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The Salem Witch Trials In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller, In the small town of Salem, Puritans feared the devil and of witches. The Puritans lifestyle was characterized by simplicity, they could not draw attention to themselves, and they had to be honest and straightforward at all times. The Puritans wanted to reform or purify the Church, they believed that only a few select people will get to go to heaven. During this book, The Salem Witch Trials were going on, a small group of girls, fell ill, and were falling victims too hallucinations and seizures. During this time there was a bunch of hysteria, people assumed the girls were afflicted by witchcraft, and soon it turned into a prosecution, and everyone was blaming everyone for practicing witchcraft. In Salem, fear …show more content…

Parris is the minister of Salem’s church. Parris is not well-liked in Salem and he is the uncle of Abigail Williams, who is the reason all of this witchcraft nonsense broke out in the first place. “How can it be the Devil? Why would he choose my house to strike? We have all manner of licentious people in the village!” (Miller 39). Parris is in fear, he doesn’t understand why the Devil chose his house to strike, to possess his children. This is going to make the town of Salem really look down on Parris, as it is people already do not like Parris. His children are being caught for being involved in witchcraft and getting in touch with the Devil. Parris has to be able to prove that his children are not involved with witchcraft or his whole world will go down. This quote shows fear over reason, Parris is more focused on telling everyone it wasn’t his kids that were involved and trying to convince people not to speak of the word witchcraft, as if it was bad luck. Parris has no reasons, proof, or evidence to show that the people under his roof were not involved in witchcraft. So, Parris has to play everything based on his fear speaking for

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Leiffer 1 Jake Leiffer Mrs. Faulkner English 11 Honors October 3, 2014 Hysteria In Salem In Salem things are getting crazy. Hysteria is going around like a disease, but not from witchcraft. In The Crucible several accusations have taken place taking the lives of many due to hysteria. Hysteria is being spread through three different things.

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He joins the mob and follows the others to protect his own reputation. If he would lose his reputation, people would think of him as a worse pastor than he already is. Also, if there is witchcraft in his household, he will lose his position of being the reverend of Salem. Parris becomes mad and accuses Abigail of compromising his character in this passage: “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. I have given you a home, child.

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Parris is an odd character, a minister who is the slimiest snake of them all, because he lives simply to satisfy his needs. The play makes him partake in nothing but evil, even in the end when he wishes to, “Postpone these hangin’s for a time” (Miller 127). He had wanted the hangings for a time, but he then realized hanging respectable people like Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor will cause the town to revolt. He takes many evil actions later on as well. No one’s evil intentions are repeated in the play as much as Parris, because it the play here is proving the theme that only the informed can be righteously judged, and Parris is a minister as well as witness of whatever happened in the forest, completely contrasting with the foolish but seemingly innocent

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He is called to Salem due to his expertise in witchcraft, being described as having “much experience in all demonic arts”, (1.193) and is therefore a credible figure. Unlike Reverend Parris, he is generally well-liked by the population of the town. Due to his and Reverend Parris’ contrasting images, he is perceived as far more charismatic and capable in carrying out religious duties. Because of the power given to him, he is faced with large decisions. Initially, he followed the court and signed the death warrants of countless individuals, expressing that “There is too much evidence now to deny it” (2.471-472).

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The Salem witch trials proved to be one of the most cruel and fear driven events to ever occur in history. Many innocent people were accused of witchcraft, and while some got out of the situation alive not everyone was as lucky. Arthur Miller the author of The Crucible conveys this horrific event in his book and demonstrates what fear can lead people to do. But the reason as to why Arthur Miller felt the need to write The Crucible in the first place was because the unfortunate reality that history seemed to have repeated itself again. In the article “Are You Now or Were You Ever”, Arthur Miller claims that the McCarthy era and the Salem witch trials were similar and he does this through his choice of diction, figurative language, and rhetorical questions.

