Reverend Parris Character Analysis In The Crucible

📌Category: Plays, The Crucible
📌Words: 427
📌Pages: 2
📌Published: 26 January 2022

To begin, in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Parris fights to keep authority and a good name as he fears losing it. This action first comes into the beginning of the play when Parris comes to realize that he has the ability to manipulate the people in his town to fear witchcraft, resulting in maintaining his authority. 

As Parris and Thomas Putnam are speaking, he says, “Thomas would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem, for such corruption in my house” (Miller 1.262-266). This quote reflects how he presses fearing witchcraft onto not only Putnam but many others. By expressing how he should resent witchcraft while mentioning his own hierarchy shows that he is going to manipulate people so that he can selfishly grasp onto his authority. In addition, while Parris is in the courtroom in act III, he shows anxiety over maintaining his ego and authority with defensiveness. 

Since Abigail is Parris’ niece, he believes that if the court gets her, he’ll be taken down too. This shows that he is fearful of anything bad said on his name, even if it wasn’t directly him being targeted. As a result, he defends Abigail for his own sake every chance he has. As Parris’ anxiety and anger continues to rise, he says “Excellency, she were under Tituba’s power at that time, but she is solemn now” (Miller 3.872-874). As previously stated, this quote shows how he will say whatever he needs so that nothing bad reflects on his name. Even if Abigail is not always the victim, he will always portray her as one in the courtroom. Parris defending Abigail at any chance he has will make him look better in the long run because he wants nothing bad on his name so that he can grasp his authority. 

Lastly, in act four Parris Parris shows how he’s trying to continue his authority while saving his own life. As Parris is still worried about having a good name he spoke to Danforth about postponing the witch trials and hanging to save himself. Parris says to him, “You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!” (Miller 4.300-303). At this point in the play, Parris has found a dagger that has fallen from against his door symbolizing a threat to his life which makes him fearful. He is also concerned that if such well-respected people like John Proctor and Rebecca Nurse are killed from the witchcraft trials the town will rescind against him and he may be killed himself. Ultimately, Parris’ main goal in act 4 was not only to keep authority but mainly to keep himself alive.

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