In moments of desperation, people often turn to extreme measures in order to warp dire situations in their favor. Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible, implies that hypocrisy arises as a result of people trying to preserve their integrity, position, and public status. Miller uses characters like Danforth, Parris, Proctor, and Abigail to personify the effects of selfishness over honesty and solidarity over community. Despite their strict Puritan roots, these characters stray from the socially accepted norms to secure their positions, status, and reputations. Danforth, the judge of the witch trials, has a strong need to protect his position as leader of the court. He finds his position too valuable to be risked even with surfacing evidence that would prove that he had failed to protect the innocent and incarcerate the wrongdoers. In Act Three, Francis attempts to offer the facts that: “The girls, sir, the girls are frauds. (87)” Danforth is quick to dismiss the argument …show more content…
As a preacher, his job is to serve as an example of holiness to the Puritan community, meaning that he should abide to the rules of ignoring riches and instead be honest and caring for his congregation. Instead, “for twenty week he preach nothin’ but golden candlesticks until he had them. (65)” Parris constantly complains over his salary: “I am paid little enough without I spend six pound on firewood. (29)” Parris claims that men like Proctor are working against the church, though he himself is inadvertently responsible for decrease in attendance because of his poor lectures and unpopularity. The preacher also testifies against those accused of witchcraft in order to protect Abigail from the lies that she involves herself in. His main motives reside in materialistic values, as well as his