A Mistaken Identity Throughout history, the power to decide one's destiny has been given to those with the strongest ethical and moral beliefs . However, often there are flaws in the system and miscarriages of justice occur, where innocent people are found guilty. People convicted of wrongful convictions affect the lives of their loved ones and tarnish the reputation of society. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Danforth is primarily responsible for the Salem tragedy because he lets his personal characteristics take precedence over his professional duty. Danforth allows trials to continue under false pretenses and as a result justice is not served. Danforth's convergent thinking leads him to draw biased conclusions through his analysis of crucial information, costing innocent lives. Danforth states that “the voice of Heaven speaks through the children” (Miller 88) and that he has “no reason to suspect that the children could deceive him” (Miller 91). At the very beginning, Danforth believes in the witchcraft that was going on in Salem because it was spoken through the children, who he believes are the "voice of heaven." This belief becomes troublesome because it causes Danforth to pass biased judgment on those accused of being involved in witchcraft instead of finding the truth. He is unable to see the truth, which is ironic because he is in a position of power in a trial whose purpose is to seek the truth and protect innocent people, but Danforth ultimately constantly accuses the innocent of being associated with the devil. . Additionally, Danforth's convergent thinking is evident when he discusses with Hale whether John Proctor is righteous or not and shouts, ...... middle of paper ......o the most influential and perhaps to be the purest in Salem Village. Danforth allows his personal characteristics to influence and conflict with his personal judgment, making him primarily responsible for the Salem tragedy. His narrow mind leads him to make biased judgments and misanalyze crucial information. Additionally, his fear of losing his reputation leads him to pursue false accusations which he condemns in order to prove that he was right. Finally, his abuse of power causes the people of Salem to become afraid of him, becoming too afraid to come forward with evidence. In conclusion, the power to decide one's faith was given to the wrong person because he does not have ethical beliefs and because of this, a miscarriage of justice occurs. Works Cited Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: a play in four acts. New York: Viking, 1953. Print