History has proven many people choose themselves over the truth. In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, shows the effect of this exact problem in Deputy Governor Danforth. Danforth impacts many conflicts which relies on his political motivation. His decisions, even with many new discovery, highlights his own career making himself look more powerful. Danforth discovers many internal and external conflicts throughout The Crucible. The internal conflicts include problems that he may or may not know what was right but still has to make an important decision. The external conflicts include people questioning the judgments he makes. "Danforth uses weight and power of the law to crush dissent" (Marino). This quote gives an example of how the conflicts Danforth has to deal with, which is usually pressed down by his power. "There will be no postponement" (Beers and Odell 1266). This quote explains how many were wanting a postponement for the hanging but he had to make a very important decision to continue them. …show more content…
Danforth believes he his the one to make any political decision in Salem and all shall obey his decision. Judgements made by Danforth was not only made for justice but instead made to make him look more powerful. "Danforth uses weight and power of the law to crush dissent" (Beers and Odell 1266). This quote proves Danforth uses his polo all power to make his own decisions on judgements. "Danforth the uncompromising but misguided judge" (Miller). This shows that some might have thought he was a misguided judge, but knew of his political power and this. That power also affects his
He believes strongly in his ability to judge the character of the informants. This comes into play when others question his judgement of Abigail and the girls from the woods. Danforth has a great deal of authority over the verdict of the accused, he has the power to judge them as not guilty. Danforth being the primary judge means he could have admitted to his foolishness and told the community that the accused people were not witches, and it would have made the townspeople believe that there was no witch problem in Salem at all. Danforth is too concerned with his reputation to admit that his judgement, at first, was clouded.
Mr. Danforth uses another rhetorical question when people continue to question his authority. He then goes into death of what he has done and can do. This is where he comes into being arrogant. Judge possesses great power as the Judge in the Supreme Court, and he exercises them by sentencing people to prison or more largely to be hung. These actions and words are necessary to keep the people of Salem in the societies rules.
In The Crucible, the normal social and moral order is completely inverted. Salem was a secluded village in Massachusetts that was a strict, theocratic, hierarchical, patriarchal society where power and morality were two incredibly important aspects within the community. The men of Salem held all of the political power in the community and their rule was strengthened not only by the law but also by the hypothetical approval of God. However, the Salem witch trials empowered several individuals in The Crucible who were formerly marginalized and powerless and similarly inverted the normal moral order in Salem by forcing the characters in the play to make a decision between adhering to or abandoning their fundamental morals in order to survive or
People tend to justify their actions, regardless of the outcome. With knowledge of their actions, people misemploy their authority. A remarkable playwright of the American theater, Arthur Miller continues to capture his audience with The Crucible. In the play, Miller portrays several characters, who abuses their authority. However, of the very few, Miller creates a character who makes an important contrast to these corrupt people.
Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense. In the book the Crucible there are many hypocrites some dishonest some just following any one to be guilty, but one of the many character is Judge Danforth he mocks Marry when he ask "How were you instructed in your life? Do you not know that God damns all liars?"(3-84), since Danforth is in power for being the judge he thinks that everyone else is ignorant and not being equal as him.
Another viewpoint, maybe that Judge Danforth was just trying to get the Salem witch trials to blow by quicker, but if this was true, he would´ve accepted John Proctor´s evidence showing that the girls were just playing tricks them. This would make the witch hysteria go away much quicker. Instead, he benefits himself by letting the Salem witch trials live longer. If Danforth was a good Judge he would not have acted so adamant and did his job as a judge to interpret the
Reverend Hale and Judge Danforth are two authoritative figures in The Crucible whose roles in society are to lead the community in the ways and likeness of God so that the people of Salem can, basically, be good Puritans. Despite their similar intentions, there are also blaring differences which distinctly separate the two and their beliefs. To start, both Hale and Danforth work chiefly to serve God and lead his people on Earth to live holy and just lives. When the question of the Devil and witchcraft arise within Salem, both men come to investigate and cleanse the town of evil. While Judge Danforth considers himself “a minister of the Lord” and does “not take a life without there be proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dramatic play that expresses a very important message and that is how far people would go to save themselves from the hands of death. There are many characters in the Crucible who are guilty of taking innocent lives, but there are three major characters who, without a doubt, are the most at blame. The play takes place in the city of Salem, a city filled with people that would do anything to keep their reputation clean. Throughout the play, Miller is introducing multiple characters that experience changes in their decisions and negatively influence more people eventually leading up to the witch trials. The main point that the story revolves around is that people would rather lie and blame someone else instead of confessing and accepting the punishment.
When push comes to shove, everyone makes a tough decision, but in the end the decision was either out of fear to protect themselves, or a strategy to gain a designated amount of authority. In today 's society, many of the decisions people make lead to riots in the streets and people getting hurt. Similarly, the Ferguson riot in Missouri years ago, where many civilians were injured because of decisions made by everyone involved. Whether it turned violent because they wanted to prove something or because they feared the police when they showed up. In the story, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the characters also illustrate the fact that it is human nature to defend oneself, to strive to survive despite the harm such actions can cause to
Danforth: Judge, Jury, and Executioner Judge Danforth’s position in the crucible is the Judge assigned to the proceedings of the Salem witch trials. Instead of treating this immense responsibility with the respect and restraint that is needed, Danforth abused his power by betraying the people of Salem and the Law. He did not listen to the people of Salem defending themselves before inevitably being sent to death; and he cared more about his reputation and the law than he did about peoples’ lives. Danforth was a ruthless power over the people of Salem he demanded respect for himself and the court; and nothing was more important than that.
Who Is To Blame? In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth was the cause of the Salem Witch Trials. He was about 60, He came to Salem to judge the witchcraft, he also from Boston, and he judge the witch trials with three other People. Miller demonstrated that it was Danforth’s Flaws of Stubbornness, Quick-tempered, and Pride that led him to be most responsible for the tragedy of the witch-hunt in Salem.
Act 4 Reader’s Response When I began reading act four of The Crucible, I hadn’t developed strong feelings, positive or negative, about any characters. There were certain people I didn’t necessarily like throughout the first three acts, but there was never a point when I became extremely frustrated with any of them. In this act, that wasn’t the case. Deputy Governor Danforth proved to me as act four progressed that he wasn’t concerned for the people of Salem, he was concerned about not allowing himself, the government or his God look weak. I discovered how his reputation became more important to him than standing up to the hysteria and saving innocent lives.
Judge Danforth’s unwavering egotism culminates in the unfortunate deaths of Salem townsfolk. Arthur Miller’s classic play The Crucible demonstrates how the actions of one person can affect many others. Judge Danforth cares more about his own reputation than what is right. Often times people try to think of what is right instead of saving their own face, Judge Danforth is an exception to this stereotype. The Salem Witch Trials were a horrible time where many people lost their lives due to an unjust court system.
One Choice Can Change Lives Who knew one seemingly innocent lie could cause 19 deaths and pit an entire town against itself? That’s exactly what happens in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. Authors often use similar plot devices, and their favorite one is having their characters face a test. In a small town called Salem in early America, something terrible is happening.
As the voice of authority of Salem, Judge Danforth leads to the tragedy of their social disturbance by breakdown Salem’s solidarity.