Fear, and its Power Over Salem
...d harm another party, for fear that they would turn against him and force him out of his job. Salem has not been very good at keeping a reverend for any period of time, this brought even more worry into his life because he knows how easily he could be removed from power by the will of only a few people. Parris also fears for one other thing, his daughter. However this fear is not out of love, but it is out of the fear that she may have been a victim of witchcraft and magic. This would cause the people go against him, knowing that the signs of the devil were discovered in a home which was said to be holly. If the people began to talk about witchcraft in his home he would surely be kicked out of Salem. Danforth, who is a lot like Parris, is also worried for his name and reputation. From the start, Danforth had entered Salem with a feeling of pride and high status. Throughout his stay in Salem, he realizes that many events have been threatening his authority, one of which are the witch trials. He is responsible for bringing out evidence as well as proving that there are in fact witches among them, and he has taken Abigail as his prime source. He soon realizes that he may have been greatly mistaken when innocent and pure hearted people are suddenly being accused of evil. On his own, he decides that no matter how many people protest against him, he cannot set anyone free of the accusation or death sentence without them making a confession over fear that the people will lose faith in him. If he had admitted to being mistaken in any of the trials, the people would begin to wonder whether he was right about any of the other trials and they may eventually decide to overthrow him and the court for his poor efforts. His biggest challenge was with Protctor. In order to protect his name, he decides to focus getting John Proctor to signing a confession. Although Danforth knows the confessions are all lies, if he can get Proctor to confess it will seem as a great victory for him in Salem. Danforth will come out like a hero for saving Proctor from the devil. Danforth’s pride and vision of himself eventually brought the downfall of innocent Rebecca Nurse and Giles Corry. Throughout the play, John Proctor had been in grief and worry over his sins. He had been very remorseful over his affair with Abigail, and he feared that this may one day come back to haunt him, which in fact it had. When the witch trials beg...