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Essay on character analysis of all the characters of the crucible
The crucible and religion
Character analysis essay the crucible
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The year 1692, everything the Puritans have worked towards has finally come true. Even though they finally have a place to be free they are still under a someone’s rule. They are under the rule of their mind. The author of the The Crucible, Arthur MIller, wrote the lovely tale to illustrate the trials of Salem. . The Crucible tells the story of what happened to this little village as they dealt with the forces trying to tear them apart. These forces were people in the village. The people thought to be the sweetest soul were doing the foulest thing imaginable. the villagers look towards the town’s minister, but Reverend Parris was not the man they need. Reverend Parris was a greedy, power-hungry, and egotistical man who cared for no one but …show more content…
Reverend Parris runs the village with an iron fist. He makes sure everyone is dedicated to him by putting his demands off as the word of god like when he said “There is either obedience or the church will burn in Hell!” (152). He made it seem that you must follow all the things that he says or you will be damned to Hell for eternity. He even goes as far as to establishes punishment for not being in church. He seeks you out the next day, so he can punish you in front of everyone so that they know not to defy his power.He uses the fear of that he gives everyone in the village to rule them. When Parris said “ Abigail,I have fought here three long years to bend the 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” (144). He showed that he did not care for anyone in his community. Parris only cared for the power he had on the people of Salem. He thought himself to be over everyone else so that led to him being an egotistical …show more content…
He is the greediest man in Salem. He has demanded that he gets the deed to the church house and he request that he receive free firewood as payment with his salary. “Parris- Where is my wood? My contract provides I be supplied with all my firewood. I am waiting since November for a stick, and even in November I had to show my frostbitten hands like some London beggar! Giles- You are allowed six pound a year to buy your wood, Mr. Parris. Parris- I regard that six pound as part of my salary. I am paid little enough without I spend six pound on firewood” (152). Parris’s character in this part of the text is a greedy and vain. John Proctor is ashamed to have Parris as his minister. John feels that Parris is too materialistic to be a minister because he says “Proctor-. Mr. Parris, you are the first minister ever did demand the deed to this house— Parris. Man! Don’t a minister deserve a house to live in? Proctor. To live in, yes. But to ask ownership is like you shall own the meeting house itself; the last meeting I were at you spoke so long on deeds and mortgages I thought it were an auction” (152). Instead of accepting the generosity of the town in supplying him a nice place to live, Parris demands that he be given the deed of ownership to the house. He wants to change his legal position to one of greater material power. The quote shows that even though he is a minister, he cares more for the
In the beginning, Parris was selfish and didn’t believe in witches. Towards the end, he became more sympathetic and started to believe in witches. He once said “Then why can she not move herself since midnight? This child is desperate! It must come out-my enemies will bring it out. Let me know what you done there. Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies?”(Miller) When he said that he was complaining to Abigail, the girl that helped cause the witch trials to begin, that he didn’t believe that Beth was really ill, and was just Abigail trying to tarnish his reputation. Later on he stated “Now Mr. Hale’s returned, there is hope, I think - for if he bring even one of these to God, that confession surely damns the others in the public eye, and none may doubt more that they are all linked to Hell. This way, unconfessed and claiming innocence, doubts are multiplied, many honest people will weep for them, and our good purpose is lost in their tears.”(Miller) When he says that, he is arguing with Danforth about the trials and that too many of them have been convicted or accused. He is trying to save lives and he isn’t doing it to help himself. Parris has lost his selfishness and has become
The Crucible: Hysteria and Injustice Thesis Statement: The purpose is to educate and display to the reader the hysteria and injustice that can come from a group of people that thinks it's doing the "right" thing for society in relation to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I. Introduction: The play is based on the real life witch hunts that occurred in the late 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It shows the people's fear of what they felt was the Devil's work and shows how a small group of powerful people wrongly accused and killed many people out of this fear and ignorance.
Reverend Samuel Parris is one character from "The Crucible" who changed drastically throughout the course of the play. In the beginni...
