Reverend Hale Is Wild
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible connects the story with the old Puritan Society. A puritan is a person who follows strict moral rules and who believes that pleasure is always wrong. Since Reverend Hale was motivated by witchcraft, his decision to question people throughout the town creates a remorse feeling on him by the end of the play. Reverend Hale is motivated to question everyone around town about witchcraft because he is an expert at it. In Act II Hale tells Proctor; “It’s said you hold no belief that there may even be witches in the world” (Miller 857). This quote shows how he is trying to get to the bottom of the problem. Reverend Hale thinks he is a spiritual doctor. He thought he was supposed to provide a
For example, in Act in Hale goes to the Proctor’s home on “[his] own, without the court’s authority” (Miller 167). This shows a major change in Hale. It shows that he is losing faith in the court trials. In addition, he then says that he “[finds] it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court” (Miller 167). This further extends that he would rather do something investigating on his own than just trusting the court on its own. Furthermore, Hale tells the Proctors to “get [the] third child quickly baptized, and go you without fail each Sunday in to Sabbath prayer” (Miller 170). Hale gives the Proctors advice that will benefit them, since Goody Proctor had been mentioned in the witch trials. The reason he gives them advice is because of his decreasing credibility in the court. The decreasing credibility of Reverend Hale does not stop there
Society and religion often define morals, but as they evolve, one might gain a new worldview, which in turn changes their actions. Playwright Arthur Miller includes a character that undergoes such a transition in his work “The Crucible”, an allegory to McCarthyism. Reverend Hale, a Puritan minister living through the Salem Witch Trials, is challenged by the developing events in the town. Throughout the four acts, he must evaluate his actions and motivation, to determine if he is acting morally. Reverend Hale’s change from a man with absolute confidence in the theocracy to a man who believes life is more important than God’s will reveals that he is motivated by his morality.
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.
Reverend Hale became so disillusioned that he was a witch expert who was helping cleanse Salem of witchcraft. He came into the play with high hopes that he would be able to prove his abilities and to show what he can do and being all stuck up about himself. Without knowingly that he was the one who aided in the innocent people that were hanged and trialed for something that could not even be proven with evident but with just by the word of others. When he was going around Salem asking people questions of what they thought about the witch trials and other things possibly he was beginning the doubt since the people had said that certain people were good puritans and they saw absolutely no signs of them using witchcraft. Particularly when he questions John and Elizabeth Proctor who of which John point out so much evidence that Hale was seriously
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
In act 1 Hale was called in because the children had been behaving a little strange, and many of the towns people believed the behavior was caused by witchcraft. Hale specialized in this and was seen as the best person to figure out if it was truly witchcraft. When he arrived he began to observe and interogate everyone believed to be involved. Based on the evidence that he had been given he thought witchcraft was the source. In Act one he says, "no man may further doubt the powers of the dark and gathered in monstorous attack upon this
Reverend Hale undergoes many changes during the play “The Crucible”. For example, when he first gets to Salem he is all about how there are witches in Salem. Also, he was about doing God's doing and he also believed that the people convicted were actually witches. All that he believes in the beginning of the play change drastically. Hale goes though this test, and he fails the test.
The puritan society of Salem victimized and inflicted deep damage upon even the purest of citizens. John Proctor and Reverend John Rev. Hale have similar intentions, go through harsh and stressful experiences and develop a separate state of mind. While John Proctor and Rev. Hale in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller begin with pure intentions, the critical, harsh puritan society morphs them into victims.
Reverend Hale initially came to Salem as a confident witch hunter with considerable knowledge "to ascertain witchcraft, he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has … been publicly called for." He felt that figuring out if the Devil was invading Salem would not be difficult.
Reverend Jonathan Hale is motivated by getting rid of witchcraft in people. Hale was brought to Salem to try and get rid of the devil in the girl’s. Apparently the devil came to the girl’s while they were dancing in the forest. “We shall need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy” (36). This quote shows that Reverend Jonathan Hale’s motivation is getting rid of witchcraft because he wants to study hard to help them. It also says he will try hard to get the devil to leave them all and leave Salem. Hale also joins the court to help get rid of the witchcraft. Because Reverend Jonathan Hale
“...on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for” (Miller 1146). Hale had faith in his religion and the government, which were essentially the same thing. Hale believed wholeheartedly that he was doing the right thing. When Hale came to Salem he was proud, courageous, happy and excited. Waiting for the opportunity to help people. He didn’t want to get the devil out of people he wanted to put faith in people. Truth, kindness, faith, goodwill, hope and harmony was all that Hale wanted to bring. This is who he was, and he became something completely different. He was righteous and faithful. And then he was just sad.
The Puritan society in ‘The Crucible’ is a religious, tightly bound, and very “watchful” group of people. They came to America to practice their religion in peace, and the community has had to learn to come closer together in order to survive. Their rules and morals are based on their religion, not their government. This was a society built on “beliefs and values”.
The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in response to McCarthyism. It takes place during the 17th century in Salem, Massachusetts. Reverend John Hale of Beverly was an intellectual man in his late thirties who specialized in witchcraft. His last experience with witchcraft was false, but it had no effect on his confidence. Reverend Hale experienced the greatest change in the play, The Crucible, and merits a detailed exploration of his development.
Reverend John Hale is someone who strongly represents a dynamic character in literary work. In the play, he completely changes his point of view about the potential for witchcraft in Salem from the beginning to the end, proving that his character undergoes a major change. When Hale is called into Salem to prove the presence of witchcraft in the girls there, he comes “loaded down with half a dozen heavy books” (34), confident in his knowledge
At the start of the witch trials, Reverend Hale believes he can distinguish veracity from deception, but after participating in the trials, he emerges remorseful and puzzled by how people were murdered due to unsubstantiated claims. After observing the mass hysteria in Salem, Hale believes that there is witchcraft, and each accusation must be taken seriously: “‘I have seen too many frightful proofs in court—the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!’” (Miller 62). Hale righteously believes