Does religion really make you moral? Many people would believe this to be true. You would never suspect that a minister or religious figure is an unpleasant person who knowingly sins. In the play "The Crucible" and the story "Young Goodman Brown" we discover that this is not the case. The essay "Young Goodman Brown" and the story "The Crucible" both consist of a character transformation, a theme of reputation and the Puritan community of Salem, all of which play an important role in indicating the same message that religion does not determine one's morality. . These texts have many similarities to convey this message to the reader, but they also have significant differences. In Miller's play 'The Crucible' and Hawthorne's short essay 'Young Goodman Brown', both authors use irony to highlight the central idea that evil exists in everyone, even the most unexpected. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Finding Similarities and Differences in Both Stories First, both “Young Goodman Brown” and “The Crucible” involve a character transformation. Both of these character transformations bring light to the main central idea, which is that no one is truly pure, despite how religious they are. In John Proctor's case, his journey begins with his relationship with Abigail, which has caused him much guilt, complications with his marriage, as well as himself and his faith. For Goodman Brown it is curiosity and motivation to become a better man that lead him into the woods to meet the devil, where this transformation occurs. We are able to see Goodman Brown's experience through a third-person narrative in which he realizes that evil is in all of us, including himself. The end result of Goodman Brown's journey differs from that of John Proctor in that it leads to renunciation, rather than redemption. He was confident in his religious faith, but as soon as he saw people like Deacon Gookin, Goody Closye, and, above all, his wife Faith involved with the devil, he became a mistrustful and paranoid man. As for Proctor, he knew he wasn't pure from the start and didn't hold himself and his reputation on a pedestal like Goodman Brown did. He was not presented as a good man, but we realized that he was the wisest and most selfless. “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!.” Proctor refuses to falsely confess to protect himself by causing his death. Now he can see good in himself and forgive his sin. This is ironic because he was the least religious, but ended up making the most altruistic choices, while the most religious did not. This shows that you don't have to be religious to have good morals. His journey led him to accept his sins and not give in to hysteria like others, while the good young Brown let this experience negatively take over his life. “'There,' continued the dark figure, 'are all those whom you have revered since your youth. You deemed them holier than yourselves and turned away from your sin, contrasting it with their life of righteousness and their prayerful aspirations toward heaven. Yet here they are all in my assembly of adoration." The devil explains to young Goodman Brown that the people he admired as pious Christians worship him as much as the people he sees as outcasts and sinners. Once Brown realizes thisevil in every human being, can't stop seeing it. Although these transformations have different outcomes with different perspectives, they develop the same idea that no one is truly what they seem. Second, Miller and Hawthorne both use the theme of reputation ironically to show this central idea. Hawthorne shows the massive hypocrisy of the Puritan era, while also pointing to the natural sinfulness that exists in all of humanity. In both texts, Young Goodman Brown and almost all of the characters in "The Crucible" care deeply about their reputations. So much so that they start blaming and threatening others to protect their reputation. In “Young Goodman Brown” this fear of having one's reputation ruined is also very evident. He is afraid that people will see him in the woods with the devil. “It's a wonder, really, that Goody Cloyse was so far out in the desert at nightfall,” he said. “But with your permission, friend, I will take a walk through the woods until we leave this Christian woman behind. Being a stranger to you, he might ask me who I was dating and where I was going. Young Goodman Brown is surprised to see Goody Cloyse and assumes that she will not recognize the devil due to his moral status in Salem. Young Goodman Brown chooses to avoid her to protect his reputation and family name. He has great confidence in his faith and holiness thanks to his family heritage. When confronted with the fact that his ancestors had to deal with the devil, he is surprised and says: “I am amazed that they never talked about these matters; or, indeed, I do not wonder, seeing that the least rumor of that kind would have driven them away from New England. We are a people of prayer and good works, and we cannot tolerate such wickedness." This knowledge that his family has encountered the devil begins to destroy his belief system because Goodman Brown roots his beliefs in the actions of others rather than his own. He believes that since his ancestors were good, he must be good too. This mentality is the same as "The Crucible". Many people believe that their goodness is based on reputation in their community, blinded by the evil actions they perform to maintain this reputation. “I (Parris) have struggled here for three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now that some respect is growing for me in the parish, you compromise my very character. I gave you a home, child. I put some clothes on your shoulders, now give me an honest answer. Your name in town is all white, isn't it?'. This quote spoken by Parris reveals how he is more concerned about losing his name and position than the well-being of his daughter. It's clear that the characters are all overly concerned with the appearance of goodness rather than whether their actions reflect it. While Young Goodman Brown and 'The Crucible' have many similarities, there is also a very important difference between the two. The message “no to being innocent” is developed through an experience in the eyes of Young Goodman Brown, while it is developed through an external perspective looking at Salem's ironic actions in 'The Crucible'. There are fewer questions in “The Crucible” than in “Young Goodman Brown,” where the reader is uncertain about what is reality and what is not because of how unrealistic it is presented. In the short story, much of the story centers on the devil's followers, which seems to be everyone. No one can be trusted and there aren't many protagonists to follow. In "The Crucible", many people are not trusted, but there are some who appear not to sin and are not accused. There are trustworthy people who are known to follow God, like Hale. "I have seen too much frightening evidence in court: the Devil is.