Three Main Authority Characters In Arthur Miller's The Crucible

In The Crucible, there are three main authority figures; John Proctor, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Parris. The three of them have their own opinions about the law and have different motives to doing what they 're doing. Throughout the play, there are schemes and lies, especially within the authority figures of the village. Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth do not seem to have any previous problems with the law, until Act Three when Reverend Parris claims to not have seen the girls dancing in the woods to protect his family name. One may assume that John Proctor, however, has a few issues with following the rules, although he has good intentions. The Proctors do not go to church on Sundays because John can “see no light of God” (Act Two) in Reverend Parris. In this time, religion was a major part of villages and it was frowned upon to miss church without a valid reason. The Proctors have not been going to church in a while without a reason besides John’s personal feelings. Reverend Hale comes to talk to Mr. and Mrs. Proctor about their faith and witchcraft, because Elizabeth is accused of committing the crime. When John cannot recite all ten commandments, there is suspicion that God is not within the Proctor household, which leads back to Act Two. In Act Three, after Elizabeth is imprisoned, John Proctor falsely admits that he was a part of the witchcraft. Falsely accusing yourself or …show more content…
Reverend Parris is greedy and thinks highly of himself throughout most of the play, even though John Proctor calls him out on it. Judge Danforth believes that he cannot make a wrong decision because he is guided by God. Therefore, he does not pay close attention to the witchcraft trial which leads to many women of Salem to be hung. Judge Danforth and John Proctor were talking about the women being tried for witchcraft when Danforth