The Putnam family was one of the strongest influential forces behind the accusations. Author Anastasia Karson, described the Putnam family as “strait-laced and self righteous, the family placed themselves at the forefront of the social and political circles of the village.” They had positions as Village Committeemen, deacons, and church elders (Carlson). Their positions gave them lots of political power, which enabled them to accuse people without being doubted. The family started to abuse their power by accusing the people that they did not get along with (Wallenfeldt).
As a result, the Putnams and their allies wanted to split a large portion of land from Salem Town called “Salem Village”, where the original Puritanism was preserved and free from contamination of merchant life. However, the leaders of Salem Town did not want such a large chunk of land and a large source of tax revenues secede from the Town. Later on though, the grandson of John Putnam, Thomas Putnam Jr, was of the generation that did not do so well economically. After the death of Thomas Jr’s mother (Thomas Sr’s wife), Thomas Sr remarried a woman named Mary Veren, the widow of a ship captain. Together, Thomas Sr bore a son with Mary named Joseph, and when Thomas Sr died, Mary and Joseph got his vast inheritance, not Thomas Jr.
parsonage. Even though the oppressed girls were among the main accusers during the trials, many historiographers believe the deranged girls parents, particularly Thomas Putnam and Reverend Samuel Parris, were inciting the situation with the girls and purposely influencing them to accuse certain people in the community they were not particularly fond of, to gain revenge or just out of spite. Cotton Mather was the minister of the Salem church, and truly believed in witchcraft. He had decided to investigate the unusual behavior of the children who belonged to John Goodwin, a Mason.
In the book “The Crucible” John Proctor and Thomas Putnam have many similarities but also have many differences. Proctor is a moral man who is very high minded while Putman is a very wealthy and influential landowner, both of these men play a major role in the Salem witch trials. They both possess a desire for power and influence. These men are both very respected in the town. Proctor and Putnam provide a certain level of ruthlessness in their pursuit of their life.
Putnam claims that “There is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark. Let your enemies make of it what they will, you cannot blink it more” (16). Putnam is yet another powerful male figure in Salem Betty has taken a grip over in the town. He, in this quote, truly believes that the devil is among the town of Salem based on Betty’s current condition. Reverend Hale, encouraging Tituba to give more names of witches, tells her to look at Betty’s “god- given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her; Tituba; the Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of a pure lamb.
“Qu 'est-ce que le tiers état”/ “What Is the Third Estate” by Emmanuel-Joseph Sieyes was one of the French Revolution’s most momentous and prominent political texts, shaping the course of events in 1789. It is a pamphlet structured around three hypothetical questions and Sieyes responses. These questions are: What is the third estate? Everything.
Putnam is a wealthy land owner who is always blaming others for witchcraft, so he can acquire their land for cheap. The truth cannot be hidden for long; since Giles Corey a well known and respected farmer of Salem knew the truth about Putnam while he was trying to save his wife in court for witchcraft. Apparently Giles never spoke of a name in order to support his claim about Putnam. At the beginning of Act three Giles says “I have evidence for the court!… Thomas Putnam is out for land!”(84).
The Reverend made sure to point out that he is a “Harvard graduate,” which is rare because education was not as common in the 1600s as it is it today’s time. Parris also said that, “[w]e can not leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house” (14) which proves that he cares more about his standing with the public and that he is egotistical because he is only worried about this than the health of his own
One of the largest farming families in Salem, The Putnams, felt that Salem Town had abandoned the Puritan’s original beliefs. Since the Putnam family owned so much farmland, they were the main ones pushing for separation from Salem Town. The Putnam family lived a simple and traditional Puritan lifestyle and they truly believed in the value of community working together over trying to make oneself rich. The Putnams seeing, how Salem Town clashed with their own values, created a unique congregation separate from Salem Town. What seemed like a great idea at first, presented many issues because the congregation only represented a select fraction of of the church.
To begin, in Salem fight about land ownership. One example of greed is when Giles Corey states that Thomas Putnam of accusing his neighbors of witchcraft: “This man is killing his neighbors for their land!” (Miller 96) Thomas Putnam disputes land boundaries with John Proctor: “What anarchy is this? This tract is my bounds, it’s in my bounds, Mr. Proctor.”
A stain in one’s name is a serious dishonor. Rumors, as well as wrongful actions, affect how the world sees us and how we see the world. Thus human beings are victims of their own reputation. To avoid this, one tends to use pride as a shield. However, instead of protecting us, pride hurts us even more by impeding us from solving our issues.
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.
Thomas Putnam is a well-known citizen in Salem. He is the husband of Mrs. Ann Putnam who had given birth to 8 children, but only 1 survived. He is also a prosperous landowner in Salem. He is a selfish and very self-centered man who accused people for witchcraft when they are actually innocent. Because Thomas is such a thoughtless person, he punishes people in his own way.
The Devil, a figure usually associated with fear, death, and sickness is placed within this play as an influential “character” based on his spiteful reputation. His name alone, when spoken, fills any room in Salem with terror and uncertainty. Especially in such a puritan society, such as Salem, the Devil is recognized as a malicious creature who is behind the “Witchcraft” and “sickness” taking place. As Mr. and Mrs. Putnam attempt to jump to conclusion that “there are hurtful, vengeful spirits layin hands on these children”(15), Mrs. Putnam justifies the
The novel displays many decisions made by the people, in which, they are aware that one must be with the court or they are against it. Members of the community know they cannot sneak by interrogations without fully believing in the court or else they will be hanged for witchcraft. Putnam states, "there is a murdering witch among us, bound to keep herself in the dark" (Miller 16), but perhaps the real murderers are right in front of the people the whole time, calling themselves a
