Reverend Hale The Crucible

Thesis Statement: When Reverend Hale first arrives in Salem, he makes accusations towards the wrong people. He later realizes the truth and unsuccessfully tries to make things right.

All of a sudden there was a witch outbreak in Salem Massachusetts. The following day the girls were found in bed inert. The doctor attempted to figure out the sickness the girls could have. However, he could not give the sickness any name. Then Reverend Hale was called in to help the town cure its unnatural problem. Throughout the play Reverend Hale contributed to both sides of the arguments. At the beginning he believed the court was doing God’s job. Towards the end his character changes and is less in favor of the court and more in favor for the people being wrongly accused. Reverend Hale’s is seen to be independent, confident and outspoken. These traits end up changing towards the end of the play. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character

Proctor is later found guilty and he is ordered to be taken to jail. With anger, Hale speaks out, “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court” (1151). Hale can no longer take part in a court system that hangs innocent people. He publicly declares that the court’s rulings are wrong which reveal his frustration and his rejection to the court. Reverend Hale is no longer the same man who had his faith in the court when he had first arrived in Salem.

The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. Reverend Hale who is a minister and an expert of the demonic arts and witchcraft is sent from East Hanover to Salem where there is a spreading fear of witchcraft. When Hale arrives in Salem he finds the entire town in total chaos. At the beginning Hale is adamant in believing that they’re where witches and that nothing but good could come of his being there. Near the end when the truth has been exposed, Hale with so much blood on his head pleads : ‘‘ I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on

From the beginning of the play, it was quite clear that Reverend Hale’s character was deeply rooted in his faith and understanding. Hale firmly believes that everything in life can be explained by books. This becomes evident when he is prompted about the weight of his books. He responds, “They are weighted with authority” (Miller, Act I). Hale believes that the truth

Samuel Parris and John Hale are the two ministers in The Crucible and were initially alike in their attitudes towards witchcraft. However, their personalities show some striking dissimilarities. Unlike Hale, Reverend Parris is characterized by extreme paranoia and egotism. He is very static- his traits and motives remain consistent from the beginning to the end of the play. Although a religious man and believer in witchcraft like Parris, Hale values human life and is motivated by personal beliefs and his sense of morality, disregarding his best interests. He is a very dynamic character, becoming progressively less confident and trusting of law and doctrine as his faith is tested throughout the ordeal.

      Reverend Hale is another character that changes during the course of "The Crucible." Upon his entrance in the midst of Act I, he is depicted as a strong, knowledgeable intellect. His intelligence seems to leave no room for compassion. This is evident by his interrogations which took place during Act III, the Trial, as well as the biographical information provided in Act I of "The Crucible." However, his emotions do come out in Act IV. He appears sympathetic and kindhearted while begging the women in prison to confess to save their lives.

In the beginning of the play, Hale enters as a strict law abiding citizen enjoying his position of power and his ability to make the decisions in Salem. An example of his defense of the law is, “Man remember until an hour before the Devil fell, God

“Why it is simple I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!” (201). This quote is so powerful to the audience, Hale is admitting he feels guilty. He feels he has killed innocent people. How many people had to die for him to finally realize? In act four, Hale also begs Elizabeth Proctor into getting her to make John confess. Elizabeth would argue that it isn’t her job to control him. “You know, do you not, that I have no connection with the court? I come of my own, Goody Proctor. I would save your husband’s life, for if he is taken I count myself his murdered. Do you understand me?” (202). Hale is saying he has no connection to the court's decisions. He comes to help Salem not destroy it. If John decides not to confess, and gets hung, Hale won’t think he did enough to help him, he could’ve done more. If John dies, with Hale knowing he’s an innocent man, Hale will call himself John’s

Furthermore, Reverend Hale was pushed to change also. Hale came into Salem a stranger, but knew how to fix the problem the town endured. He never questioned that God had a plan and always thought that something was either good or bad, with no gray area in between. This thinking is challenged when Elizabeth, a pure person, is accused and then later when John confesses. He knows that these people are honest and leaves the court for a period of time. In the end, Hale is a desperate man, and even though knowing there is no witchcraft present, he urges John to admit that he is not the one that should be punished. He has to question all the rules he has lived by his whole life and pursue something he knows is incorrect. In essence, Reverend Hale is pushed to his limits and is turned into a man that will be permanently in suspicion of any standards he ever thought were true.

In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, there are some similarities and differences between Mr. Hale and I. Mr. Hale is a Reverend from Beverly, who’s called to Salem by Reverend Parris to help wake his daughter, Betty, who fell ill after being caught in the woods “summoning” the devil. While dealing with accusations of witchcraft, Mr. Hale acts a certain way which can define his character. When he first arrives in Salem he remains hopeful. Towards the middle of the play he tries to help more by getting involved with the court trials, which ends up causing bigger problems. At the end of the play, Mr. Hale notices the good in those who are in jail and goes out of his way to help them. Overall, Mr. Hale’s character is considered optimistic and valuable, which relates to myself.

It is in the second act that the change in Reverend Hale’s character happens as he begins to doubt the truth of the witchcraft accusations. As Hale enters the Proctors’ house in Act 2, on page 62, “there is a quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now.” His worn out demeanor is much different than the eager one in his first introduction and the reason for that is he has been visiting all those whose names have been mentioned in court. It can be concluded that investigating all those accused and having sparked all the names from his first accusation of Tituba, has tired him out and made him feel responsible for there being so many. After being questioned by John Proctor about considering if people are possibly lying to spare their lives, the doubt that Hale holds is first seen. On page 69, Hale responds to Proctor, “I—I have indeed.” By admitting to his suspicion, Hale confirms the weakness of his trust in the trials and opens the potential for his change. Although accepting that some of the accused might be innocent, it is only the possibility of such and his belief that there is evil in Salem does still exists. Hale

Reverend Hale became so disillusioned that he was a witch expert who was helping cleanse Salem of witchcraft. He came into the play with high hopes that he would be able to prove his abilities and to show what he can do and being all stuck up about himself. Without knowingly that he was the one who aided in the innocent people that were hanged and trialed for something that could not even be proven with evident but with just by the word of others. When he was going around Salem asking people questions of what they thought about the witch trials and other things possibly he was beginning the doubt since the people had said that certain people were good puritans and they saw absolutely no signs of them using witchcraft. Particularly when he questions John and Elizabeth Proctor who of which John point out so much evidence that Hale was seriously

In the beginning of the play, Reverend Hale believes that by condemning people of witchcraft, he is saving people from sin; towards the end of the play, he realizes that the accusations against innocent people are unjust because they do not have substantial evidence. People are being accused by him and he uses his “understanding of witchery” to state that, “The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are

In Act 1, Hale’s devotion to carrying out God’s law reveals his sense of obligation in eradicating the diabolic disturbances in Salem, despite the negative impact it may have on its citizens. Prior to entering the town, the Reverend’s motives lie in defeating the Devil, believing that this valiance will bring preservation to the Puritans. Although “his goal is light,” he believes the people of Salem have been “called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself” (36). Despite wanting to face off with the devil, Hale stands strong in his belief that this will restore peace and prove to be beneficial. Consequences aside, his heavy