The Salem Witch Trials were the most devastating events in all of Puritan history. Who would have thought that a group of young girls could ruin an entire towns reputation. Mary Warren, John Proctor and Danforth are the three main people that the responsibility for the trials lays entirely on. Both John Proctor and Mary Warren both knew the truth of the trials and couldn't bring themselves to tell the truth and ruin their reputation. Danforth, who knew that the trials were ridiculous when model citizens were being tried, couldn't step up and admit that they had taken it to far and admitted he was wrong. All three people strive for the power in the town, yet when the opportunity to seize and do what was right came along, they all figured their power would be lost. The power surge in Salem is in fact the main cause of the witch trials. All three Puritan citizens however, thought that lying to cover up their faults would hold their powerful position.
Mary Warren, a naive follower to both Abigail Williams and John Proctor, was on the inside circle of power from the beginning. She was part of the dancing group of girls who started the trials. She knew of the lies that were being told and that the people that the girls were accusing would either die or be tortured until death seemed like a gift from God. Yet, instead of telling the truth, the greediness to feel powerful and like a leader obscured the moral decision to let the innocent people keep their lives instead of dying over a false assumption. She continued to lie to the court until John Proctor, who was brought to his senses by his wife Elizabeth, forced her to go to Danforth and tell him the truth. But under the pressure of the court and of Abigail, Mary Warren's cries of the truth were stifled by Abigail and her forceful lies which eventually turn Mary onto John and accusing him as the Devils man calling out lies such as "My name, he want my name! 'I'll murder you,' he says, 'if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court,' he says!" (119). It is as if lying is the one way to feel respected in Salem. As long as you have the power, the feeling of longing for it will never leave.
John Proctor is a good man who is blackened by the sins of adultery and lying. Seven months before the trial he had an affair with Abigail Williams herself. Abigail's strong attachment to John leads her to share with his a small but entirely important fact that all of her and the other girls accusations were entirely false, that they were just messing around in the woods and did not want to get in trouble. John keeps this sliver of information away to himself because deep down he does feel as if getting involved in the trials will make him lose his good name in the village and even his soul if he lies. But with the conviction of his wife from Abigail John goes to court, Mary Warren in hand, and tells the judges everything of his past and how he is already weighted down with sin. But even as he confesses his deepest secrets the trials continue. It is often wondered if John had confessed that he knew of Abigail's plan that the trials would have been ended the moment they were even thought of but the thought of John losing his position of power in the village and his good name was to much of a sacrifice until Elizabeth was convicted. Even minutes before his death he still cried out "It is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live with my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!" (143). The loss of his name was of the most importance to him but in the end John realized that the struggle for power in Salem wasn't in his favor and that he did not even want to be in the running for it. All that mattered was his wife and his children and the reputation he left behind for them.
Deputy Governer Danforth was not a part of the Salem Witch Trials in the beginning. He thought it was just another case he was needed in. But as he soon reached Salem an eerie feeling crossed through him. Danforth must have felt the power switch from the officials in Salem to himself and the other judges. With all of the power that he and the other judges had, Dan forth could have stopped the trials at anytime. He could have told the villagers that it was all nonsense and that they had nothing to worry over. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility and Danforth knows that he has both of these almost all to himself. In the beginning of the trials when the outsiders of the community were tried he looked upon it as no big deal but when model citizens such as Rebbecca Nurse and Martha Corey were charged it did seem to get suspicious. One might think that he would have just called the trials off and say that it had gone to far, but no, Danforth must have been determined to keep the power to himself because admitting you were wrong meant that the person who had the power made a mistake and that their power was to great of a responsibility to them. zit seemed as if those who were tried were those who were against him and his power. "Hang them all over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption!"(144). He had gone mad with power, thinking that he and those who though his ideas were right were the ones who knew all and that they could choose the fate if the innocent people. Unlike John Proctor and Mary Warren, Danforth did not lie to others, he did something even worse, he lied to himself. He tricked himself into believing that since he had the power his decisions would be right. The power in Salem caused the insanity of many people, and Danforth's corruption caused the death of them.
Mary Warren, John Proctor, and Danforth all caused the trials to expand in length and in seriousness that was never predicted to happen. All three lied not only to other but to themselves. Their quest for power, which was not always clear, took a turn for the worse and ended up killing people the cared about. It did not matter if they were considered the good guy, the bad guy, the follower, or the leader, their actions in the Salem Witch Trials will forever be remembered in history and by God. The lies for power were not worth the guilt that was brought upon all three of them. Although this epiphany was not realized until to late, the deaths over the power struggle in Salem will be remembered forever. John, Mary, and Danforth's lies and struggles will mark the town for its biggest mistake. The souls lost to their lies will haunt them for eternity and make them regret the feeling of power that they once longed for.
