Tituba seems motivated by fear. Before Tituba's "confession" that she worked with the Devil, Putnam demands Tituba be hanged, and Parris threatens to "whip [her] to [her] death." Tituba tells Putnam and Parris what they want to hear to escape these fates.
Mrs. Putnam, on the other hand, seems motivated by pain. Seven of her eight children have died while they were very young, and Mrs. Putnam is desperate to find a reason for why this has happened. She sends her living daughter, Ruth, to conjure the spirits of the dead children in order to find out what happened to them.
Abigail seems motivated by greed and revenge. Her uncle confronts her with the rumors about her reputation in the village, and Abigail seems anxious to reestablish her well-regarded character and make the village pay. Abigail also wants John Proctor, her former lover, all to herself. She also wants to exact revenge on John's wife Elizabeth Proctor, who kicked Abigail out of the Proctors' home and ended Abigail and John's relationship. When witchcraft rumors begin, Abigail seizes the opportunity to begin to rid the community of those she does not like, including Elizabeth Proctor.
John Proctor seems motivated by his torn feelings: he loves his wife, but he seems to still have some soft feelings for Abigail. In addition, John wants to think of himself as a good person, but he struggles because of his affair. John's sometimes contradictory actions and speech reflect his inner conflict and turmoil.
Deputy Governor Danforth seems motivated, at first, by a desire to rid the colony of witchcraft. Later, though, Danforth is much more concerned about maintaining his own authority rather than finding and upholding the truth, allowing the final executions to take place because delaying them would undermine his and the court's authority and lead to doubt about the guilt of those who have already died. Unwilling to do this, Danforth prefers to condemn those whom he likely knows are innocent.
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