Reverend Samuel Parris - paranoid "He believed he was being persecuted everywhere he went."
not that good of a father "He was a widower with no interest in children, or talent with them."
Betty Parris - Reverend Parris's daughter,
sick "Betty Parris, aged ten, is lying on the bed, inert"
Background of the play.
Salem, Massachusetts is a small town in New England. Everyone seems to know each other. It is a strictly Christian town, everyone is very religious and does not go against that. Any signs of non-Christians will be known to everyone. Everyone also seems very uptight and stuck up. They seem to look down to anyone who is slightly different than them. Even though they looked down to anyone they could not really say anything, until the "madness" that was soon to happen occurs and they are able to get everyone out.
There is a suspicion of witchcraft and these "witches" being hunted gave the people of Salem an opportunity to get all of their flaws, sins, and guilt out their systems without a price to pay. They were able to express their feelings and tell the whole truth without being judges for once. This was maybe the only time the people of Salem could lift all the wait off their shoulders without hatred and snobbery acted toward them in return. They could finally have a clean slate.
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