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Reverend Hale In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

980 Words4 Pages

The Salem witch trials that were held in 1692 inspired author Arthur Miller to write The Crucible. Dozens were accused of witchcraft only to save the hide of another towns member. Men from out of town were called in to put the accusations at rest. This did not work. The Proctors, most well known name in the town, were arrested and punished accordingly. Rebecca Nurse, well respected, hanged because she refused to admit to a crime she did not commit. Reverend Hale, the one person who had a chance at finding the truth through all of the madness, was the only person who stayed true to himself. He stayed true through the trials, never assumed witchcraft, and pleaded with the court to see the truth.
Although many people were throwing claims left …show more content…

He came into Salem laden with books that had the potential to help rid Salem of the Devil. He was of high authority and assumed that because of his rank he was above all else and he held all holy answers. As soon as he stepped foot into Salem, everyone handed him power on a silver platter. He was looked at as God’s personal servant and that went to his head very quickly. From the beginning, however, Hale never assumed anything. He only looked for clues that could lead to potential answers, whether that be witches or not. “We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise.” (1,988-990). Though he is precise he is very evident in this small Puritan town, causing chaos in every corner. “... I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no mark of Hell upon her” (1.992-994). Hale here is saying that his Holy power may have to be enough answer for the people of the town. Only when the young girls of Salem began to go wild with their lie did Hale start to think that it was possible that he was wrong. He never realized that such a thing was possible, given how close he believed he was to God. So Hale went to court and talked with the accused, trying his best to ask for their confessions. Though he knew it was a lie, he knew it would be the best for everyone in the

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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)

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When Reverend Hale first enters the story he is depicted as someone with great knowledge and authority. Proctor tells Hale on page 185, “I’ve heard you were a sensible man, Mister Hale - I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem.” Hale is well known to people around Salem and he is known for possessing great knowledge. The people will listen to what Hale has to say, but know that his presence means that there is suspicion of witchcraft.

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Once they saw the result of the girls naming off names at once, Reverend Hale wanted to help the girls instead of hang them for they did not cause themselves to become under the devils power. Once he saw what was to happen to the women that confess he believed that much more woman were witches especially the ones rattled off by Abigail Williams and Betty. He wanted the girls to confess to their witchcraft so that they would not be hung for their wrongdoing. He was very determined to make Elizabeth Proctur confess so that he would not witness her hanging. Once Rebecca Nurse was accused then Reverend Danforth did not want to believe the witch trials

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Moreover, as Hale remains hidden from reality, blinded by the witch-identifying doctrines he is so well-versed in, his authority over others prevails. Attempting to discover witchcraft in the Proctor abode, Hale questions the couple’s Christian character, asking why they “are so absent” in church (64) and of their children, why “only two are baptized” (65). Following this line of reasoning, Hale is only able to think through the lens of his books, without any attention to the big picture of the trials. Moreover, Hale’s blind obedience carries on, as his teachings lead him to believe the Proctors are guilty, leading him to present this to the court under his existing

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When he first enters Salem it seems his head is held high with knowledge and determination, but he will not allow any conclusions to be made unless they are from his books that guide him through witchcraft cases. After Abigail reveals she did not see the devil, Hale immediately makes an accusation and suspiciously asks, “Why are you concealing? Have you sold yourself to Lucifer?” (Miller 1259). Because of Hale’s authority, Abigail becomes defensive and puts the blame on Tituba.

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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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Hale is a man that is lead by his faith and goodwill; with a goal to get down to the bottom of what is really occurring in these so called “witch” cases. Hale is very diverse than most characters because while he is trying to punish the witches he only punishes the ones that he can prove. His strong character is truly shown when he had to overcome Abigail’s manipulation. Throughout this story the true colors begin to show and shine through the characters.

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In the beginning of the play, when Hale was introduced it was clear that he follows the books. He believes the innocent will be saved and the people that sin will suffer consequences. In act two of The Crucible, Hale goes to the Proctor’s household to figure out why

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The outrageous Salem Witch Trials in 1692 was a chaotic and preposterous time-period. Innocent civilians were hanged for being supposed witches. In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible”, some characters go on believing all of the lies, however, some stand up and question the legitimacy of the evidence. Reverend Hale is a unique character that completely changes his outlook on the trials throughout the book. Hale, in his quest to free Salem from witchcraft, changes from an obedient and law-abiding man to a man that wants to save innocent lives and bring panacea to Salem.

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In the beginning, he believes the girls and the accusations they are making, but then he becomes doubtful. He first questions himself when he delivers the news to John Proctor about his wife being mentioned in court. He says, ““God forbid such a one be charged” (64) because Elizabeth was a very honest and uptight woman. He had also just been to Rebecca Nurse’s house to warn her she was accused of witchcraft, which was appalling to some people because of her caring, generous persona. Many innocent seeming people were being accused, and Hale didn’t know whom to trust; he couldn’t trust that he was making the right decisions for these people in

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This change revealed that Hale was a fair man and with time he had much reason when he knew that the girls were manipulating Salem. Also, he would become more apparent rather than being arrogant and confident when he realises the evil and corruption of these witch trials. His change shows he’s a fair man who only wants to find the truth and use these trials to find if there is a devil in someone not a place of convicting hangings no matter what evidence is given unless you

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Didn’t beat around the bush whatsoever and cut straight to the chase. Once he found out Tituba was with the girls dancing in the forest he interrogated her and got her to talk, no one in Salem could do that. Tituba was put on the spotlight once Hale had somewhat of a talk with Abigail Williams, in my opinion she’s the one who started all this, she has the power to manipulate anyone she pleases; but it would work on Reverend Hale .When the hysteria started to build up around Salem, they townspeople started to panic and each individual were starting to get even more scared day by day. Hale also thinks before he acts, plans each move precisely; Hale once stated “We cannot look to superstition into this, the devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone”(Miller.1.752-754).

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God help me, I cannot judge her guilty or innocent- I know not. Only this consider: The world goes mad, and it profit nothing you should lay the cause to the vengeance of a little girl” (Miller 78-79). In these lines, Hale is trying to be “realistic” about the witchcraft trials and is taking it very seriously. He does not believe the girls are faking.

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Words have a prodigious influence on people and hold the power to change minds, which in turns makes it fitting that writers teach people and advocate for social change as Arthur Miller does in his play, The Crucible. In the play, Reverend Hale represents Miller’s attempts to capture the panic in those realizing the wrongdoings of participating in McCarthy’s fraudulent efforts of eradicating Communism. Hale speaks “with a climatic desperation” (Text 1, the play) as he attempts to convince Judge Danforth that the hangings have to come to an end. Miller uses Hale to try to convince people to stop McCarthy as seen in Hale’s unfortunate, futile efforts towards the end of the play to stop the hanging of John Proctor. John Proctor is used to show how such accusations can “blacken” a name that one “cannot have another [one] in [his] life” (Text 1, the play); through John Proctor, Miller advocates for an end to the

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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.

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