Reputation, the one element of social behavior that can make or break a person. Reputation is how people get their first impression of people from others. Arthur Miller created one of his most famous lyrics based on his own reputation, and a sort of mockery of the McCarthy case that occurred in the 1950s. During this period, a person could be accused of communism and, if he confessed, he was released, but his good reputation was ruined; however, if they didn't confess, their name was still dragged through the mud and ruined. Arthur Miller used this to make an analogy to the Salem witch trials of the 1600s in his play, The Crucible; in which we see many characters act differently until their reputations are ruined. Some characters in Arthur Miller's The Crucible seemed to have no problem erasing their standing in the community to save their own. John was one of the main characters of the play. He and Abigail Williams were having an affair, and because she was in love with him, he tried to have his wife Elizabeth hanged for witchcraft. John came to the rescue, but was unable to convince the courts of Elizabeth's innocence. Shortly thereafter, John himself was indicted for witchcraft. Towards the end of the play, John is about to be hanged and is weighing the pros and cons of consenting to it. After thinking about it for a while, Proctor made his decision. When asked why he didn't allow his name to be seen written down, he replied: “Because it's my name! Because I can't have another one in my life! Because I lie and indulge in lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of those who hang! How can I live without my name? I gave you my soul; leave me my name” (page 1232, line 1). This statement caused John Proctor to be hanged, and because he and many other people refused to recognize themselves as witches, the Salem witch trials in The Crucible were