Gandhi once said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” In The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, when characters are faced with differences between one another, they tend to show what they want the world to see instead of their true beliefs. Reverend Hale fights a battle between what he has been studying his whole life against what he feels is truly right. In the end he completely undergoes an important inner change, he sees the false accusations in the witch trials and changes from believing completely in witchcraft, to protecting the innocent and doing anything in his power to save their
Governor's Letter In Salem, the village was panicking. Suspicions rose from everywhere. I, Reverend Hale was sent for, for the help. I believed I could of washed away the wrong from this community. For the trials I stood, until new information was brought to my attention by Mr. Proctor.
At the beginning of the book, Reverend Hale was called upon to go to Salem, Massachusetts where he was assigned to help find witches because, he is an ordained minister who “feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe- kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiast of all churches.” (Miller 34) This is a description of him that is used to show how he has a narcissistic personality and show that he is a man that believes that the word of God is the only way to truly prove one’s innocence. Towards the beginning of the book Reverend Hale comes into Salem with a stack of books he is struggling to carry. He says that the books are heavy because “They must be; they are weighted with authority”(34)
To begin, When reverend hale went to salem he was very confident. Reverend Hale, knew a lot about witches and spirits. Hale took witchcraft very seriously, he believed there was actually something going on in salem. Next, Hale is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. When hale gets to salem, he is very tired and has very little motivation.
Hale is elated to help and sees curing those who have been possessed as “a beloved errand” (36). Hale feels immense pride in himself for being the specialist with a unique knowledge that has at last been required by the people and even feels allied with the best minds of Europe. Therefor, when Hale arrives, he comes with “an armory of symptoms, catchwords and diagnostic procedures” (36) to heroically save the day. At first Hale maintains a professional stance on what is happening in the town rather than succumbing to the popular belief of witchcraft, cautioning the townspeople that “ [they] cannot look directly to superstition in this” (38). However, when Abigail mentions Tituba’s name he is quickly convinced that Tituba is a witch and compels her to provide the names of others that have bound themselves to the evil.
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
After meeting characters such as Rebecca Nurse, John Proctor, and Giles Corey, Reverend Hale starts to question the ideals he was a part of. After hearing the story of those characters, Reverend Hale starts to believe that they are telling the truth and that they are not connected to the devil or witches in anyway. After seeing people that he talked with and seen them as the most righteous and Christian people being accused and hanged. Reverend Hale begins to question himself and wondering if he is doing his job right, or if his job is even the right thing to believe in. In the end of Act three, you see the view of Reverend Hale change and see him start to question the accusers and the court and anyone else who believes in witches.
At this point in the story, fourteen people had been accused and arrested for witchcraft allegations, all of these people were sentenced to be arrested by Reverend Hale and after that sentenced to be hanged. While talking to John Proctor, a man who is skeptical of the false accusations, Reverend Hale says to John “Man, remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful”(68) This is a reflection of how Reverend Hale can not deny any accusation because, as an ordained minister he is obligated to follow every bit of the Bible which states that anyone can change due to the Devil. As we see Reverend Hale progress as a character we see him progress to moving away from the Bible for evidence. Prior to the conversation he had with John, he was talking to Goody Proctor, John’s wife who is considered a very godly woman.
The narrator describes Hale as, "nearing forty, a tight skinned, eager eyed intellectual. This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for. Like almost all men of learning, he spent a good deal of his time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before."(Miller 475). The city of Salem at this time thought that Hale would "cleanse" Salem of the Devil when truly Hale realizes that the way the trials were run could have been easily
“What made a minister who saw the dangers, who wanted to protect the innocent and convict the guilty, side with the court?” ( Overview) Hale was brought into the village of Salem on a mission to prove if there was witchcraft present. Hale comes into the village with good intentions, and a strong desire to help the village. (Overview) As the story unfolds, Hale begins to notice how the girls are throwing out the accusations as a way to gain attention, and causing innocent people to be murdered or taken to prison.
The goodness and honesty of a person is revealed when he or she faces a crucible. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a strict Puritan town by the name of Salem is overpowered by the lies and deceit of supposed witchcraft. Everyone is subject to affiliation with the Devil and no one is safe from allegation. Two righteous men – John Proctor and Reverend Hale – compliment and contrast each other in their search to uncover the truth. As the play proceeds, Proctor and Hale find themselves and follow their own moral values.
A wise woman named Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "Do what you feel in your heart to be right for you'll be criticized anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't”. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there is a number of characters whose true and honest actions eventually lead them to their unfortunate downfall. This play takes place in the 1600s during the Salem Witch Trials in Salem, Massachusetts. In the beginning of the play they introduce the protagonist John Proctor, a married farmer who in the past committed the heinous act of adultery with his former servant girl Abigail Williams, a moral less and manipulative seventeen year old girl.
“Character Analysis over The Crucible” Arthur Miller is a commonly-known playwright, most famous for his 1953 play, The Crucible. The basis for The Crucible came from the witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the puritan era. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. However, Miller made a few alterations to the historical members of the Salem society in order to suit his dramatic purpose in The Crucible, particularly Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Reverend Samuel Parris.
I conclude this from the following quotation said by Hale: “... I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face” (Miller 1281). Shown in this text is the depths Hale is willing to go to in order to rid witches in Salem. Additionally, it relays the message of how mementus and horrific he sees sorcery. Also said in the text by Hale is, “If she [Tituba] is truly in the Devil's grip we may have to rip and tear to get her free” (Miller 1281). The excerpt ensures his strong feelings about do whatever it takes to annihilate witchcraftery.
The Fall of Reverend Hale People’s views are constantly changing. They can be so confident in the beginning and afterward, they can be uncertain about their beliefs. This is exactly what happened in the Salem Witch Trials with Reverend Hale. Between February 1692 and May 1693, people were accused and brought to court on allegations of witchcraft. Puritans were a harsh branch of the Church who believed that they are God’s chosen ones.
