Proctor reminds Parris that his salary is sixty-six pounds, including the six for firewood. Using his religious position and assuming that his contract provides be supplied with all firewood(Miller 27), Parris is met with constant opposition and wonders why he cannot offer one proposition but there be a howling riot of arguement (Miller 28). Parris is supposed to be a man of the Lord and live a simple life, but his materialistic demands on the community continue throughout the play. Proctor, a well-respected man in the community, is quick to point out that he dislikes Parris’ sermons because hardly even mention God any more (Miller 27). When challenged, especially by John Proctor, Parris resents this opposition and reminds others that Proctor does not attend church on a regular basis therefore, his opinion does not matter about reforms to the church. He is a weak man, obsessed with power and control, and throughout the play is only concerned with his reputation and money. Reverend Samuel Parris holds an important position of authority and places himself even higher than others in the community. Power and authority are the epitome of this Patriarchal Society where men control all: wives, children, servants, courts, and the church. Two minor characters, Samuel Parris and Thomas Putnam, aquire power one desperate to keep it and one hungers for more. It shows which characters have power and how power can overtake people causing them to abuse it for material gain, self preservation, or revenge. The play portrays power and how that power shifts among the characters. Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, explains the persecution of persons falsely accused of being witches in Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692. In a Puritan society, humans wanted to reform the Christian church and believed that the devil had servants that worked for him on Earth. Puritanism was a powerful religious, social, and political order in New England colonial life. Power doesn’t corrupt people, people corrupt power (William Gaddis).
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