buy their forfeited land. Thomas Putnam's arguments with John Proctor also establish him as anantagonist who aligns himself with Salem's corrupt authority figures.

At first, Mr. Putnam and John Proctor argue about how dire the situation with the girls in Salem is. Proctor takes issue with the fact that Reverend Parris didn't consult anyone else in the village before he called for Reverend Hale, the witch hunter from Beverly. Putnam, however, has a sick daughter, and he says, "There be children dyin' in the village, Mister!"  And Proctor replies, "I see none dyin'. This society will not be a bag to swing around your head, Mr. Putnam." In other words, Putnam accuses Proctor of not taking the situation seriously enough, and Proctor accuses Putnam of trying to manipulate the village. 

Then, Putnam instructs Reverend Parris to tell Mr. Hale to look for witches when he arrives, and Proctor declares that Putnam cannot "command" the minister. Proctor again accuses Putnam of trying to rule. Putnam accuses Proctor of not caring about society since he hasn't been "at Sabbath meeting since snow flew," and Proctor blames his absence on the subject of Parris's sermons: "only hellfire and bloody damnation." Why would he want to come each Sunday to listen to the same negative sermon again and again?

Next, Putnam takes Parris's side when Parris accuses Proctor of being part of a faction to remove Parris from his position.  Putnam declares that this faction moves against Parris "and all authority," to which Proctor declares that he'd like to find this party and join it. 

Finally, Putnam and Proctor quarrel over land. Proctor mentions his intention to take some lumber home, and Putnam accuses him of removing lumber from his land. Proctor declares that he bought the land from Francis Nurse some years ago, Putnam declares that his grandfather willed the land to him, and Proctor accuses his grandfather of giving away land that didn't belong to him (a claim that Giles Corey supports). In short, Putnam and Proctor fight about anything and everything.  

Mr. Putnam is convinced that there are witches in Salem, and he wants Reverend Parris to make an announcement to this effect and deal with the situation openly and publicly. Proctor, however, points out that Putnam is making claims for which there is no evidence: there are no children dying in the village, just a couple little girls who are acting strangely.

Further, Proctor fears that Putnam is simply attempting to manipulate the town for his own benefit. He says, "This society will not be a bag to swing around your head, Mr. Putnam." Then, when Mr. Putnam tells Reverend Parris that he must proceed to investigate any potential signs of witchcraft when Reverend Hale arrives, Proctor says, "You cannot command Mr. Parris. We vote by name in this society, not by acreage."

Proctor knows very well what kind of person Mr. Putnam is, and he sees how Putnam is attempting to direct the actions of the town when really, many more people ought to have some say in how to proceed or even if it is necessary at this point. This is significant because it shows us how much ill will exists between these two men, as well as the fact that Proctor will stand up to people when he sees some wrong or injustice taking place. This could potentially foreshadow his later arrest for witchcraft when he tries to do precisely the same thing in court.