Mattie Barber October 20, 2013 4th hour Honors English 10 Identity. Eight letters. I-d-e-n-t--i-t-y.

A persons inward identity differs from how people perceive them. If someone judges you, without knowing all youve done, then they wont know who you actually are. First glances are not to be trusted. People tend to keep actions they are not proud of, a secret. In The Crucible and The Scarlet Letter, people make decisions, and act in a way that the people around them would never expect. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, John Proctor is a man who presents a facade to the outside world appearing to live a wholesome Christian life. He has a happy family, good home and a healthy relationship with God. Nobody could ever guess what lies underneath his seemingly respectable exterior. As you look deeper into the man that is John Proctor, you will be surprised with what you will find. John Proctor lives in an uneasy household, due to his infidelity against his wife. You will also witness his controlling ways. If you were to witness him behind closed doors, you'd see him engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a girl who is years his junior. You'd also see him threaten her. Abby, I may think of you softly from time to time, but I will cut off my hand before I reach for you again. We never touched (Miller, p.23). This behavior and these choices are what separate the John people think they know, with the person that John really is. However, if people do not know these actions, and these behaviors, then their view on him will not change, and his identity and reputation will remain untarnished. If people were to know the John Proctor that is unfaithful and controlling, then his outer identity would somewhat match up with his inner identity. Another person who is also not who they appear to be, is Roger Chillingworth from The Scarlet Letter. Chillingworth is an individual who has merged himself into the community, and is

seen as a very knowledgeable man who only wants to help Reverend Dimmsdale. As a new member of the community, people pass quick judgment on him Calm, gentle, passionless, as he appeared, there was yet, we fear, a quiet depth of malice, hitherto talent, but active now, in this unfortunate man, which led him to imagine a more intimate revenge than any mortal had ever wreaked upon an enemy (Hawthorne, p. 132). Behind the outwardly caring personality is someone with revenge on the brain. The identity that Chillingworth is given, is somewhat related to his relationship with Reverend Dimmsdale. The townspeople respect Dimmsdale, so they have some respect for Chillingworth. Chillingworths identity is based on his intelligence, mixed with his relationship with someone who is thought highly of. If people knew his vengeful ways, his outward identity would be thought of very differently. If they knew the real him, the community would not have welcomed him at all, due to his plotting against their precious Dimmsdale. An additional case in point of someone who is not who he seems is Reverend Dimmsdale. Dimmsdale is a very influential person that everyone looks up to. The townspeople think of him as very humble, because when they tell him what a wonderful, holy man he is, he denies it. They think that the reason he does this is because he is humble, when in reality he denies them, because he has a secret. To the townspeople, him denying his greatness makes him an even better person. It makes him an even better person, because modesty is a very desirable trait, especially during the Puritan age. Nobody in the town would ever consider that he would commit adultery, and even after he does, nobody knows. Since nobody knows, his identity is still pure, and he is still their holy reverend. If they knew his real identity, the community would shun him, and even make him leave town. In conclusion, nobody is ever who they first appear to be. The characters from both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible prove that people differ greatly from the initial first impression

they give off. A persons inward identity differs from how people perceive them. The characters listed, much like people in the real word choose what their outer identity is portrayed as. We, as people have somewhat of a control of what people see us as, which makes it even harder to know what other peoples inner identity truly is. John Proctor chooses to not be seen as an adulterer, so he tells nobody of that side of him. Chillingworth wants to be seen as a benevolent person, so he keeps his vengeful ways to himself. The seemingly holy Reverend wants to stay that way, so he does not confess to his sin. All of these characters display how different the inside of a person is from how people perceive them.

Works Cited Page

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: Signet Classics, 2009. Print. Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Print.