Human Motivation in the Crucible. Abigail, Thomas Putnam, and Reverend Parris are among those who take advantage of the witch trials and each of them has underlying reasons for their action in the play.

Thomas Putnam, a wealthy and influential figure, also plays a major role in the witch hunts. His greed for land explains why he is behind most of the accusations. Even though he has inherited a large amount of land from his grandfather, Putnam is always seeking ways to increase his personal wealth. It is no surprise that those he accuses are always landowners or farmers, and this is because their land would be seized if they were to hang. Putnam knows that he is the only person in Salem wealthy enough to purchase these lands, and goes even as far as to make his daughter witness to the fabricated crimes of his neighbors. Giles Corey sees through Putnam and at court, yells out from the crowd, “Thomas Putnam is reaching out for land!” (78) When George Jacobs lands in jail, he formally accuses Thomas Putnam and claims, “If Jacobs hangs for a witch he forfeit up his property - that's law! And there is none but Putnam with the coin to buy so great a piece. This man is killing his neighbor for their land!” (96) Thomas Putnam values his lands and assets more than he should and it is this greed of his that leads to the loss of innocent lives.

        Parris, on the other hand, never accuses anyone of witchcraft and yet he is arguably the most selfish and self absorbed character in the play. His motivations include greed and maintaining his reputation or self-image.  Parris is attached to the material side of life. He demands more salary, and tells Giles Corey “you will look far for a man of my kind at sixty pound a year!” (28)  He even preaches about golden candle sticks for twenty weeks until he has them. At the beginning of the play, he denies Abigail’s involvement in witchcraft, even though he is witness to the girls dancing in the forest. Parris does this because he does not want any link to witchcraft whatsoever, fearing he will be chastised by the community, especially the faction he thinks are against him. Parris ends up supporting the witch trials eventually because he realizes they are inevitable and opposing them would bring down his image. He also supports the trials to rid the blame of witchcraft from Abigail, as well as to bring down his opponents in order to maintain his public standing. Later on in the play he becomes concerned with the hanging of innocent people, but only because it causes distress for his own safety. He cries out to Danforth, “You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me!” (119) Parris has enough authority to prevent the witch trials but chooses to protect his self-image instead.

        Selfish motivations and desires have a negative impact on Salem. Abigail Williams, Thomas Putnam, and Parris each has motivations that contribute to the outbreak of hysteria.  Abigail lusts for a married man, Putnam seeks more land, and Parris strives to maintain his reputation. Their drive to achieve these goals greatly explains their involvement in the witch trials and how it leads to a cataclysmic turn of events. Human motivation in The Crucible, as demonstrated above, is a destructive force that accelerates the downfall of Salem.