The Crucible Abigail's Reputation

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How far would you go in order to protect your own reputation? This story takes place during the times of the Salem witch trials. Parris is the uncle of a young girl named Abigail who is going around and falsely accusing villagers of witchcraft while the whole town is in chaos and turmoil. Abigails name is holy in Salem and her uncle is the minister of the church. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the static character of Reverend Parris demonstrates that one's reputation is extremely valuable and should be protected no matter what the cost and is shown through his actions. His reputation is very important since he runs the church, but he is a very selfish man. When Parris discovered his daughter Betty, Abigail, and their friends dancing in the …show more content…
He wants the judge to postpone the hanging so the convicts have more time to give confessions. The only reason he wants the postponement to happen is because he feels that his life is being threatened by the village ever since he found a dagger at his door that night. While explaining to Judge Danforth why there should be a postponement, Parris says, “ Tonight, when I open my door to leave my house- a dagger clattered to the ground. You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!” (Page 232). Parris is telling him that if he goes through with the executions this morning that he may be killed since he is the uncle of the accuser. Parris’s name is being blackened because of Abigail. This day he's also found out that Abigail is missing and has robbed him, he is now broke and she is gone, leaving him to suffer her consequences. Reverend Parris is a selfish man and is only concerned for his own well being. Parris lies and acts like he has no idea what's happening so people will treat him the same as they always have. Towards the end however, him pretending that this is all real leads to him being threatened and hated by the townspeople. Trying to keep your reputation white and pure is a full time job, but pretending to be something you're not can come back to haunt you in the
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