John Proctor's Greed In The Crucible

Throughout Act I of The Crucible, Reverend Parris’s selfishness and Abigail’s manipulation becomes apparent. Giles Corey and Parris get into an argument about Parris’s income before Reverend Hale arrives. In this argument, it is revealed that Parris demanded the deed for his house. Traditionally, the minister does not own his house, but Parris wanted the wealth associated with owning land. Reverend Parris also demonstrates his self-serving mentality when questioning Abigail. Parris explains, “Now then, in the midst of such disruption, my own household is discovered to be the very center of some obscene practice. Abominations are done in the forest-”. Instead of worrying about Betty’s health, he cares about his reputation and employment.

Parris refuses to even acknowledge the fact that he saw the girls dancing naked in the forest, cutting straight to the importance of his person in the community. This lack of understanding the girls and their outcry for attention, although common for this time period, continues to speak for who Parris was as a man. He did not care for the well being of others, would simply preach in his own way, regardless of traditional methods, and disregarded any issue unless it directly pertained to his status. Later in the same act of the play, Proctor’s righteousness is under question for his lack of attendance at church, which he blames upon Parris, simply stating that, “There are many others who stay away from church these days because you hardly ever mention God anymore” (Act

Reverend Samuel Parris is a prime example of a character that uses self-preservation throughout the play to maintain his high position in society.

Another thing Miller illustrates, through the character of Parris, is that trying to keep a good reputation will make one focus mainly on themselves, making them less empathetic and blind to the struggles of others. Parris is not the only one guilty of this though. In a piece titled “Reputation of The Crucible” it says, “John Proctor and Parris both were very concerned that their reputation was at stake in many different instances in this play The Crucible” (Reputation of the Crucible). Our reputations, like the image of the characters John Proctor and Parris, are always at stake and it is important to be careful not to do things that will interfere with our status. Though not the only one, Parris is a major offender of letting his image and his reputation cloud his judgement and even get in the way of his duties as a father. The piece later states, “When the play first begins, Parris fears that Abigail, his niece, is convicted of being a witch because of her intolerable actions, and the witchcraft that associates with his daughter’s coma will cause much chaos and bring down his power as a Reverend in Salem. Parris feels that power and reputation is the most important thing to him as a

John Proctor and Reverend Hale are similar characters in the way they are very prideful people and start doubting the authority of others as the events unfold throughout the play. John Proctor is a very prideful character who values his reputation. He believes he is above others in the way he mocks Reverend Parris, after Parris says there is a faction against him he says “Why, then I must find it and join it” (Miller, Act I, 31). Proctor sarcastic statement shows how he believes he can mock others and show authority over Parris.

The most hypocritical person in The Crucible is Reverend Parris, the town’s minister. Although he should be a beacon of light and grace, Parris preaches about hell and barely mentions about the forgiveness of god. Parris is extremely hypocritical, he is greedy and wants more money because he went to Harvard and believes he is above and more educated than everyone. “The salary is 66 pound, Mr. Proctor! I am not some preaching farmer with a book under my arm; I am a graduate of Harvard College.” – Parris. He only cares about his reputation. “But if you trafficked with sprits in the forest I must know, for surely my enemies will and they will ruin me with it’ – Parris. Parris’s hypocrisy shows the audience what kind of a character he truly is, it reveals his internalizing role.

The primary dramatic focus in the play The Crucible is the moral struggle of its protagonist, John Proctor. Certain characteristics of John Proctor's character and also the environment of the Puritanical Salem alleviated this problem for him. The main issues running through out the play are a series of dilemmas that John Proctor faces. The first and foremost of these is his guilt over his adulterous affair with Abigail Williams, the second his hesitation to testify against Abigail to bring out the truth and the third, his final decision to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Samuel Parris and John Hale are the two ministers in The Crucible and were initially alike in their attitudes towards witchcraft. However, their personalities show some striking dissimilarities. Unlike Hale, Reverend Parris is characterized by extreme paranoia and egotism. He is very static- his traits and motives remain consistent from the beginning to the end of the play. Although a religious man and believer in witchcraft like Parris, Hale values human life and is motivated by personal beliefs and his sense of morality, disregarding his best interests. He is a very dynamic character, becoming progressively less confident and trusting of law and doctrine as his faith is tested throughout the ordeal.

