Parris pleads with Danforth to pardon or postpone the executions in the final act of the play. His evidence offers a combination of selfish hope and selfish fear. First, Parris allows Hale into the jail to speak with the condemned and convince them to confess. A confession would lend credence to the executions, which Parris worries have fallen out of favor in the town. Parris uses this idea as support for postponing the executions. If Hale...
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