There is a lot of confusion is the play The Crucible as to what the certain motivations of the characters in the play is. Why are some of the characters lying about "sightings" of the devil with certain people they are trying to get rid of? The motivations of John Proctor, and Reverend Hale haven't been the same throughout the play. I think Reverend Parris had the same motivations throughout the whole play though which was to benefit himself and not others. Proctor and Hale by the end had the same motivation, which was to let out the truth that the girls were fakes and that they needed to be hung, not the people that they were accusing.
             Reverend Parris is the minister for Salem. He is a paranoid, power-hungry man. He is more concerned about his reputation than his daughter's and niece's souls when the first rumors of witchcraft get under way. He quickly learns to take advantage of the witch craze for his own personal gain, which in the end he is still concerned about his reputation. I don't think Reverend Parris changed enough to consider him as a character who in the end "does the right thing." In the beginning of this play Parris focused greatly on making sure that everyone thought that the girls were for real. If Parris were to disagree with anything at this point his family would fall apart. Any sign of him not controlling his own house and he will loose respect of the whole village therefore destroying his great ol' mighty reputation. I mean god forbid he loose his reputation then have 2 or 3 more people hung for something that they are totally innocent of. I think Reverend Parris is the big coward in this novel.
             Reverend Hale is a minister from Beverly who is called to Salem by Parris to investigate the situation. He is about forty years old, and has a strong belief in the authority of the church. In fact, he considers himself the authority on such matters as witchcraft. In the b
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