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“Long-held hatred of neighbors could now be openly expressed and vengeance taken, despite the Bible’s charitable injunctions” (Miller, pg 1129). This quote perfectly explains the Salem Witch Trials and what went through Abigail and the girls heads when they accused innocent people of bewitching them. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is about the small village of Salem and the mass hysteria that was caused by young girls. Innocent people were hung and thrown in jail because they accused these people of bewitching them. The judges, Abigail, Tituba, and the girls are to blame for the Salem Witch Trials because the girls lied and the judges only relied on what these girls said for their evidence but Hale, a minister, was obligated to believe the girls

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Reverend Parris’s need for a good reputation had an impact of the tragic ending in Salem. An example of Reverend Parris’s desire of good reputation shows when he makes the claim “I am certain there be no element of witchcraft here”(Miller 14). Although he knows Abigail might be involved in witchcraft he is arguing against it so that no one will suspect that he is connected to witchcraft in any way. He doesn’t want his reputation in the town to be ruined. Reverend Parris drills Abigail about what the girls were doing in the forest because it reflects on him.

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On March 27th, 1692 Parris said “Occasioned by dreadfull Witchcraft broke out here a few weeks past, & one Member of this Church, & another of Salem upon publick examination by Civil Authority vehemently suspected for Shee-Witches, & upon it Committed”. His position in the town gave him many advantages. One was that he had the ability to easily accuse his enemies, or outsiders in the town. And could also easily gather the town. It wasn’t just Parris who accused witches, his niece Abigail Williams did

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Reverend Parris was in a position of power as the town 's spiritual leader, but he was insecure about his authority. He was willing to say and do whatever it takes to retain control. He was obsessed with maintaining his power because he wasn’t brave enough. We knew that Parris was consistently preaching hellfire before the incident of the girls practicing witchcraft in the forest. He demanded more money and acted as if he deserved more.

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Reverend Parris was the uncle of Abigail Williams and all he wanted was to have a good reputation in the community. At the start of the Crucible the girls were dancing around a fire in the woods in the middle of the night which was perceived as conjuring spirits during the salem witch trials times. Reverend Parris was in the woods and saw the ceremony going on and when the girls got caught they scattered around. Normally that would be reported immediately and the punishment to the girls would be getting whipped. To keep his reputation reverend Parris kept it to himself until the very end of the movie when he reluctantly told governor Danforth because reverend Hale and John Proctor brought it up.

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He understood that the spectacle would raise suspicion of witchcraft among the people of Salem, and he would be implicated. He eventually took advantage of the situation to protect his position and punish a faction in the community that he suspected actively opposed him. Parris seemed glad when the girls started mentioning people they saw with the devil because it distanced his family from the situation. The focus was redirected at those who were mentioned by the girls. Parris can be blamed for setting a tone for his daughter and the people that will make them hysterical; As well as trying to point the finger at other people, to make sure no one blames him for what is going on.

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540 Words | 3 Pages

Parris is a very self-centered man and is very embedded in his place in the community. He is a preacher for the church of Salem and his niece and daughter have been “bewitched” or so he thinks. Parris believes what he does is just and that no one should oppose him. This is also why he refuses to let news about his niece and daughter get out, he doesn’t want people to overthrow his position. Parris is a static character due to his nature of unchanging personality wise throughout the crucible, he is always self-centered.

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431 Words | 2 Pages

(Act I. line 158-167). In the begging of the book Parris stand before his daughter’s bed and talk to Abigail what happened in the wood. At first we will think he is a good father who worried about his daughter, but then throughout his sentences we know he is just care about his position as a minister. “You people seem not to comprehend that a minister is the Lord’s man in the Parish; a minister is not to be so lightly crossed and contradicted—”(Act I. line 823-827). Parris's repeated demonstrations of exceedingly selfish behavior don't help him.

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1078 Words | 5 Pages

The Puritan belief system is like poison. It slowly destroyed and killed the Puritan society; making it suffer immensely. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based around 1692, in Salem Massachusetts. It’s about a girl named Abigail and her friends who are caught doing witchcraft (dancing) in the woods. Two girls become stuck in a coma like state; later to wake up after a few days.

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Parris is also a very selfish man who is only worried about staying minister and trying to make himself have a luxurious life style. He show how selfish he is by saying” The cause is yet unknown. I have had enough contention since i came; I want no more. ”(Miller, 174). He show himself as being selfish in this line because he doesn't worry about there being a witch in salem, he is only worried about keeping his job as minister.

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