In every work of literature, there are themes. A theme is an overall idea, moral, or message of a book or story. One individual may interpret the themes of a book or story differently than another, but that is the pure beauty of themes. A great literary work is The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller. Briefly, the play recounts the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. Throughout the story, residents accuse their neighbors of being witches and practicing witchcraft. On the surface, this historical drama presents some universal and enduring themes. The themes are universal because, no matter where in the world, the ideas always concern everyone and are understood. The themes are enduring because the ideas are found in ancient times and today in modern society. Given that The Crucible was published in 1953 and is still read and analyzed around the world, the themes of reputation, empowerment, and hysteria found in the play are both universal and durable. One of the themes explored in The Crucible is reputation. Throughout the play, many characters focus on maintaining their public reputation and good name. They also believe that their name and reputation will be damaged because of the sins of their friends. A good example of how the theme of reputation is presented is that of Revered Parris. In one scene, Reverend Parris speaks to Abigail Williams about the incident with her daughter Betty in the forest. He said to Abigail, “There is a faction that has sworn to drive me from my pulpit.” He believes this supernatural incident with his daughter Betty will ruin his reputation with the people of Salem and eventually cause him to leave the pulpit. Reputation is a......universal and universal medium of paper profiling......al. Today, people accept stereotypes of Mexicans, blacks, Asians, and whites as truth. With the collapse of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, European and American citizens now have prejudicial views toward Muslims. Arthur Miller's play reminds the audience that this hysteria about different races and peoples may never end. Reputation, empowerment, and hysteria are both universal and enduring themes present in The Crucible. These ideas are universal and enduring because they are present all over the world and will continue with humanity. Today, people around the world try to maintain a good reputation. People also gain power when they never had any. People are hysterical about current social issues related to racism. The Crucible is a great work of literature that teaches readers about enduring ideas found around the world..