by Katie Rowland
Peer pressure is when you do something just because that is what everyone else is doing, everyone else wants you to, or because you want to fit in. The dictionary defines if as: influence or force to make someone do something. Peer pressure can come in many different forms, and it can be for many different reasons. Everyone has to face peer pressure at some point in his or her lifetime.
In The Crucible, many people experience peer pressure. John pressures Mary to tell officials of the court who is the real owner of the puppet is. At the end of the play, John is pressured into confessing. By the taunting of her friends, Mary is pressured into joining her friends in their accusations. Hale is pressured by John to stop the witch trails from proceeding. Hale pressures Elizabeth and John into reciting their commandments. It isn't hard to find peer pressure in The Crucible. Peer pressure helps to make the novel more interesting.
Peer pressure takes place in real life, too. One night, a good friend of mine called me, and asked if I wanted to run cross-country. I told her I couldn't because I was playing volleyball. Needless to say, by the time I hung up with her, I was running cross-country and playing volleyball. I am so glad she called and talked me into it. Peer pressure is experienced in real like everyday, and it can occur many times in a single day.
Peer pressure can be both positive and negative. The peer pressure Elizabeth and John got from Hale was negative peer pressure. The peer pressure John got to confess was also negative peer pressure. Mary received positive peer pressure from John, but negative peer pressure from her friends. The peer pressure that Hale and I got was positive peer pressure. Positive peer pressure can help people to do the right thing, but negative peer pressure can lead people to do some vary horrifying things. It is wise to look out for negative peer pressure.
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