Reverend Parris’ fear of losing his job provokes him to cry witch. Reverend Parris’ daughter feigns to be in a coma. When the doctor bade Susanna tell Reverend Parris that he “might look to unnatural things for the cause of it” (9), he denies that possibility because he fears that rumors of witchcraft under his roof would help his “many enemies” (10) to drive him from his pulpit. Later, by supporting the Salem witch trials, Reverend Parris secures his position in the church. When John Proctor brings a deposition to court signed by Mary Warren that calls Abigail and her girls’ frauds, Reverend Parris urgently tells Judge Danforth that “they’ve come to overthrow the court” (88). When Mary Warren cannot faint in court, Reverend Parris accuses her of being “a trick to blind the court” (107). After Abigail pretends that Mary Warren is attacking her, Reverend Parris spurs on the accusations by telling her to “cast the Devil out” (118). Reverend Parris fears that if Abigail becomes exposed he will be punished for supporting an illegitimate court procedure. When execution day arrives, Reverend Parris fears that the “rebellion in Andover” (127) over hangings will occur similarly in Salem. Reverend Parris pleads to Hathorne that “. . . it were another sort that we hanged till now . . . these people have great weight yet in the town” (127). Reverend Parris’ last attempt at preserv...
The love of power and for the law in Salem lead to the its downfall. Corruption of the courtroom is exemplified by Proctor and Giles Corey when they take a letter signed by 92 townsmen stating their wives were innocent of the charges. Deputy Danforth dismisses this quickly, showing corruption, he has no grace in the matter. Corruption of religion is demonstrated through Reverend Parris, a corrupt pastor in Salem who only cares for material objects, such as golden candlesticks. This is one of the reason why Proctor avoids attending church. Corruption of people occurs in various areas of the town. Danforth tells Proctor “Courage man, courage-let not her witness your good example that she may come to God herself. Now hear it, Goody Nurse! Say on, Mr. Proctor. Did you bind yourself to the Devil’s service?” (Miller 128). Proctor agrees with Danforth’s statement, but not in the way the people assume. The Devil reveals himself within Abigail, and Proctor binds himself to her during their affair. Lucifer corrupts Abigail and eventually takes down a monumental portion of Salem. The bigotry of the town led it down a larger road that was destined for
Parris and Danforth prioritize their reputations over John Proctor’s actual life. Hale does not care about his good name, but about the lives of the people in Salem and his guilt for partaking in the trials. Like Proctor, Parris, Hale, and Danforth are extremely flawed men. They all make unrighteous decisions that can be selfish. Unlike Proctor, though, these men place their own needs above the needs of the community. John Proctor has lived in Salem all his life and cares for the town and its citizens, whereas Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and Danforth are all outsiders to the town. They place themselves above the well-beings of the townspeople for the reason that they do not care if Salem is to be destroyed. Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale, and Deputy Governor Danforth’s yearn of John Proctor’s confession represents they only care for their own self-interests and not about what his confession could do for the town of
Reverend Parris became a minister because he regarded himself to be holy and was blessed by God
In a period where it is expected that all moral and upstanding residents should attend church, he is frequently absent, quick to lash out his disapproval saying, “I have trouble enough without I come five mile to hear him preach only hellfire and bloody damnation. Take it to heart, Mr. Parris. There are many others who stay away from church these days because you hardly ever mention God any more” (152). While this renders him a controversial figure, many are grateful that he is willing to express the sentiments that most do not have the courage to admit. Proctor prides himself on living a noble life, but he finds himself lonely and trapped in a loveless marriage with his wife, Elizabeth. In a period of weakness, he forsakes both his values and the vows he made when he enters into an adulterous relationship with his servant, Abigail Williams. When the affair is over and he has confessed his sin to Elizabeth, Proctor thinks it best to hide his transgression from the rest of the town, pretending it never happened. As a result, he finds himself miserable and withdrawn, lacking the capacity to forgive himself. He is tormented with the belief that his affair has caused him irreparable damage in God’s eyes. For months, John works to regain his wife’s trust, but their relationship becomes more strained and
Reverend Parris is a mean somewhat old man who only believes in his way and no one else's, he seems to be a very greedy, old sad man as his wife has died and is only left with his 10 year old daughter. He is also very strict with everything as he believes that children should always act proper.
