The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller was full of conflict. Most of this conflict could have been avoided but was exacerbated by the people of the town. The man most responsible for the out of control situation was Judge Danforth. His stubborn, hard headed demeanor was the main reason that the trial became a full on witch hunt, that had consequences that were unspeakable for such a foolish cause.
Some may argue that Abigail Williams was the main cause of the accusations, trials and consequences. However, Abigail was not the main contributor to the outcome. She fed Judge Danforth lie after lie and he believed everything she had said. Danforth, being one of the most honorable judges in the area should have had enough sense to see through the witchcraft facade, but even after being told multiple times by other people involved in the trial, he stuck to his beliefs, which ultimately led to the death of nineteen people.
Judge Danforth based everything solely off of religion. He did not listen to both sides. The judge never doubted what he
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Mary Warren went to him saying that she had lied about Goody Proctor and covered for Abigail. John proctor also went with her to confirm that she had been lying. When Danforth was confronted with the truth he could not accept it. “It were pretense sir.” exclaimed Mary. Danforth responds saying “ I cannot hear you.” His response shows that he could not bear to hear the truth of the situation.
The conflict in The Crucible could have had a different outcome, if Judge Danforth had seen through the facade that was presented to him. He was fed lies, beginning with Abigail’s wild stories. As people realized he was easily convinced, they used this to their advantage to take down people they did not like. Even after having his judgment questioned by people of the religious establishment he would still not face his arrogance and ignorance and make the trial