During the late 1940’s and early 2950’s the fear of communism spread through America like wildfire. Investigations took place and the outcome was based on a few people with authority. The judge or investigator decided the future of these suspects. Many people went to jail or had their lives destroyed based on little evidence. The Red Scare was very similar to the Salem Witch Trials in the1690’s. These trials were bizarre and caused many innocent people to be executed. These trials were represented in the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller. The people in the town that had authoriy decided who was guilty of witchcraft. The leaders with power sometimes did not have the same intentions or agreed on some trials. In the play Reverend Hale, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Parris use their authority in different ways during the Salem the way they want it: Reverend Hale is more empathetic, Danforth is a rule follower, and Reverend Parris is self-serving when using power.
Reverend Hale used his authority in a very empathetic way. Reverend Hale was a character in the play that used his authority to help the community as a whole against witchcraft. He tried his best to make sure that true witches were put to death. He felt empathy towards the people …show more content…
They all use their power and influence to create a Salem that reflects their vision. Reverend Hale wants a society that is a happy and content community. Judge Danforth wants all people that are suspected to be witches to go on trial and does not care about how this affects Salem. Reverend Parris wants all things that happen in Salem to have a good reflection on himself. The actions and motivations of these three individuals clearly affected the outcome of the Salem Witch