For the majority of the play, Proctor and Parris are often in conflict, either regarding their beliefs or actions. This is best shown near the end of the play when the characters take opposing sides on the court and the witch hunt. Proctor believes that the court is a fraud, and although he is eventually sentenced to death, he states that “You have made your magic now, for now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor” (Miller 144). By making this statement to the court, he is showing that he has come to terms with who he is, and can see some good in himself by doing so. This is very different from how Proctor acted early in the play, attempting to fix everything that his affair had broken in his life without success, showing how he has grown as a character and understood his mistakes in life. In contrast, the play wraps itself up by including the statement, “Not long after the fever died, Parris was voted from office, walked out on the highroad, and was never heard from again.” (Miller 146). Throughout the play, Parris would often act out of his self interests and the betterment of himself, and continued acting the same way even after he joined the court. Supporting the idea of his self-interests, the stage directions describing Parris’ dialogue at the end of

“There is a fraction sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand?” these words ‘do you understand’ give off the impression that Parris is trying to convince himself of this fact rather than explain it to Abigail. It also shows why Parris wants revenge, as it explains that some of the villagers literally do not like him. The individual on the other hand who Parris seeks his settling of scores with is John Proctor, as he does not respect Parris as a reverend. Parris’s dislike towards Proctor clearly is empathised in act three, which is set in the courtroom. Made known by Parris’s subtle comments about Proctor, such like “Beware this man, your Excellency, this man is mischief” and “He’s come to overthrow the court, your Honour.” Both these comments convey the idea that Parris is strongly trying to get his thoughts about Proctor across. This proposal shows through the words ‘Excellency’ and ‘Honour’ that Parris is trying to get the attention of Judge Hathorne as he directs theses comments straight to him. Parris’s revenge towards Proctor is clear once he expresses that John is not a good Christian, as he does not attain church regularly. This observation, which Parris has made, is one of the main reasons to why Parris reacts to Proctor in the ways he does. This revenge is not as strong as Abigail’s and Proctor’s, although it is

Parris displays mistakes that you should not make in, The Crucible. A mistake that he made that we should try and avoid is having a egotistical attitude. Parris developed a egotistical attitude and it made the whole village dislike him. Another mistake you should try and avoid is being selfish. Parris was selfish when he asked for more money and firewood. If you act selfish then you can destroy relationships and make your friend believe he is not good enough for you. That last mistake that you should try and avoid is being a liar. Parris lied about a number of things and it made no one trust what he said. Overall, Parris was a very bad person in The Crucible, and should be blamed for his

Furthermore, in Act II, it is revealed that John Proctor attended mass scarcely because he hated Reverend Parris so much. His materialism (as proven with the gold candlesticks) was something that greatly bothered the town of Salem. In Act IV, Reverend Parris is humbled. Having been robbed by Abigail and her friend, Mercy Lewis, he is almost penniless, and thereby modest and sorrowful. He does not talk with the same biting command as he used to.

Reverend Parris is often seen as one of the most greedy characters within The Crucible. An example of this can be seen in a discussion about payment, where Parris announces, “Mr. Corey, you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year! I am not used to this poverty; I left a thrifty business in the Barbados to serve the Lord. I do not fathom it, why am I persecuted here?” (Miller 841). Here, Parris exhibits one of the most common forms of greed. Parris is complaining about his pay, and demanding more in order to be properly paid. Reverend Parris is thinking about his salary while his daughter is unconscious and believed to be under the power of witchcraft. Parris lets his greed take priority above his daughter. I cannot think of any reason that a father would put money ahead of his unconscious daughter. While it is the first example of greed in the play, it is certainly not the only example of a greed of possession.

The next example of hypocrisy in The Crucible is Reverend Parris’s character. He is the spiritual leader of Salem, yet Arthur Miller characterizes him as being very greedy and selfish. He only desires money and a high status within the community.

Some characters in “The Crucible” include Abigail, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor. In order to understand the main conflict of the play, one must understand each character’s motivation and weaknesses. Reverend Parris is the preacher of Salem, and holds himself accountable for directing the people of Salem to God. Parris, however, is deeply insecure about his position in the town, which later on causes many of his actions to be rooted from insecurity. He is afraid of losing his job as minister, and encourages a fear of God. Abigail, who is