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Reverend Parris In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

707 Words3 Pages

The Salem witch trials are remembered as one of the most disgraceful acts a village has ever committed. One of the main causes of these events are the bibliocentric views of the community at that time. People often called witch on their neighbors to get more land, or cried witch at someone they simply didn’t like. There were 19 hangings during the Salem Witch Trials and one of the main reasons for this was Reverend Parris. At the start of The Crucible, By Arthur Miller, you see that one of the central causes of the witch trials was because he was more concerned with his own reputation than the lives of others. He uses his bibliocentric views and high status to justify his selfish motives and protect his reputation. This is apparent within the very first lines when he finds out that his daughter, Betty, is sick. “Abigail, I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.” Instead of being worried about Betty’s health, he is more concerned about his reputation and what people would think if they suspected witchcraft. This is repeated throughout the first act when he calls Mr. Hale claiming that he will be able to prove that there’s no witchcraft involved. “Thomas, Thomas, I pray you leap not to witchcraft. …show more content…

There be no unnatural case here. Tell him I have sent for Reverend Hale of Beverly, and Mr. Hale will surely confirm that.” In the first Act he is convinced that there is no witchcraft involved in Betty’s sickness, but later he is one of the greatest proponents of this view. One of the main reasons for this is that he yet again puts his own reputation over the truth by using his high status and the power of religion. In Act III he shows his selfishness and desire to maintain his social status as the minister as he commits perjury by omitting the part in which some of the dancing girls were

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Act 2 Scene 2 In The Crucible

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