Give several reasons why the Putnams resented the nurse.

One reason that Mrs. Putnam would resent Rebecca Nurse is the fact that she had 11 children, and is now grandmother to 26.  Mrs. Putnam's loss of seven babies shortly after birth, leaving her only Ruth, has made her bitter and suspicious of Mrs. Nurse.

Mrs. Putnam is very quick to suggest that there is witchcraft at work in Salem, while Mrs. Nurse is the character who asks everyone to remain calm and not jump to conclusions.

Mrs. Nurse asks Reverend Parris to send Reverend Hale back to Beverly as soon as he arrives in Salem.  While Mrs. Putnam is happy to see him because he will give her suspicions of witchcraft validity.

Mr. Putnam does not have a very good reputation in the town.  He is a greedy, angry man who can't wait to buy up the land of the accused at a discounted price.  Putnam and his wife are the exact opposite of the gentle kind Nurses.

"Several other conflicts are set up in this scene as well. We learn that the Nurses have been involved in a land war with their neighbors, one of whom is Putnam. The Nurse family was also among those who kept Putnam’s candidate for minister out of office in Salem."

"Further, a group of people related to, or friendly with, the Nurses had broken away from the authority of Salem and set up their own independently governed town. The split was resented by many of the older members of the Salem community. The Nurses, in short, had many silent enemies in Salem."