Mary Warren, a naive follower to both Abigail Williams and John Proctor, was on the inside circle of power from the beginning. She was part of the dancing group of girls who started the trials. She knew of the lies that were being told and that the people that the girls were accusing would either die or be tortured until death seemed like a gift from God. Yet, instead of telling the truth, the greediness to feel powerful and like a leader obscured the moral decision to let the innocent people keep their lives instead of dying over a false assumption. She continued to lie to the court until John Proctor, who was brought to his senses by his wife Elizabeth, forced her to go to Danforth and tell him the truth. But under the pressure of the court and of Abigail, Mary Warren's cries of the truth were stifled by Abigail and her forceful lies which eventually turn Mary onto John and accusing him as the Devils man calling out lies such as "My name, he want my name! 'I'll murder you,' he says, 'if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court,' he says!" (119). It is as if lying is the one way to feel respected in Salem. As long as you have the power, the feeling of longing for it will never leave.
John Proctor is a good man who is blackened by the sins of adultery and lying. Seven months before the trial he had an affair with Abigail Williams herself. Abigail's strong attachment to John leads her to share with his a small but entirely important fact that all of her and the other girls accusations were entirely false, that they were just messing around in the woods and did not want to get in trouble. John keeps this sliver of information away to himself because deep down he does feel as if getting involved in the trials will make him lose his good name in the village and even his soul if he lies. But with the conviction of his wife from Abigail John goes to court, Mary Warren in hand, and tells the judges everything of his past and how he is already weighted down with sin. But even as he confesses his deepest secrets the trials continue. It is often wondered if John had confessed that he knew of Abigail's plan that the trials would have been ended the moment they were even thought of but the thought of John losing his position of power in the village and his good name was to much of a sacrifice until Elizabeth was convicted. Even minutes before his death he still cried out "It is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them that hang! How may I live with my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name!" (143). The loss of his name was of the most importance to him but in the end John realized that the struggle for power in Salem wasn't in his favor and that he did not even want to be in the running for it. All that mattered was his wife and his children and the reputation he left behind for them.
Deputy Governer Danforth was not a part of the Salem Witch Trials in the beginning. He thought it was just another case he was needed in. But as he soon reached Salem an eerie feeling crossed through him. Danforth must have felt the power switch from the officials in Salem to himself and the other judges. With all of the power that he and the other judges had, Dan forth could have stopped the trials at anytime. He could have told the villagers that it was all nonsense and that they had nothing to worry over. Yet, with great power comes great responsibility and Danforth knows that he has both of these almost all to himself. In the beginning of the trials when the outsiders of the community were tried he looked upon it as no big deal but when model citizens such as Rebbecca Nurse and Martha Corey were charged it did seem to get suspicious. One might think that he would have just called the trials off and say that it had gone to far, but no, Danforth must have been determined to keep the power to himself because admitting you were wrong meant that the person who had the power made a mistake and that their power was to great of a responsibility to them. zit seemed as if those who were tried were those who were against him and his power. "Hang them all over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption!"(144). He had gone mad with power, thinking that he and those who though his ideas were right were the ones who knew all and that they could choose the fate if the innocent people. Unlike John Proctor and Mary Warren, Danforth did not lie to others, he did something even worse, he lied to himself. He tricked himself into believing that since he had the power his decisions would be right. The power in Salem caused the insanity of many people, and Danforth's corruption caused the death of them.
Mary Warren, John Proctor, and Danforth all caused the trials to expand in length and in seriousness that was never predicted to happen. All three lied not only to other but to themselves. Their quest for power, which was not always clear, took a turn for the worse and ended up killing people the cared about. It did not matter if they were considered the good guy, the bad guy, the follower, or the leader, their actions in the Salem Witch Trials will forever be remembered in history and by God. The lies for power were not worth the guilt that was brought upon all three of them. Although this epiphany was not realized until to late, the deaths over the power struggle in Salem will be remembered forever. John, Mary, and Danforth's lies and struggles will mark the town for its biggest mistake. The souls lost to their lies will haunt them for eternity and make them regret the feeling of power that they once longed for.
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