having a good and sinless reputation.
Reverend Parris is a great example of how reputation-hungry the people of Salem really are. Towards the beginning of the play, Parris was trying to get Abigail to confess to witchcraft so that he can save his reputation.…show more content… Towards the end of the play it is very clear that he a very good man strives for his reputation. Ministers Parris and Hale were begging Danforth for a postponement but he wouldn’t let them do it. “Twelve are already executed; the names of the seven are given out, and the village expects to see them die this morning. Postponement now speaks a floundering on my part.” Pg. 57 This quote is saying that Danforth doesn’t want to postpone hanging because it will make him look bad. If he had postponed the hangings for a day or two many of those killed could have been saved. “How do you propose, then? Parris: Excellency, I would postpone these hangings for a while. Danforth: There will be no postponement. Pg. 56. Parris would had gained the judges trust was unable to change his mind which shows how self-centered he was. Danforth would have rather let possibly innocent men die for his reputation. This man was very important in the town of Salem. he could choose life or death for people, and yet he was very corrupted and put his reputation before good