Parris was in his middle forties. In history he cut a villainous path, and there is very little good to be said for him. He believed he was being persecuted wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side. In meeting, he felt insulted if someone rose to shut the door without asking his permission.
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 1. We are provided with a snapshot of Reverend Samuel Parris’s character in this description at the beginning of the play. He comes across as intolerant and quick to take offense, selfish and self-centered, arrogant and prideful. A thoroughly dislikeable man, he thinks himself superior to others and wants them to ask permission before shutting the door, the narrator says.