There are many contributing factors to the witch trials in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, and fingers are often pointed at specific characters, Reverend Parris and Thomas Putnam included. On the surface, Parris appears centrally involved, since he discovers and covers up the girls’ illicit behavior in the woods. However, his motive in this is his great concern about his reputation in the village. After all, he is their minister, and not well-liked at...
There are many contributing factors to the witch trials in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible, and fingers are often pointed at specific characters, Reverend Parris and Thomas Putnam included. On the surface, Parris appears centrally involved, since he discovers and covers up the girls’ illicit behavior in the woods. However, his motive in this is his great concern about his reputation in the village. After all, he is their minister, and not well-liked at that. His goal is to maintain his powerful and rather lucrative position. Admitting that Satan has permeated his village would certainly not improve his social standing. Proof can be seen in Act 1 when Thomas Putnam states, "There is a murdering witch among us." Parris pleads with him to drop it, insisting "They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house." In fact, Parris only invites Reverend Hale to Salem in hopes that the witch expert will disprove the presence of witches in Salem. Certainly we never see Parris accusing anyone of witchcraft, only protecting his own concerns.
Conversely, Thomas Putnam is the most actively involved adult in the witchcraft accusations, propelled by several motives. As the wealthiest man in Salem, he self-righteously feels he should be at the forefront of the accusations and trials. It is a position of power--plus, as accuser, he is less likely to become the accused. He also has a vendetta against both Frances Nurse and Reverend Parris. He feels that Mr. Nurse played a role in the rejection of his brother-in-law’s application for the minister of Salem position, which would have afforded Putnam additional importance in the village. Putnam has his revenge when his wife, Ann, accuses Frances Nurse’s upright wife, Rebecca, of witchcraft. They claim that as midwife to Ann’s eight children, Rebecca caused seven of them to die in infancy. Although power and revenge play a role, perhaps Thomas’ greatest motive is greed--specifically, greed for land. The people he accuses of being witches, such as his neighbor, George Jacobs, all have land that he conveniently begins to buy up. The only one Putnam is unable to accuse is Reverend Parris, since the Puritans believed that men of God were divinely protected against Satan. Ultimately, in the actual 1692 Salem witch trials, which Arthur Miller's play emulates, over 200 people were accused of witchcraft, 43 of them by Thomas Putnam, and 0 by Reverend Parris.
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