Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter and John Proctor from The Crucible might not have been similar physically, but they shared the same attributes and feelings towards things that effected their reputations. Both characters from the novels lived in the Puritan colonies of Massachusetts during a time in our history that adultery was considered a mortal sin and witchcraft was punishable by death. The most predominantly shared characteristic of both characters is the fact they both committed adultery.
             In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne falls in love and has an affair with Arthur Dimmesdale, a reverend. When she becomes pregnant the community demands to know the name of the father. Hester, not wanting to destroy Dimmesdale's reputation refuses to divulge his name. The punishment she receives is the wearing of a scarlet "A" on all her garments and public humiliation. She is strong in her willpower and endured personal suffering to protect the reverend. Eventually, Hester acknowledges her adultery only after her companion Dimmesdale reveals publicly he is the father of her baby and dies.
             In The Crucible, John Proctor has an affair with a woman named Abigail Williams. He ultimately confesses to adultery to save his wife and friends from being hung on the charges of witchcraft. John is also charged with witchcraft, but chooses not to confess in order to keep his good name and land. He is found guiltily of witchcraft and is hung.
             In both instances, Hester and John had the opportunity to confess their sins and save themselves from punishment, but for personal reasons they refused. In dealing with the consequences of their actions, both tried to preserve and protect their friends and family by remaining silent. They shared the common characteristic of loyalty and because of that they suffered personal difficulty and pain.
             The comparisons have been made and the ideas have been put forth, and it is e...