Reverend Hale And Abigail Williams In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In 1692, the Puritan village of Salem is against the practice of witchcraft and their opinions are divided amidst the majority who believe the accusations are true and the minority who think the accusations are not provable. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible shows how two of the characters, Reverend Hale and Abigail Williams, reflect these groups. Reverend Hale had previously belonged to the majority until he began to understand how the system of the theocracy is corrupt and now takes the side of the minority; Abigail Williams went a different direction because when denying the accusations that were made, she began to make them towards others for her own benefit. Reverend Hale and Abigail change their ways throughout the play based on how

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 and do not have substantial evidence. Reverend Hale accuses people and uses his “understanding of witchery” to state that, “The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stones and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of Hell upon her” (Miller 35). Reverend Hales’ alleged knowledge on the subject of cosmology leads him to think that if something unusual happens to a person or they start to act in a strange way that it is the Devil’s service. He also believes that if a person confesses their sins and admits their patronage to the Devil that they are seeking God’s

Abigail, who is being questioned by her uncle Reverend Parris says, “But we never conjured spirits” (Miller 10). Abigail tries to find relief from the guilt, is not aware that her actions are going affect her as her lies become more difficult to bear, she then faces the reality of her deceit and manipulations. The drama continues to unfold, and she decides to seek spiritual help “I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus” (Miller 48). She continues with her pleas to God and her friends’ chanting. In this moment, fearful Abigail sees the depth of the witchcraft and requests help from God. Abigail’s manipulative tactics make her appear innocent when in reality, she is using it to reap her own benefits even though they will affect her negatively later