1. Lorcher, Trent http://www.brighthubeducation.com/homework-help-literature/52747-main-themes-from-the-crucible/
The Importance of Reputation
In Salem, there is no such thing as a private act. Church attendance is recorded , everything a person does is known by everyone. John Proctor recognizes this. Proctor knows the girls are lying. He knows the trials are absurd, yet he doesn’t tell the information he knows in order to protect his reputation. In a town like Salem, cheating unleashes severe punishment and severe shame. Proctors confession is an crucial part of his redemption. He realizes truth is more important than reputation in the end .He isnt not the only one worried about reputation. As Rev. Parris's daughter lies near death, he is concerned about how the girls dancing in the woods naked affect his reputation. He suspects Abigail's intentions, yet looks over her faults because a relative of his having an affair with a married man would destroy his reputation.
2. Reputation Reputation is tremendously important in “theocratic” Salem, where public and private business is the same thing. In an environment where reputation plays such an important role, the fear of guilt by association also becomes extremely strenuous to people. Focused on maintaining public reputation, the people of Salem are scared that the sins of their friends will ruin their names. Several characters base their actions on the desire to protect their reputations. As the
