The Consequences of a Rumor in The Crucible Essay Example

People all over Salem were dropping like flies once a fire-like rumor was spread. In the book The Crucible by Arthur Miller, talk regarding witchcraft was going through the small town in Massachusetts. Each character has a different contribution to the story and the overall themes seen throughout reading. Themes are crucial in a story because they teach various lessons that are used in everyday life and they educate people about possible real-life situations. There are many themes throughout the book including the effects of a lie, the importance of someone's reputation, and the idea of intolerance with one's faith.

Lies are one of those things that no matter what, they'll come back to bite you. The idea that almost every action comes with a consequence is crucial in decision making among people, however lies were told in this story for numerous reasons. Many of the lies that were told from this story were in order to save a life, whether it was their own or the lives of others. John Proctor projected to Danforth that, “There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang; have you never thought of that?”(Miller 65). What this is showing is that people will say or do whatever, even if it goes against personal beliefs, just to stay alive. The idea of lying and whether or not telling a lie is a good idea is a task that is very difficult to master because of the way that it could easily backfire. Overall there were a few positive lies told, there were countless lies that were told for selfish reasons. Characters like Abigail and Danforth were very good at telling a lie to protect themselves and their reputation, which was the stem of almost every conflict and the death of about 20 people. A single lie can change almost everything in a person's life within a second, and that's exactly what The Crucible is displaying. 

One's reputation creates an image as to who a person is, but how far is too far when trying to protect it? This play withholds many instances that portray the importance of a reputation and the credibility of someone's word. In some of the last hours of John Proctor's life, he delivered the words, “It is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies!”(Miller 133). He was explaining that his name is who he is and it carries who he is and what he’s done in his life. Proctor was not allowing himself to lie and confess, which eventually led to him being hung. Another time this theme was displayed was when Parris was conversing with Abigail after hearing about her dancing in the woods, which was highly scorned. “Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it”(Miller 10). Parris was clearly being selfish at this moment and worried about his reputation more than the consequences that Abigail could possibly face. What one does for their reputation is all a personal thought and how far they'll go in order to protect it. 

Faith is a concept that has a large value to many people, and with faith comes the want for goodness. One of the main “motivations” for the characters in this play was faith and the idea of the devil. The book is set in a theocratic society that follows many strict rules and laws that are linked with their religion. Any breach of the Christian morals shows one's disloyalty to not only God but the public good. Parris begs Putnam to stop with the talk over the possibility of witchcraft by saying,"Thomas, Thomas, I pray you, leap not to witchcraft..." (Miller 12). Parris does not want people to think that witchcraft is in his household because it's considered a major sin. Many acts of sin were committed in this story, whether it was dancing in the woods to an affair, but all of which did not compare to the entire issue regarding witchcraft. Intolerance and the betrayal of one's faith was one of the central themes in this book and it somewhat shaped the entire storyline along with the characters. 

Themes in literature and being able to identify them are what show the reason as to why the book was written and its importance. They take the main events in the story and the recurring lessons to create an overall image of what message the author is trying to put across. In The Crucible, themes were seen all over the place but lying, one's reputation, and intolerance are what should be considered the most essential. A story about a rumor of witchcraft and the way that each character digs themself into a deeper and deeper pit of lies just to stay credible teaches the reader the importance of honesty.