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Thomas Putnam is a middle-aged landowner who regards himself as intellectually superior to the majority of Salem's population. Putnam's superiority complex renders him a vindictive person who holds a lot of resentment toward other people. He is described as "a man with many grievances" and therefore exemplifies the theme of holding grudges. Before the events of the play, Putnam's brother-in-law was passed over for the position of minister of Salem. Putnam is insulted that the "honor of his family had been smirched by the village" and he seeks revenge against various townspeople that played a part in this decision. For example, he arrests the man who won the position over his brother-in-law for debts that he did not actually owe. Putnam is also bitter toward Francis Nurse due to the role Francis played in preventing Putnam's brother-in-law from being elected. This grudge prompts Putnam to lead a campaign against Francis's wife, Rebecca.
The grudges held by Thomas Putnam are tied to his overwhelming greed. Putnam is wholly self-serving and obsessed with land ownership. After his father dies before the start of the play, he attempts to overrule his father's will because it left more to Putnam's stepbrother than to himself. Throughout the play, we learn that Putnam maintains land disputes with various characters including John Proctor and Francis Nurse. During the trial, he faces allegations from Giles Corey that Putnam allegedly forced his daughter to accuse George Jacobs of witchcraft. Were Jacobs to be found guilty and executed, his property would be forfeited and Putnam is the only person in Salem wealthy enough to purchase the land. Giles proclaims that Putnam is "killing his neighbors for their land!" It is therefore unsurprising, with Putnam's plethora of greed-motivated personal grudges, that many accusations against people in Salem "are in the handwriting of Thomas Putnam, or that his name is so often found as a witness corroborating the super-natural testimony." It’s clear that Putnam's condemnation of witchcraft and heresy has nothing to do with morality. Instead, it’s driven by a desire to further his own personal gain and exact revenge. Putnam's alleged principles are therefore guided only by what will benefit him and increase his wealth, land ownership, and status.
