Reverend Hale In The Crucible

All of a sudden there was a witch outbreak in Salem Massachusetts. The following day the girls were found in bed inert. The doctor attempted to figure out the sickness the girls could have. However, he could not give the sickness any name. Then Reverend Hale was called in to help the town cure its unnatural problem. Throughout the play Reverend Hale contributed to both sides of the arguments. At the beginning he believed the court was doing God’s job. Towards the end his character changes and is less in favor of the court and more in favor for the people being wrongly accused. Reverend Hale’s is seen to be independent, confident and outspoken. These traits end up changing towards the end of the play. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character

Reverend John Hale is the minister who is called in to investigate the witch trials in The Crucible. At first he believes them, but later he returns to the town to try and stop the trials. Deputy Governor Danforth is the judge at the witch trials. He is dedicated to removing all witches. He rules by the law and will not allow exceptions or anyone to try to undermine his court.

In Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" the most powerful character out of all of them is Reverend Hale. He has the most power because it is not possible for him to be a witch at all. This fact is proven because he is the minister and he even said himself " I cannot be the witch I am the minister (pg.36). This quote is him saying he cannot be accused of witchcraft because basically he gave his soul and heart to God because he is a minister. Another reason he is the strongest character is because he knows the most about witches and has the most knowledge about the witches. He knows how they act, speak and smell. "HALE, quietly—it has impressed him: Proctor, let you open with me now, for I have a rumor that troubles me. It's said you hold no

31. The reason Hale gives for his visit is because Hale heard about the news about John’s wife name being mentioned in court as well as to question John’s knowledge of his religious beliefs.. This reveals that Reverend Hale is very religious about the devil as well as curious of john’s Christian character. He is aware of the whole witch hysteria and he is curious about John’s wife being accused in court which is why he visits him.

The Progression of Reverend Hale In the 1590’s mass hysteria ran rampant throughout the little town of Salem, Massachusetts. This chaos was caused by the idea that men and women in that town were conducting and participating in witchcraft. Reverend Hale’s sole purpose was to route out these witches and help in the prosecution of them.

Hale was a small-minded man in the beginning of the play. His beliefs were dictated by what he had read. This is shown when he goes to the unconscious Betty to try to find signs of the devil. His books have told him of the markings that are on those who have had contact with the devil and he believed it. This shows how he believed purely in what he read. His small-mindedness is also shown when he is interrogating Tituba. He believes she is telling the truth because he thinks it impossible to lie once you have put yourself in the hands of God. This changes as the play goes on.

Reverend hale corrupts his power unknowingly, as he believes that Abigail and the girls are telling the truth, his image as a well educated Godly man makes him the perfect model for the towns people to mold their opinion of the witch trials from.

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

Hale feels tested in his faith in God, and faith in his own abilities. He came to Salem to help the people, and feels he failed everyone; including himself. He blames himself for killing innocent people. He ultimately couldn’t handle this feeling. He starts to crack.

He begs Elizabeth, John's wife, to speak with John. Hale becomes so frustrated with the court for accusing people who are innocent and refuse to confess that he quits the court.

Change is inevitable. Many humans fight it while others greet it with open arms and smiling faces. Most people change because of things that happen around, or to them. Negative or positive, the actions can dictate whether the individual changes for the worse or for the better. Reverend Hale in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is the perfect example of this. He changes drastically, yet gradually, throughout the entire play. Hale progresses from conceited due to his abilities, to hesitant because of the great negative impact the witch trials are beginning to hold, and finally, he becomes regretful because of his ignorance and the actions it caused.

Furthermore, Reverend Hale was pushed to change also. Hale came into Salem a stranger, but knew how to fix the problem the town endured. He never questioned that God had a plan and always thought that something was either good or bad, with no gray area in between. This thinking is challenged when Elizabeth, a pure person, is accused and then later when John confesses. He knows that these people are honest and leaves the court for a period of time. In the end, Hale is a desperate man, and even though knowing there is no witchcraft present, he urges John to admit that he is not the one that should be punished. He has to question all the rules he has lived by his whole life and pursue something he knows is incorrect. In essence, Reverend Hale is pushed to his limits and is turned into a man that will be permanently in suspicion of any standards he ever thought were true.

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.

When the play begins John Hale is much like Reverend Parris- he is naïve and controlled by the dogmas of the church, but unlike Parris, he truly believes that what he is doing is right while Parris's intentions were never pure. When he first enters the play, he is the force behind the witch trials- probing for confessions and encouraging people to testify. As the play continues, however, he experiences a transformation, making him one of the most dynamic characters in the play. He begins to empathize and has independent revelations regarding the nature of the trials after listening to John Proctor and Mary Warren.

In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Reverend Hale’s attitude and beliefs are changed completely as the play progresses. After Reverend Parris is a witness to girls dancing in the woods and also when his daughter becomes very ill, he calls Rev. Hale to Salem. Hale’s job is to find any form of witchcraft and to get rid of it. Over the course of the play, Rev. Hale experiences a transformation in his beliefs from the beginning of the play to the end. Reverend Hale has three different emotions throughout the play. When Hale is introduced in the the beginning of the play, he is passionate and very confident about finding witchcraft and getting rid of it. In the middle of the play, Hale is frustrated and he does not know who to trust nor