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How Does Hale Change In The Crucible

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Evan Clark Cochran English III 20 February 2023 Dynamic Character essay According to N.J Simmonds, “Dynamic character is one who changes and evolves throughout the story.” Few characters show change within The Crucible. The character that appears to change the most throughout the play is Reverand Hale. Hale appears in Salem initially trying to condemn the ones who had “been with the devil.” Then Hale starts getting uneasy feelings concerning the judgment upon the civilians. Toward the end of the play, Hale realizes that the girls have been lying all along and all the condemned people turn out as innocent. Through Reverand Hales's transformation, he changes from a condemner to a spectator, to a defender. Arthur Miller illustrates how people …show more content…

At the beginning of The Crucible, Reverand Hale had the full intention of Condemning all that danced with the Devil in Salem. He interrogated every person in a sincere attempt to get to the bottom of it. Within the text, Hale stated, “We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down that ole boy…” (Miller 9) This shows the urgency in which Reverand Hale wanted to find the devil. He had almost an arrogant way about him in the search for the devil. He also states, “the devil can never overcome a minister.” (Miller 15) This quote shows Hale's arrogance and that he thought the devil could never overcome a minister such as himself. Hale made it clear that he was willing to hang any person that was unwilling to confess to witchcraft, therefore, he was in the middle of all this murder and …show more content…

He even started to defend the victims and convince the court of that the judging was unfair. He was aware of the innocence of the people but could say nothing to sway their judgment of them. Reverend Hale states, “your honor I cannot think you must judge this man on such evidence.” (Miller 58) This quote from hale Shows his outlook changed to trying to help the victims. It had come to the point where most of the whole town was being convicted and he had a full understanding that the girls were lying about people the whole time. Hale also states, “I would save your husband life for if he is taken I count myself a murderer.” (Miller 55) This quote From hale shows the guilt he has toward the victims. He felt as if he was guilty because he was a big part of the judgments at first. He now knows that they were all guiltless and had no blame for what they were accused

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One key person in The Crucible with ideals that completely changed from the beginning is Reverend Hale. In the beginning Reverend Hale came in believing that he was the ultimate authority on witches. Later on in the story, Hale was shaken by the arrest of Rebecca and the eventual arrest of John where he quits the court. Hale at the end does not believe in religion, but tells others to have faith. Reverend Hale from the beginning to the end is almost a completely different person; this is shown by him coming into the story being the authority on how to find witches, then he is shaken greatly by Rebecca and John’s arrest, and finally by him not having religion but keeping faith.

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Reverend Hale is the character that changes the most in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible because his feelings on witchcraft turns from full belief to unbelievable doubt, his thoughts on Proctor changes from thinking that he is evil to thinking that he is a good and honest man, and he switches from doing God’s work to doing the Devil’s. Reverend Hale makes a huge change on his claim of witchcraft. In the beginning of the play when Reverend is called to the town of Salem to see if the reason why Betty and Ruth are unconscious is due to witchcraft he brings with him many books. When Reverend Parris sees this he makes a comment that Hale responds to him explaining his expectations. This shows that Reverend Hale is focused on one thing, finding

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Reverend Hale makes choices which he bases on false accusations, he signs the death sentences of Elizabeth Proctor, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse. He states, “... I have this morning signed away the soul of Rebecca Nurse. Your Honor. I’ll not conceal it, my hand shakes yes as with a wound!” (1325).

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In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, Hale, Danforth, and Parris are three key characters in the play whom have varying personalities, actions, and opinions. At one point in the story they share similar views, yet their motives are vastly different. The three authority figures in the play resemble each other in some aspects yet differ greatly in their attitudes and responses towards the witch trials. Hale begins his journey with a logical outlook, but eventually realizes the mass hysteria occurring. His goal in coming to Salem was to diagnose the town with witchcraft and earn a better reputation.

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He said, "I dare not take a life without there be a proof no immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it" (Miller 188). He did not want anyone to hang for a crime they did not commit, and he did not want any guilty conscience of it afterward. He started to realize that people are accusing others for their own gain, and when no one would listen, Hale quit the court. In Act 4, Hale tries to save people's lives by convincing them to confess. He doubts his own Puritan faith and pursues the falsely accused on his own.

