How Does Danforth Change Throughout The Crucible

His genuinely concern for Salem and his desire to save the town is what makes him a respected judge. Most government leaders want to help their communities or countries which was what Danforth and McCarthy set out to do. Danforth was an effective government leader, as he states he has been a judge for 23 years, he wouldn't have been a judge for so long if people had thought he was inadequate. Just like McCarthy wanted to rid America of communism, Judge Danforth wanted to rid Salem of the devil. Danforth truly believes that he is guided by God and for that reason he cannot falsely accuse someone. This will lead him to never question himself. In The Crucible Act III Danforth says, “I judge nothing… I have seen marvels in this court. I have seen people choked before my eyes by spirits; I have seen them stuck by pins and slashed by daggers. I have until this moment not the slightest reason to suspect that the children may be deceiving me.” This quote is showing that Danforth really thought the girls were being truthful, he thought what he was seeing was real and therefore he wasn't trying to wrongfully convict anyone. Danforth had come to Salem to help the community and had no other objective just as McCarthy had when he started trying to clear America of

Secondly, Judge Danforth’s irrationality and ignorance brings about poor decisions on his part. One of the instances where Danforth reveals his following attitude is when he denies to even look at a deposition presented by John Proctor as described by his words “ No, no, I accept no depositions” (Miller 88). John Proctor hands him a deposition signed by Mary warren, stating that

He likes to think of himself as fair-minded, but then turns around and accuses innocent people of being guilty. His actions show how gullible he truly is, and it is frustrating to others that he cannot see the truth. Even at the end of the story, he is too insulted and proud to admit that maybe he could be wrong; that would be too bad for his own reputation. Therefore, innocent people continue to die. For example, during the trial when John Proctor admits his affair with Abigail, Danforth says, “You deny every scrap and tittle of this?”.

In the Crucible written by Arthur Miller, he essentially talks about “courage, weakness, and truth.” Arthur Miller gives multiple scenarios when different characters have their time to shine and take the reader's attention. They’re multiple examples to prove this statement. For example would be when Thomas Putman stated, “he felt that his own name and the honor of his family had been smirched by the village, and he meant to right matters however he could.” In this specific quote he is very courageous to say something like this and take the law into his own hands.

Another lesson I learned from reading The Crucible, is to not abuse power. Abusing power is using power to an advantage in a bad way. Good leaders use their power to influence people in a positive way, while bad leaders use their power mainly for personal benefits. In the play, many of the characters with power abused it. They took complete control of situations influencing other characters to do bad things. One character from the book that abuses his power is Judge Danforth. Danforth ran all the trials for the witches , and was completely unfair. He made it basically impossible for an accused witch to be innocent. He also didn’t allow suspects to have lawyers or anyone give information that disagreed with him. He considered different opinions as “contempt of court”. When Mr. Nurse was clashing with Danforth over the issue, Danforth said, “do you know who I am, Mr. Nurse?”(Act lll, Scene l) This shows that Danforth has the cocky mindset that he is above everyone. Good leaders should be able to listen to critics. Danforth believed that everyone accused was a witch; so he didn’t even bother giving them a fair chance. Many people died under his signature. He used his power to contribute to the destruction of the town and many lives.

By making his decision based on his own application of the law, instead of based on religious expectations, Danforth is able to successfully separate “church” and “state”. The night before the hangings of Proctor and Rebecca Nurse are scheduled, Parris and Hale try to convince Danforth to delay the punishments:

The first character flaw I shall mention in this unique and amazing paper was Danforth's pride. He was a man who was greatly respected and someone who had been there and done the “witch-hunt” before. He honestly thought he was the best thing since sliced bread for lack of better terms. The story proved

In response to Francis’ comment about the girls being “fraud”, Danforth argues that “near to four

Danforth who is selfish and doesn't realize or care about surrounding.“I cannot pardon these when twelve have already hanged fro the same

Often individuals over dramatize their opinion to convey their attitude. Similarly, Danforth often acts extreme in his attempts to rid witchcraft from Salem when he says, “If retaliation is your fear, know this- I [Danforth] should hang ten thousand that dares to rise against the law” (Miller 129). Danforth displays demagoguery while he explains to Reverend Hale why the executions must happen on schedule because he appeals to Hale’s passionate fear of witchcraft. Danforth’s response to Hale works in the scene to further build the audience’s perception of Danforth as irritable and urgent, yet precise, and support his determination as Deputy Governor. However, Danforth’s determination often misguides his rationality. Furthermore, Danforth supports the thematic topic of law in The Crucible and helps the reader understand the severity of justice Miller conveys throughout the play. Danforth’s role develops the play by illustrating the stubbornness of authority in Salem during the witch trials.

In both The Crucible and “The Great Fear”, leaders, who had the chance to turn the hysteria around, misused their power and made the situation worse. In The Crucible, Danforth was the highest magistrate in the court of Salem. He gained power by signing his signature to hangings and sentences to jail. “And do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature? And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?” – Danforth (Miller 959). However,

The mass witch hysteria in Salem. Massachusetts, deteriorated the rational and emotional stability of its citizens. The obvious breakdown in Salem’s social order led to the tragedy in which twenty innocent people were hanged on the accusation of witchcraft. At many points throughout the play there were opportunities to stop the witch trials; however, one character in particular prevented the crease in convictions. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Deputy Governor Danforth is responsible for the tragedy in Salem.

“The arrogant are wise in their own eyes, but the wise will recognize their lies” (Anonymous). This quote accurately describes how the events in the Salem Witch Trials unfolded. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, places the reader into the city of Salem, Massachusetts. Arthur Miller tells a fictional story based on real events of how people who were wise in their own eyes used others to better themselves in a community based on honesty. Three characters from the story stand apart in their arrogance. Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Parris were conceited and cared only about their personal gains. These characters used their power to blame, but not to be blamed or accused of alleged witchcraft which resulted in the deaths of several townspeople. Arthur Miller used these characters to illustrate how simple lies and rumors can spread and become an unstoppable force. With these simple but powerful accusations, well respected citizens soon became the targets of these characters manipulation.

In Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, Arthur intrigues audience time and time again with the historical context, social implications, and the Salem, Massachusetts Witchcraft Trials of 1962. Most members in Salem feel the need to prove their authority in ways such as accusing those who have done nothing or hanging them without proving their innocence first. The thing is authority is not made up by an authority figure, but by society. Miller’s The Crucible, demonstrates how people misuse their authority for cruel purposes through a fascinating plot, well-crafted characters, and well-set theme. During the hysteria of witchcraft trials in Salem, there were multiple figures of authority or per say the community who abused their power, Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris and Judge Danforth.

Danforth believes he is an free minded person, although Miller describes him as a dictator in the courtroom. He believes people should not strike fear in the