Much of how people operated during this time period and even now was and is based on power. Whoever held the most power basically determines who is in control. In the beginning of act one Parris mainly had all the power. He was the Reverend of the church so many people respected him. He was the only one there who had any title in the church so he had the highest ranking. Reverend Parris obviously had a lot of power since he was so concerned about it and his ministry even more than his daughter that could be dying. You could also tell that Parris held most of the power by how he acted. He often gave orders. For example, when he wanted Tituba to leave the room in the begging he just yelled at her. He constantly questioned Abigail and she was obligated to answer to him. He defiantly tried to control the room.
Towards the end of act one the power in the room changed. Before Reverend Parris held most of the power but when Reverend Hale arrived it quickly shifted to him. He was much more skilled in the field of witch craft then Reverend Parris was. Hale had killed a witch in Beverly so the people were eagerly awaiting for his arrival in hope that he could deal with the girls situation in a more productive way. Reverend Hale could determine if what was causing Betty’s illness was related to witch craft or not. Parris was not as experienced in witchcraft so he could be less of a help. For Hale to come see Betty and the other girls was necessary so they could deal with what had happened. Since they were all counting on him he held most of the power. In the beginning of act one the majority of the power was owned by Reverend Parris but by the end it had been handed over to Reverend Hale.
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