“It must come out-my enemies will bring it out. Let me know what you have done there. Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies?” (Miller 10)(direct characterization). Parris had recently discovered that his daughter is “sick” and unresponsive. The sudden illness was worrying for him, but not for a reason that necessarily showed his interest in the health of his daughter. With the hysteria surrounding witchcraft during the time period, it was natural for people to assume witchcraft as the cause. Parris only cared for the health of his daughter as if she did not get better, the accusation of witchcraft in his household would be strengthened which would ruin his name due to witchcraft charges bearing a sinister social weight when …show more content…
Despite the blood on his hands, he grieves not for the lives lost, but for the money he lacks after getting robbed by his niece. Parris’ reservation of tears for the amount of cash in his wallet over the lives of other beings truly emphasizes the amount of greed he contains. Parris acts so continuously for himself that a unit of money is valued more than lives of people. Parris’ crucible and reputation had its first floor break as his niece flees Salem and Parris lost a great sum of money to robbery. His accountability becomes less credible with each moment, his power nearing …show more content…
Parris steps up to the judges of the court not for Proctor’s life alone, but his too as a dagger was left on his door: a message of threat. Parris now begins to act for his own life as he scrambles to undo the inevitable consequences of what he had started. Parris’ urgency in cancelling the remaining trials to save himself heightens the idea that humans only act when they truly need to save/benefit themselves. Parris’ crucible at this point, also begins to crash and burn. He can no longer protect his name as there is blood on it that cannot be
In his play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller depicts the massive blood hunt for witches in Salem, Massachusetts. This play shows the intricate relationships between characters and how they exploit a situation to carry out their own needs and grudges against others. Many were responsible in creating a group to take down the hellish powers of the Devil, but I believe that Parris was the mastermind behind the intricate, criminal syndicate. Reverend Parris is guilty even before the play begins. He is the new community preacher and has only been in Salem for a few years now.
After awhile Parris starts to recognize the effects of the people being hung, so he asks Danforth to postpone the hangings. Although that may seem very unselfish, Parris is doing so to protect his own life. Somebody put a dagger in his front door, he is afraid that if certain citizens are mad they will get the town to revolt. Reverend Parris is not the only follower in town, Tituba does the
In the novel, The Crucible, personal pride is a reoccurring motive of a person’s decision. Reverend Parris, who is the minister of the Puritan village of Salem, is shown as a man who values his reputation and is very prideful. In Act One, when his daughter has fallen ill under witchcraft, he is more concerned about what people will think of him instead of the goodwill of his daughter. He states, “… Just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.”
In Parris’s case, however, self preservation-his instinct to save himself above all else-is his only motivator, and it runs deep. From denying witchcraft to openly being involved in the court, he only cares about keeping
How does Parris feel about his parishioners? Miller characterizes Parris as someone who is selfish and worries too much about his reputation. Parris is always anxious and worries about everything. He took so long to build
His own worries are expressed when Parris exclaims, “But if you trafficked with the spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will and they will ruin me with it”(Miller 1131). He knows that if people were to find out, he could lose everything he worked for. Therefore, Parris does everything in his power to at least prove someone guilty, and in the process, completely goes against the morals he teaches. He is seen as a Godly man who is supposed to teach integrity. However, instead he becomes a man that cares less about the truth and more of preserving his own
(Act I. line 158-167). In the begging of the book Parris stand before his daughter’s bed and talk to Abigail what happened in the wood. At first we will think he is a good father who worried about his daughter, but then throughout his sentences we know he is just care about his position as a minister. “You people seem not to comprehend that a minister is the Lord’s man in the Parish; a minister is not to be so lightly crossed and contradicted—”(Act I. line 823-827). Parris's repeated demonstrations of exceedingly selfish behavior don't help him.
The last trait that describe Parris is greedy. He proves himself to be greedy when he says”I regard that six pound, Mr. Proctor I am paid little enough without I spend six pound on firewood. ”(Miller, 180). He is being greedy in this line because he gets more then other people in salem and yet he is mad because he thinks minister should get paid way more then a farmer.
Parris is a very self-centered man and is very embedded in his place in the community. He is a preacher for the church of Salem and his niece and daughter have been “bewitched” or so he thinks. Parris believes what he does is just and that no one should oppose him. This is also why he refuses to let news about his niece and daughter get out, he doesn’t want people to overthrow his position. Parris is a static character due to his nature of unchanging personality wise throughout the crucible, he is always self-centered.
Fear and suspicion can cause many harmful outcomes, and possibly destroying a whole society. There are many different examples, but a very good example is in the story The Crucible by Arthur Miller. In The Crucible, fear was the main reason the village faced many witchcraft incidents, and it played a major role in placing many people in jail or getting them killed. Through one of the trials a women named Tituba gets accused of witchcraft by one of the girls, so out of fear she accuses many other people that have nothing to do with any witchcraft activities. And that was the process that was used by almost everyone in the community.
He understood that the spectacle would raise suspicion of witchcraft among the people of Salem, and he would be implicated. He eventually took advantage of the situation to protect his position and punish a faction in the community that he suspected actively opposed him. Parris seemed glad when the girls started mentioning people they saw with the devil because it distanced his family from the situation. The focus was redirected at those who were mentioned by the girls. Parris can be blamed for setting a tone for his daughter and the people that will make them hysterical; As well as trying to point the finger at other people, to make sure no one blames him for what is going on.
Parris is dynamic like John, but for the majority of the story he sacrifices his integrity like his niece Abigail. Not is it until the end of the story Reverend Parris realizes what he has done was wrong. " Go to him! He rushes out the door, as though to hold back his fate. Proctor!
Readers also see that with the greed is pride as Parris believes he deserves more than what he is getting. Back to the scene about his salary, he says “I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College”(29). This proclamation exhibits how Parris thinks he is better than this, he is above the community of Salem and he should be treated in that manner. Arthur Miller uses Parris as a symbol, a symbol to show that even a man who is supposedly devoted to teaching the ways of God, can be filled with
Parris’ fickle persona throughout Miller’s play, which reflects his interest in self-security, contrasts his desire for safety with his requirement to be reasonable through his reversal of his word. Originally, Miller crafts Parris’ character in opposition of the Witch Trials because Parris does not want to be associated with such a sin. However, when the Witch Hunt becomes a mark of fame, Parris
(1) A lot has happened in Salem since we last saw it. Abigail and Mercy Lewis have fled the town since accusations made against them during Act 3 have begun to shine a light on their personalities. Multiple people are awaiting their deaths when we tune in, among the many being Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor. The court system has not changed much, as Danforth is still believing that it is his way or you will be punished.