Reverend Samuel Parris

Reverend Samuel Parris is a major antagonist in Arthur Miller's play The Crucible, which was partially inspired from the Salem Witch trials of 1692, and was used as an allegory for the Red Scare that happened during the Cold War in the 1960s.

Personality
Parris is a truly despicable person. He is more concerned with his own public image and safety rather than his family or others in the village. In addition to his cowardly nature, he is extremely greedy (constantly wanting more firewood, the deed to his house and golden candlesticks for his church, rather than pewter candlesticks, and crying when Abigail steals all of his money), cruel, paranoid and judgmental. He is also self-absorbed and because of this he is despised by all of Salem's inhabitants.

When Abigail flees with his money, he worries about himself rather than his niece's well-being. His motivation behind trying to get John Proctor to confess to witchcraft is because he is worried that the town will turn against him and murder him in revenge. This proves that Reverend Parris is always concerned for himself and not his actions or the effects they cause.