What's in a name?
By Bailey Campbell
Reputation is what people are known for in the mind of others. It can be good or bad, and is sometimes extremely important to them. A person's name holds their reputation in it, and it can define what type of person they are. Reputation is a huge theme in the Crucible. In this book a good name is almost all these people have, so for them, dying for your name is a better choice than living with a tainted one, that is whispered about throughout the town.
Throughout this play John Proctor was a character especially concerned with upholding his reputation for him and his family. When his wife Elizabeth became one of the women accused of dealing with the devil, john wanted to save her and prove the court that she was being frame by Abigail, but if he told the court of Abigail's plan then the secret of John's affair would be out. This is obviously a big problem for him. When told to tell the court of other witches to save his life, he chooses to die instead ruining his family's name. “Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! ...I have given you my soul, leave me my nam...
