e fears John Proctor, because Proctor does not like him. Parris feels that anyone that does not like him will become a threat to his authority as the minister. That is one reason he presses the execution of John Proctor. Another reason he presses the executions is that he cannot bear the thought of witches in his parish. If there were witches, this would prove he is not performing his job, as he should. Besides the parallel of ministers, there are also other parallels between characters in these two works. Another parallel is between Hester Prynne in The Scarlet Letter and Abigail Williams in The Crucible. While Hester is considered the protagonist, Abigail is considered the antagonist. Both are startlingly similar in many ways. For one thing, both go through the same types of problems, because they are both very much alone in their lives. Hester is shunned by society and lives on the outskirts of town. Abigail is an orphan, and considering she is never really part of a family, she probably has a feeling of loneliness for all of her life. Another similarity between the two is that they are both adulteresses. Hester is a married woman who is unfaithful by sleeping with another man, Dimmesdale. Abigail is not married, but also commits adultery by sleeping with a married man, John Proctor. Both sins are essential to the plot of both works of literature. However, Hester pays the price of this sin, while Abigail does not. The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible are written in two different time periods, but are still similar in many ways. Both demonstrate the true aspects of a Puritan society very accurately. Because of this accuracy, naturally they are similar and have many parallels. Both have similar conflicts, settings, and characters. The fact that they have so many parallels is probably the reason why both are considered outstanding works of literature. They both contain the same element of truth and accuracy of the Puritan society and wil...
