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Proctor Clashes With Parris, Explained

The Crucible · 2014

Capítulo 5 de 29 · 3'49"

The fight is about money, firewood, and who holds authority. Parris demands "a mark of confidence" — the deed to his house — and warns, "There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning!" Proctor answers, "I am sick of Hell!" and says he dislikes "the smell of this authority."

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Key moments

Start here, then watch the full scene
  1. ❝ Monólogo · 4 frases Parris Demands Firewood

    A single question builds into self-pity, so a demand for wood sounds like persecution.

    1:07–1:18
    11s
  2. ❝ Monólogo · 4 frases Parris Demands Obedience

    2:27–3:11
    43s
  3. Proctor Rejects the Authority

    3:13–3:48
    35s
  1. ❝ MonólogoParris Demands Firewood4 frasesPracticar ↗
  2. ❝ MonólogoParris Claims His Rank4 frasesPracticar ↗

Proctor Clashes With Parris, explained

What happens

At Parris's house, Proctor and the minister argue openly. Proctor complains that the sermons are all hellfire and damnation, while Parris lists his grievances: low pay, firewood he must buy himself, and being the third preacher in seven years. He wants the deed to the house as "a mark of confidence," and warns that there is either obedience or the church will burn.

What's really going on

The argument looks petty — firewood, six pounds, a deed — but it is really about who controls the parish. Parris feels his authority slipping: 'I am your third preacher in seven years,' he says, and he wants a permanent hold on the meeting house. Proctor refuses to grant him that, and his dig about hellfire lands: 'I am sick of Hell!' When Parris insists that a minister is the Lord's man and must not be contradicted, he makes the scene's real claim: 'There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning!' Proctor's reply — 'I like not the smell of this "authority"' — is the first open rebellion in the play, and Rebecca's attempt to 'clasp his hand' and make peace cannot paper over it.

Key lines & what they mean

“There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!”
Rebecca's image of Salem: everything is tangled and layered, with hidden causes behind visible ones.
“We vote by name in this society, not by acreage.”
Proctor's defense of the church's equality: votes count by person, not by how much land a man owns.
“There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is burning!”
Parris's ultimatum: submit to his authority or the whole church will go up in flames. It's a threat dressed as theology.
“I am sick of Hell!”
Proctor's blunt reply to another sermon about damnation — he is exhausted by the endless hellfire.
“I mean it solemnly, Rebecca; I like not the smell of this "authority".”
Proctor says he means it seriously: he dislikes the very idea of 'authority,' setting up the rebellion to come.

Theme

  • Power — Parris wants the deed and unquestioned obedience; Proctor openly rejects his authority, and the parish splits.
  • Pride — Both men refuse to yield — Parris over his dignity, Proctor over his contempt for 'authority.'

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Ideas clave

Lo que te llevas
  1. Wheels within wheels means hidden layers of plotting.
  2. By name, not by acreage rejects power bought with land.
  3. Either-or leaves no middle ground in the argument.
  4. Break charity means falling out, not losing charity money.

Preguntas frecuentes

La pregunta, luego la frase
Why are Proctor and Parris arguing?

Proctor resents Parris's hellfire sermons and rarely attends; Parris wants more respect, better pay, and the deed to his house. Their quarrel is about authority as much as money.

What does Parris want from the congregation?

He wants the deed to the house so he cannot be dismissed at the whim of the majority. He calls it 'a mark of confidence,' but it means permanent ownership.

Why does Parris call himself the third preacher in seven years?

To show how unstable his position is. He fears being 'put out like the cat' whenever the majority changes its mind.

What does 'I like not the smell of this authority' mean?

Proctor means he distrusts the very idea of church authority. It is his blunt way of saying he will not be ordered around.

What does Rebecca try to do?

She tries to calm the quarrel and tells Proctor to clasp the minister's hand and make peace, hoping to keep charity between them.