Compare And Contrast Reverend Hale In The Crucible

Reverend Hale admits to himself that he may have started the witch trials in Salem, feeling guilty Hale strives to save anyone that he can from being hung. After some time, Reverend Hale realizes that the witch accusations are driven by ulterior motives. He feels guilty because he is the one who confirmed that the presence of the devil is in the town of Salem, causing fear to overcome many people. Hale exclaims, “There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!”(Miller 131). He believes that because he started the unjust trials he is the one to blame for the execution of innocents. Hale is convinced that if he had never gotten involved then the witch trials may have never occurred. In an attempt to fix the problem he created,

Truth is oftentimes glazed over or obscured by the sweet words of the manipulator, and the journey to discover it is painful in the mental aspect by challenging one’s mindset or morals. To those who have faith in truth, however, it can be a savior shining a light onto the path of righteousness. In the play The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, the eloquent lies of a single girl by the name of Abigail expands into full-blown witch trials where minister Reverend Hale is brought in to examine the markings of those tainted by the Devil. Within his time spent in the ominous village of Salem, the lies exposed to him begin to query his life-long standings of the Bible and God. As he further uncovers the truths, Hale’s role in the Salem Witch Trials undergoes a dramatic transformation from a certain accuser, to a precarious bystander, to the defender of the tried.

The towns’ people accused now are too well known and well respected to be witches. He begins lose faith in the court as the court proceeds to accuse more people. Most of the accusations made absurd. Reverend Hale himself cannot believe that such well respected towns’ people could be

In The Crucible, there are many complex characters who shift throughout the play. Reverend Hale was one of the most complex of these characters. Hale’s changes were a direct result of the trials. Because of this Hale’s changes can be traced through his actions and motivations. Throughout the play, Reverend Hale was changed by his faith, his knowledge of the truth, and by his guilt.

In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, a group of adolescent, immature girls are seen dancing around a fire pit in the woods. The man accuses them of witchcraft, but their cowardice to reveal the truth leads to a series of accusations of innocent, unknowing citizens within Salem. In the story, Reverend Hale, an experienced and high-class specialist in witchcraft comes to the not-so-quaint town of Salem to further investigate this matter and declare who is the real “witch”. Everyone in town sees him as a man of great intellect and authority, and many fear to oppose him. Hale is aware of his place in society, and carries himself very highly because of it.

Wayne Dyer, an American philosopher, author, and motivational speaker once stated “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Reverend John Hale changes his viewpoints throughout The Crucible multiple times based on the current events around him. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, uses this book to focus on the historical events occurring in Salem during the Salem witch trials, which occurred from February 1692 to May 1693. Miller utilizes ethos, logos, and pathos through his writing of The Crucible to convey the changing viewpoints and emotions of the morally ambiguous character, Reverend John Hale.

Quickly after Mr. Hale’s arrival in Salem, the situation regarding witchcraft escalates. Mr. Hale gets sucked into the middle of something which didn’t impact his life personally in the first place. As rumors of the devil spread around, more names known to be “seen” with him are mentioned in the court. Mr. Hale takes it upon himself to visit the houses of those who are accused of involvement in witchcraft. “No— no, I come of my own, without the court’s authority. Hear me. I know not if you are

Reverend Hale believes in his second thoughts of the devil not being such a thing, and sees that Abigail has been setting this all up and framing John Proctor to have his love. Pointing at Abigail, Hale says, “I believe him!...This girl has always struck me false!...”(Act III, 50) After Abigail over-exaggerates and makes the girls believe the devil is in their presence, and the people of the court believe them, Reverend Hale walks out in frustration. People of the court and town don’t know what else to believe because they always thought the girls were saying the truth about what they saw. Hale begins to see that a lot of people in the town of Salem, are corrupted in result of the witchcraft trials.

In the early 1962’ through 1963’ cases as “Salem witch trials” were taken place in Province of Massachusetts Bay in where Reverend Hale in “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller was brought forward to Samuel Parris for assistance. This is where the proceedings and deceitful tragedies occur. Where Reverend Hale will be manipulated, deceived, praised, and exalted of his actions. But the will of this man will be changed during his whole experience in Salem.

In the beginning of the play Reverend Hale has a big ego, thinks he knows everything, and believes his way of doing things is the only way to do something. Reverend Hale believes “the Devil can never overcome a minister…”(43). Hale is cocky and arrogant. He thinks nothing, not even the Devil, can take him down. Reverend Hale also acts like a know-it-all. He has to “...Instruct you… the Devil is precise… the marks of his presence are as definite as stone…” (35). Hale believes he is the master of all things Devil Related. He thinks he knows everything. Reverend Hale also thinks that he is in charge. Hale tells the people of Salem that they can not decide on things (65). He really believes that he in charge of these people. Reverend Hale thinks that only the way he decides matters. In the beginning of this play Reverend Hale is presumptuous and acts superior.

In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the village of Salem filled with paranoia and fear as a result of the accusation of witchcraft traveling through their town. One after another, the people fell into the trap of believing in witchcraft—conforming to the belief of witchcraft appeared safer than questioning it, for they knew that voicing disagreement would result in being accused as well. Miller used Reverend Hale as an example of this, showing a character arc that exhibits how his inward questioning gradually affected his ability to outwardly conform to the belief in witchcraft. Upon Reverend John Hale’s entrance at the end of Act I, Arthur Miller introduced him with thorough detail on who he was and what he believed, saying: Mr. Hale is nearing

When Hale arrives in Salem, he presents himself as pedantic, confident, and slightly arrogant. Hale shows his superiority over the normal townspeople by saying: “They must be; they are weighted with authority.”, when referring to his books. (34). Hale’s interaction with Proctor shows that Hale is extremely eager to ferret out the demons that have been terrorizing Salem through his superior methods. As the witch trials become more intense, Hale begins to show doubt surrounding the fervor and reasons of the trials and questions if the accusers are innocent. Hale shows his fear of the trials when he states, “We cannot blink it more. There is a prodigious fear of this court in the country-.”(90). When Hale disagrees with Danforth it divulges that Hale is having a serious internal conflict surrounding his guilt of cleansing the town. As the show finishes, Hale develops into an entirely new man who recognizes the wrong he has committed. “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!” states Hale as he shows a full figure transformation (111). Hale eventually completes his transformation when he rejects the court and dedicates a large portion of his time to trying to save those in jail. Ultimately, Hale undergoes a positive change when he recognizes that the Salem witch trails went too far and tries to undo the bedlam he

Then, when he returns to Salem in Act Four, he wills up to his fatal mistakes and does what no other authoritative figure is able to do in this play—admit that they were wrong. Reverend Hale started out as an arrogant man and gradually realized how immoral his decisions and previous way of thinking was. He changes by allying himself with people like Giles Corey and John Proctor. He tries very hard, using his status and intellect, to prevent the innocent from being executed by a false claim. Reverend Hale’s

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible emphasizes different human flaws and their dangerous impact on Salem in 1692. By analyzing the effects of arrogance, blind faith, and guilt, Miller creates the dynamic character Reverend Hale. As Hale struggles with overcoming his own flaws, he transforms from a zealous man focused on gaining respect into the voice of reason amidst the chaos and corruption of the court. Throughout his character development, Hale challenges the authority figures of Salem as he becomes more skeptical, fights against his own Puritan ideals and accepts his role as a tragic figure.

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