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The Crucible Authority Analysis

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Imagine being accused of a crime one did not commit and not being able to question authority or fight for the truth. In the powerful play, “The Crucible”, Aurthur Miller demonstrates the use and abuse of authority in the Puritan Society. During the Salem witch trials in 1692, the role of authority was tested. As far back as one could remember people in authority were always known for dominance and being in command. One might say he/she has supremacy over others. Reverend Hale, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Parris all were viewed as authoritative figures in The Crucible. It is true that all had power, but they all used it differently. The word “authority” many times is associated with the words “perfect”, “dominate”, “in charge”, and “in control”. …show more content…

As a reverend, one is suppose to carry out God’s word and serve to the people. They are suppose to completely dedicate their time to helping others. Reverend Parris might go through the actions of all these things but he truly does not embodied what being a Reverend is all about. In Puritan society, a revered is someone everyone looks up to because of their rich religious beliefs. The court and the church overlapped and was the basis of Puritan beliefs. When Betty got sick in the beginning of the play he says to Proctor, The Putnams, and Giles “There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning! Parris to Proctor.” Parris is the third minister to go to through the church and this quote signifies his need for power to boost his own personal feelings. He is saying if they do not follow what he wants to do there will be a major price to pay. It shows how Parris just expects obedience from everyone since he is a minister. Also, during the trials, Proctor had to tell the judge it was Parris who caught the girls in the woods. That is a huge piece he did not tell the court because he was too scared his name would be ruined. It did not care that tons of his people were being accused of witchcraft. Someone in authority would be trying to save their people, not put them on a scaffold to

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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!

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In our society, many people rely on the power of law and justice in order to protect themselves. Some powerful men abuse and misuse their power which brings many unfairnesses and tragedies. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Judge Danforth is a deputy governor of the state, and he is also the judge for the witchcraft trail. Judge Danforth represents the authority and supremacy in the entire play. Throughout the play, Danforth’s tyrannous and stubborn personality caused many wrong decisions that he made in the court.

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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.

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The Crucible teaches its readers the true application of authority along with the misuses of it. To begin with, the people of higher social status utilizes their position for their own gain. Parris uses his position as minister to make absurd demands. For instance, he complains that he is underpaid and request for two items: a higher salary and the deed of the meeting house. To argue, he declares that he is “ the Lord’s man in the parish”(1250).

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Based on the tragic events of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, The Crucible is a hard-hitting tale that reflects upon the subjectivity of goodness and virtue, sparking the reflection of the importance of moral behavior during times of hardship and crisis. In an unyielding and restricted Puritan community like Salem village, a bad reputation could result in social exclusion and scorning from the community. As a result, many members of the community would go to extremes to avoid tarnishing their reputations. The Crucible asserts that those who are concerned only with protecting their standings are dangerous to a society, as they are willing to blame and hurt other people in order to protect themselves.

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879 Words | 4 Pages

Despite their deeply religious values, the members of the Puritan Society in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible are equally as sinful as the rest of the world. The Puritans, known for turning to God when given any matter at hand, lay blame on the Devil, regardless of their contradictory values. By blaming on him for their wrongdoings, the Devil earns power through the Puritans restoring to involve him whenever any one thing goes wrong. Power is defined by one’s reputation, status, wealth, gender, and age; although the natural deciding factor of one’s power in the Puritan society is land, the Devil himself holds ultimate power. Despite the fact that he does not appear as a human figure, he controls the thoughts and actions of the Puritan society, serving as the ultimate threat.

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799 Words | 4 Pages

By looking at The Crucible by Arthur Miller one can see that the characterization of John Proctor reveals the theme of reputation and integrity, which is important because refusing to tell lies to protect his reputation and stop delirium from spreading throughout Salem. John Proctor states that the woman of Salem who have been locked up for witchcraft:”Excellency, does it not strike upon you that so many of these women have lived so long with such upright reputation”(3.1.305-309). Proctor represents reputation because he would rather die than have his reputation downed to a victimizer. Protecting his reputation motivates John Proctor to deny that witchcraft exists in the village. All he hears is crying out of screams and wailing which is a cause of the Devil 's work: “What 's she doing?

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He refused to attend weekly Church meetings because he believed that Rev. Parris was an unsuitable puritan minister. Proctor knew that the puritans were supposed to be abstemious, yet “[Parris] preached nothin’ but golden candlesticks”(page 65). Afterwards, by claiming, “I nailed the roof upon the church, I hung the door,” Proctor proved his piety by implying that building a Church is an honorable deed. Clearly, Proctor managed to show both pride and honor simultaneously, illustrating the distinct characteristics of each in separate events. However, when conflicts arose, he had to choose between the

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Reverend Parris shows the first example of the importance of reputation in the Salem. In Act I, lines 63-66, Parris discovers the girls dancing in the forest; he recognizes the threat of witchcraft that has formed in his

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Power, the ability to maintain control, command, or authority over others can often be determined by one’s reputation and his or her persuasiveness. This principle is displayed within The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, in which follows the town of Salem, Massachusetts attempting to navigate through a “Witchcraft” outbreak supposedly lead by the Devil. Within such a theocratic society such as Salem, the Devil is often associated with death, fear, and uncertainty. While his name alone is often believed to be able to influence others in to following through in certain actions. The Devil, as a key figure behind the immense “witchcraft” occurring in Salem, is crafted by Miller as the most influential “character” due to his infamous reputation and his ability to control characters’ actions.

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We often seen someone is only care about himself, they don’t care about others even their family and they always have excuse of it. Reverend Parris is a kind of this person. “The Crucible” is about the Salem witch trials. Starting with several young girls claim to be afflicted by witchcraft and then accuse people in the town of witchcraft. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shapes Parris’s character as a very selfish person, and everything he did was to keep his good reputation in the village and to get rid of anyone against him, which drives him mad.

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930 Words | 4 Pages

Time and Time Again Power Corrupts “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” This quote by politician Lord Acton has a lot to do with The Crucibles. The Crucibles, a play written by Arthur Miller takes place during the Salem witch trials. In this play a lot more was happening than just the hanging of witches. There was also corruption of power and authority in the court, specifically by a judge named Danforth.

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1067 Words | 5 Pages

This is where the reader really gets a glimpse of who John Proctor really is, he is a man who has cheated on his wife with a teenage girl. This a problem now, but in the 1600s this was unheard of. It says a lot about Proctor’s personality, it gives the reader look into Proctor’s scandalous lifestyle. It also sets up the story’s theme of love being more enduring than lust. In act three of The Crucible Proctor Says, "I have known her, sir.

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Power and influence in society have a huge impact on the way things happen and affects perception. A prime example is the power that presidents and prime ministers have. Given this power they can effectively influence and persuade others. Power and influence is often associated with gender, conflict and roles and relationships. The importance of the power and influence can be thoroughly examined using texts that demonstrate ideas presented as truths.

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Reverend Parris is a self centered man who care only about himself and his reputation. When he talks to Abigail he show how worried he is about his reputation by saying “I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. ”(Miller, 170). This shows how self centered he is because he is only worried about his enemies ruining

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