Reverend Parris In The Crucible

The preaching of “hellfire and bloody damnation” (Miller 27) by Reverend Parris, the minister in the town of Salem, informs the reader of what is in the minds of the townspeople. Parris is regarded as a powerful figure by the people of Salem village and he plays a major role in the impetus of “The Crucible by Arthur Miller.” He stumbles upon a few girls dancing around objects in the forest. Shortly after, his daughter, along with another girl, fall very ill. This sparks the idea of witchcraft and the many accusations that follow. Parris’ greedy, selfish, and authoritarian personality leads him away from being the man of god in town. A frequent characteristic of Mr. Parris is that he is a very greedy person. He is allotted a certain amount
In the very early stages of Act 1, Parris’ daughter Betty falls very ill and is unable to move. While she is lying in bed, Parris sends Susanna for Dr. Griggs and in his diagnosis he claims unnatural causes to be the culprit. Instead of feeling sorry for Betty, Parris says, “There will be no unnatural causes here.” (Miller 9) He then tells Susanna to go back to town and to not mention the discovery.
Parris is the reverend of Salem and by that title he holds influence among the people. The job of a reverend is to be the man of god for the people in Salem and preach about Christianity. Instead, Parris is using his power to be authoritarian. He believes “there is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning.” (Miller 28) This is showing that Parris believes if no one obeys him as he wishes, their church cannot continue to function. The highly religious people of Salem look up to Reverend Parris and listen to his words as the teachings of the bible. Some people begin to understand the true nature of Parris but most do not see his self-centered, hungry, and tyrannical identity under the cover of his