Monique Clay
Honors English II
Ms. Bambic
22 November 2011

Blinded Authority
Do authority figures have the sense of sight? Inspired by the McCarthy hearings of the 1950s, Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, focuses on the inconsistencies of the Salem witch trials and the extreme behavior that can result from dark desires and hidden agendas. In particular he focuses on the discovery of several young girls and a slave playing in the woods, conjuring spirits from the dead. Ironically, the girls avoided punishment by accusing others of the very things of which they were guilty. As the number of arrests increased, so did the distrust within the Salem community. In the play Reverend Parris and, Judge Danforth are blind by power and their own personal gain. But Reverend Hale is blinded by his inaccurate judgments and convictions about witchcraft in Salem. Being a steadfast authority leader does not mean you have your eyes open at all times.
Parris believes that the church is the authority of all people in the town. Since he is a Reverend, he considers himself an authoritative figure. He makes a comment that people are not following their obligations to the church. He thinks that if people do not live their lives as committed to the church, and according to what the church dictates, then they need to be questioned as to what their motives are. “Now look you, child, your punishment will come in its time. But if you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it” (1238). The characters in the play do not realize what Reverend Parris’ true motives are. He is a self-centered man, with one thing on his mind, himself. The audience all thinks he is an all-around godly man, but only one man sees his real inner person. That person is John Proctor; he has had ill feelings towards Parris and the way that