Cassie Harden
Beth Meyers
English III
9 April 2008
Honesty is Its Own Reward
During the seventeenth century, there were some events that were notorious for the Puritans. During this time period there were two stories that were generated. These stories show the values of the Puritans on how they live and their beliefs. The Puritan’s knowledge for the bible was essential; living everyday to follow the bible was very important. The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne and The Crucible by Arthur Miller have two characters that start off bumpy but eventually see the greater good.
In Arthur Miller’s play text there was a character, John Proctor, who has an affair with one of the teenagers, Abigail Williams, in Salem, Massachusetts. Although he was not honest at first about the affair, John Proctor tries to prove himself by coming clean about his wrong doings. Coming from the Puritan society, John looks for what he knows best, the bible, and it says, “Lies will get any man into trouble but honesty its own defense. Telling the truth gives a man great satisfaction and hard work returns man blessings to him.” (Insert Citation). He eventually he told his wife, Elizabeth, and the affair surfaced in the town between John and Abigail. Abigail and her friends pretend to see witches and blamed the people who they disliked, for example John and Elizabeth Proctor. John Proctor is accused of being a witch by Abigail, and is going to be killed. John had the choice to lie to save his life, but chooses not to for the sake of his, the baby, Elizabeth, and his other two children’s last name and reputation. Before John gets hung he says, “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!” (Insert Citation). He does not want to have a blacken name in the village because reputation in...