Character analysis of Reverend Parris in the play The Crucible

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Character analysis of Reverend Parris in the play “The Crucible

Reverend Samuel Parris (1652-1720)                    In the play...

BACKGROUND: He was born in London, England, the son of cloth merchant. When his father died in 1673, Samuel left Harvard to take up his inheritance in Barbados, where he maintained a sugar plantation and bought two Carib slaves to tend his household, one by the name of Tituba Indian and the other John Indian. In 1680, after a hurricane hit Barbados damaging much of his property, Parris sold a little of his land and returned to Boston. The slaves Tituba and John remained a part of his household. Although the plantation supported his merchant ventures, Parris was dissatisfied with his lack of financial security and began to look to the ministry. In July 1689, he became  of Salem Village (now ), Massachusetts. There was tension when he arrived because of him delaying his acceptance of the position, factionalism already present within the town, and his lack of ability for resolving his parishioner's disputes. There were also disputes over Samuel Parris' pay and once again, the town proved reluctant to pay their minister his due wages. This came to head in October 1691 in a town meeting where a portion of the town vowed to stop paying his wage. The issue was further antagonized by Parris' perceived arrogance when he purchased gold candlesticks for the meetinghouse and new vessels for the sacraments. In this atmosphere, serious conflict may have been inevitable.

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The events that led to the Salem witch trials began when his daughter Betty Parris, and her cousin Abigail Williams, accused the family's slave Tituba, and Sarah Good of witchcraft. In February 1692, Betty Parris began having "fits" that the doctor and other ministers could not explain. It soon spread to include her cousin, Abigail Williams, among others. The hysteria and trials lasted sixteen months, concluding in May 1693.

His church brought charges against him for his part in the trials, leading him to apologize for his error. However, despite the intense dislike of the villagers, Parris stayed on for ...

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