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(35) This shows that Hale is so involved in his work that he could possibly end up accusing someone who was not guilty of witchcraft. Hale seems overly conscious about his own life and his duty to serve the people to find the devil in Salem; he doesn’t seem to like the idea that he himself could be wicked. This shows that Hale too, did not show himself to be truthful and courteous when it came to the

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The Crucible Essay Responses Reverend Hale is a very good example of a dynamic character. At the beginning Hale is excited to help out the town by judge and condemn people accused of witchcraft like when Betty is in a coma he is quick to condemn and forgive Tituba. As The Crucible progresses you can see him doubt the church more and more, at first he had complete trust in Judge Danforth but as Danforth’s actions get increasingly reckless he speaks up call Danforth out for executing some of the most devoted members of the church like John Proctor and Goodie Nurse. Reverend Hale went from someone to that had blind faith to someone that is able to think for himself and speak out against what he thinks is unjust.

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Throughout the story, Hale served as the main mediator who tried to no avail to end the witch hunts. Before the events of the story, Hale was a well-known minister who was well versed in diabolism. Instantly when introduced he is seen as a “ specialist whose knowledge has... been publicly called for” (Miller 30). Consequently, this means that publicly his words carry weight although later in the story it does him no good. This could be attributed to the fact that Salem was experiencing a major case of hysteria, unlike previous places where Hale actually had proof instead of many allegations based

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Hale no longer believes in the witch trials. Everything Reverend Hale came to Salem for now no longer means anything to him. By this point Reverend Hale, among others, has become fed up with the pretense and falseness of ‘The Salem Witch Trials’ and wants nothing more than for it to be over. (page 84, act four, Miller, Arthur The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts, Viking Press 1953) “ HALE, quickly to Danforth: Excellency, it is enough he confess himself. Let him sign it, let him sign it.”

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In the beginning acts, Hale was trusting the court more than John and was a big part of handling warrants of the accused individuals along with having much confidence in himself, his knowledge of witchcraft, and knowledge of witches in Salem. In Act 2 and 3 in the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the character Reverend Hale was changing a lot. Throughout the first act of this play Reverend Hale had much of his trust in the court and fully believed the devil is in Salem but as the trial begins and goes on things start to change when Hale starts to question the court shown when he pleads

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550 Words | 3 Pages

Hale had his thoughts changed about the people accused of doing witchcraft. Before, he saw all the people of Salem accused of being witches are guilty. However, he saw how unfair the court was being to those people and what the head of the court had been doing was wrong. “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! He slams the door behind him” (Miller 1213).

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798 Words | 4 Pages

¨Hale, continuing to Elizabeth: Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up.¨. Hale recognizes the way he had first acted when he was introduced in the play he had false confidence, was falsely assertive, a title of the best witch hunter in that region meant nothing and being a reverend, he had failed miserably to bring justice to the town of Salem. Along with being a failure he has realized that those that he had convicted were innocent and the girls that had played the system were the actual ones guilty and had escaped their well deserved punishment. The whole point of Hale being the tragic hero was that Hale would have been able to prevent all of these things onto the town but having a title does not mean you are qualified for the

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691 Words | 3 Pages

In the meantime, Reverend Hale is going through changes in his character as well. Hale is a dynamic character that at first believes in witches and the fact that he will be the one to save Salem, but that soon changes. “Excellency, if you postpone a week and publish to the town that you are stirring for their confessions that speak mercy on your part, not faltering,”(120) said Hale wanting to stop the hangings. Rev. Hale changes his idea and feels guilt for the innocent deaths because he realizes that the whole trials are based on lies and are fake.

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1573 Words | 7 Pages

As Hooti argues in "The Quest for Identity in Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible,'" as stated, “At a personal level, Hale exhibits the missionary zeal, at the social level, he is able to view the whole tragedy emanating from the Salem hysteria from the point of view of the general public and more notably, from the point of view of the accused”(Hooti 73). This quote further illustrates that at the beginning of the play, Hale is seen as a wise person. However, by the end of the play, he is seen as a mentor when he tries to persuade Proctor to falsely confess, explaining that life is more important than

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As the play progress and people confess he starts to notice that what people are saying and accusing people of is not true but just getting to people they do not like. Lastly, At the end of act 3, Hale quits the court. Hale quit the court because he knew that a lot of innocent people were getting killed for not confessing to a crime they did not

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