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The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in 1953 is a tale of revenge betrayal, and redemption set in 1692. Throughout the play, Parris plays an integral role in the injustice that prevails. As a consequence, he is portrayed as a highly unsympathetic character. In act one, he is established by Miller to be unsympathetic through his selfish attitude towards his daughter and his niece, his open greed, and his cruel role in Tituba’s initial crying out. Miller uses dialogue and stage directions to convey this unsympathetic presentation to the audience. In act one, Miller portrayed Parris as an unloving and selfish father who is more interested in his reputation than his daughter’s health.
At the beginning of Act One, we can see Parris praying for her daughter. ‘Though we cannot hear his words, a sense of his confusion hangs about him.’ This gives an impression to the audience that Parris is a kind and sincere father by leading the audience to think he is worried about Betty’s health. Miller initially misleads the audience, giving them an initial impression of a good image of Parris through the staging of Parris ‘Kneeling beside the bed’ in ‘prayers’ beside his daughter’s ‘inert’ body. Soon we discover Parris's true personality, and selfish nature through his dialogue. ‘Just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character.’ From the conversation with his niece Abigail, you also learned that Parris is always emphasizing his reputation, he is afraid that Abigail’s bad reputation will affect his status in Salem. ‘...And yet it has troubled me that you are now seven months out of their house, and in all this time, no other family has ever called for you.’ The pronoun ‘me’ Parris has mentioned it again and again.
The word ‘trouble’ reflects that Parris does not care anything about Abigail. Here Miller enhances Parris’ self-interest and therefore increases our unsympathetic feeling toward him. As the act continues, Parris is also shown unsympathetically through his natural greed and defiance of the expectations the audience may have of the selfless nature of a reverend. Parris believes that ‘There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit.’ That is why he supports Abigail’s false testimonies. Proctor complains about Parris’s that he has golden candlesticks and the deed to his home. ‘Mr. Parris, you are the first minister ever did demand the deed to this house.’ This impresses the audience that Parris is so greedy as ‘the first one’ in Salem as a minister to ask for a deed. Through the conversation between Parris and Proctor, the audience may have an even stronger belief Parris is not a good minister of the selfless nature of a reverend. Parris responds to Proctor ‘Man’. Don’t a minister deserve a house to live in?’ Proctor criticized Parris ‘To live in, yes. But to ask ownership is like you shall own the meeting house itself.’ It enhances the audience to have a perception that Parris is a greedy minister. The word ‘an auction’ reflects that Parris can not perform the role of reverend properly as he always preaching to villagers for his interest. Parris states ‘There is either obedience or the church will burn like hell is burning.’ and proctor replies ‘Can you speak one minute without we hand in hell again? I am sick of hell.’ The phrase ‘one minute without hanging in hell’ The perception of Parris as a minister to the audience is negative. Parris preaches too many times about hell and damnation, instead of hope and forgiveness, he preaches too negatively.
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