Throughout the entirety of the play, Reverend Parris was a perplexed man. As the play moved along, he grew more introverted and we see his paranoia grow larger. He was also blaming every other person for every little mishap in Salem for his own benefit. Reverend Parris was a man of many different traits and as the play moves along these ever changing qualities are easily seen. From Act 1 to Act 4 in The Crucible, Reverend Parris, a timid pastor, transforms from a confused man trying to conceal his identity to the towns “gossiper)” to have his name remain unimpeachable.
Arthur Miller's, The Crucible , is the role that hysteria and how it can use its deathly blade to slowly destroy a community or even a country. In The Crucible, Act I and II the audience begins to witness the extremist in religion, rebellion and hysteria of the Puritans. This act reveals how isolation, religious extremist and the abuse of power transformed men and women into demons and those accused and sentenced into victims while introducing the themes of deception, greed, possession, and not the hunt for witches but the hunt or quest for power. Miller reminds the readers about the Puritan community during the period in Salem Massachusetts in 1692. This community believed that physical labor and work and the rigid following of the religious doctrine was a sign of each person’s faithfulness and loyalty to God in addition to their integrity as a person. Any deviation from these principles could lead into one being accused of as unrighteous and any sickness or illness that enabled a person to carry
The minister, Reverend Parris, is an excellent example of greed. Reverend Parris says, “Man don’t a minister deserve a house to live in” (Miller 1250). Reverend Parris is the minister of Salem and should be happy and satisfied with what he has. However, he is describing how he believes that because he is the minister, he should have a better house to live in. Reverend Parris also shows another example of greed in the play by saying, “I am paid little enough without I spend six pound on firewood” (Miller 1250). In this quote, the Reverend is complaining about how little he is paid for being the town minister. Again, he thinks that he should get the firewood without paying for it because of who he is. Reverend Par...
The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. It talks of McCarthyism that happened in the late 1600’s whereby the general public and people like Arthur Miller were tried and persecuted. The Crucible exemplifies persecutions during the Salem Witch Trials. The people were convicted and hung without any tangible proof of committing any crime. Persecutions were the order of the day. When a finger was pointed at any individual as a witch, the Deputy Governor Danforth never looked for evidence against them or evidence that incriminated them; he ordered them to be hanged. This can be seen through his words “Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for those, weeps for corruption!” (1273), the people were persecuted aimlessly. The four main characters in the play, John Proctor, Abigail Adams, Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, are caught in the middle of the witchcraft panic in the religious Salem, Massachusetts in late 1690’s. Persecution is the most important theme in the Crucible, the leaders and citizens of Salem attacks and persecutes one of their own without any tangible evidence against them.
Parris: "Aye, a dress. And I thought I saw – someone naked running through the trees.” The play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller had very many themes in it. Some of these themes stood out more then others. These themes would be hysteria, reputation, and hypocrisy. These themes were present throughout the entire play, from the beginning till the end. When you think of a Puritan religion you may think of a very good, morally perfect society. This wasn’t the case in Salem, Massachusetts. It was actually the opposite in the play, there was lying, cheating, stealing and just about everything else you wouldn’t want in your society.
Puritans, whether they are Presbyterians or Congregationalists, believe in the thought of predestination and Reverend Parris was an example of a priest who encouraged this belief in his church. Although it was not spoken directly, Parris refused to believe that witchcraft was the cause of the deaths of babies. Parris knew that “all features of salvation were determined by God” (Campbell). To Puritans, everyone was “innately sinful” because of the “original sin of Adam and Eve” (Heyrman). This gave Parris a reason to keep the thoughts of witchcraft affecting people to a minimum, until later in the play. Even when witchcraft was in question, to the Puritans, there was always a way to “go to God for the cause” (Miller 29). In their eyes, there are “certain ideas … emotions and actions” (Miller 35) that God puts in their minds. Reverend Parris is believed to have “the light of God” (Miller 69), which would mean that he was most likely the messenger. He would tell the townspeople of revelation and help them down the path that God created for them before they were born. This could explain why some of the townspeop...