The Crucible Mob Quotes

A mob provides acceptance, safety, and a sense of belonging to a person. Mobs date back to thousands of years ago and still go on in our world today. In The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, Reverend Parris and Tituba follow the crowd to protect their reputation, gain power, and protect themselves. The first of the two was Reverend Parris. He joins the mob and follows the others to protect his own reputation. If he would lose his reputation, people would think of him as a worse pastor than he already is. Also, if there is witchcraft in his household, he will lose his position of being the reverend of Salem. Parris becomes mad and accuses Abigail of compromising his character in this passage:
“Abigail, I have fought here three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character. I have given you a home, child. I have put clothes upon your back” (8)

That is not the only time he defends himself and lies for his own pleasure. When they are in the court in Act III Reverend Parris lies in the court. Which in the Puritan religion, is a terrible deed, especially done by a reverend. He claims that he did not see any naked girls dancing in the woods. Yet, we know that he did because of what he tells Abigail. After awhile Parris starts to recognize the effects of the people being hung, so he asks Danforth to postpone the hangings. Although that may seem very unselfish, Parris is doing so to protect his own life. Somebody put a dagger in his front door, he is afraid that if certain citizens are mad they will get the town to revolt. Reverend Parris is not the only follower in town, Tituba does the