The Crucible: Abuse of Authority

A detailed Summary of The Crucible: Abuse of Authority

Authority is not created by the authority figure, nor given to him by God. Rather, authority is given to him by the people of his society. The abuse of authority can lead to difficult times for those who do not have power. In the town of Salem, authority is vital to virtue. Those who lack authority also lack innocence. During the hysteria of the Salem witch trial, there are three voices of authority, Reverend John Hale, Judge Danforth, and Reverend Parris.

John Hale is the first voice of authority in the witch trials. Hale's authority does not come from his clerical position, but from his ability to determine who is and who is not a witch. The reader gets an immediate insight into Hale's views on authority when Parris comments on how heavy his books are. Hale replies to Parris's observation, "They must be; they are weighted with authority" (36). This comment shows that the written word is an important authoritative voice in the society of Salem. People should not question the righteousness of the written word, whether it is in a book or written as the law. Hale has a strong belief that the court knows what is best because of the enormous authority it has behind it. When Rebecca Nurse has been arrested for witchcraft, Hale, belie

Reverend Parris, the third voice of authority during the witch trials, is the voice of authority of the church. He is a man primarily concerned about himself and people's respect for him has a minister. Going against the church would be an attack on his personal authority, which is the same way Danforth feels about the court and his authority. Arthur Miller's description of him best explains how he felt about his authority. "He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side. In a meeting he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door without first asking his permission" (3). Parris believes that the church is the authority of all the people in town, and, therefore, he should be the primary authoritative figure in town. He demands obedience from the town members because he is scared an uprising will occur. When Francis brings the document that states that the people had never seen "the accused" doing any sort of witchcraft, Parris says, "These people (who signed the document) should be summoned. Danforth looks up at him questioningly: For questioning... All innocent and Christian people are happy for the courts in Salem! These people are gloomy for it. To Danforth directly: And I think you will want to know, from each and every one of them, what discontents them with you" (93-94). Parris is scared that these people who disagree with the court will try to challenge the court's authority and, ultimately, the church's authority. At the end of the play Parris realizes that the trials have gone wrong when people like Rebecca Nurse are sentenced to death. He begs Danforth to postpone their hangings, but Danforth refuses. Although he realizes the trials have gon

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Approximate Word count = 1167
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English