Reverend Hale The Crucible Character Analysis

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,

In Act 3 of The Crucible, he is one of the judges of court during a trial where John Proctor ended up being arrested for witchcraft. “Hale: I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court! He slams the door to the outside behind him” (111). Hale said this after not being able to persuade to the court that Proctor isn’t a very bad person as he seems. By reacting to the pressure of the people, he just leaves or I guess you could say “rage quits.” This next part in The Crucible shows Reverend Hale trying to do the good thing again, for John Proctor who is about to be hanged. “Hale: Woman, plead with him! He starts to rush out the door, and then goes back to her. Woman! It is pride, it is vanity. She avoids his eyes, and moves to the window. He drops to his knees. Be his helper! - What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? Go to him, take his shame away” (134)! Reverend Hale was pressured by the fact that Proctor was going to be hanged and he almost fully confessed himself and Hale saw the good person in him. However, when Hale pleaded with Elizabeth Proctor, he begged for her to take the shame away until Elizabeth pretty much could not do anything about it. In the end, like a good person like Reverend Hale should be when put under pressure, is to try to do the right

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

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

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.

He questions many of the people’s faith in order to pinpoint a possible cause. Unlike Salem’s pastor, Hale wants to destroy the demon for the sake of the people and not reputation. Hale becomes justified when the wife of a farmer named, John Proctor, is accused of witchcraft. Hale does not sway from his religious beliefs and ponders on John Proctor’s unwillingness to attend Church every Sunday. However, Hale tries to support Proctor and does not see that his wife could perform witchcraft, “I cannot say he is an honest man; I know him little. But in all justice, sir, a claim so weighty cannot be argued by a farmer…” (III.99). Hale is acting upon his morals and trying to persuade the court to look toward reason. Hale’s guilt is starting to overwhelm and seeing so many people condemned without reason hurts him, “I have this morning signed away the soul of Rebecca Nurse, Your Honor…” (III.99-100). Hale is expressing his true feelings and is torn by the guilt of persecuting an innocent old woman. Hale acts like a judge who cares about physical evidence. Hale is reasonable and persuades the court to do the

Reverend Hale is one of the main characters that is greatly influenced by his pride. Hale is known for hunting witches. He shows that he takes pride in taking on this task. "This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of one specialist whose unique knowledge has at least been publically called for." This quote from the play shows that Hale was very prideful for taking on this task in Salem. Once in Salem Hale soon finds himself in a situation he has never been in. Hale feels as if the people that are dying of witchcraft are his fault. He attempts to tell the accused to plead to witchcraft in order to save their lives but yet, no one will listen. Hale realizes that his pride got in the way of what he was suppose to do and tries to make sure others do not make the same mistake he made.

When Hale first arrives to Salem, he is excited and determined to start his work. Mr. Parris’s daughter, Betty, seems to be inert at fault of the Devil. Hale is called in to investigate. He loves his job and takes pride in it, “This is a beloved errand for him: being called here to ascertain witchcraft” (Miller 1252). Hale first carries energy of intelligence and eagerness. He is encouraging people to testify and to bring them justice, “We are going to help you tear yourself free” (1260). Hale is assuring Mr. Parris that he is much more powerful than the Devil and that he can expel him.

He began having doubts when he realized that nobody who had been convicted of dealing with witchcraft would confess. Another factor was that Abigail Williams, the antagonist of the Salem Witchcraft Trials, and her group of friends were the main people who were accusing other of witchcraft. One more thing that started to sway Hale’s opinion on witchcraft and the people who had been convicted was the fact that residents of Salem who had a good name in the community and were very religious began to be accused of witchcraft. Also, some people who held a high status in Salem started to be accused

Hale’s arrival during Act I in Salem describes him as character full of confidence and eager to utilize his knowledge of witchcraft. Hale enters “loaded down with half a dozen heavy books”(Miller 36) and because he is carrying all these heavy books he projects an air of great knowledge and confidence. The other characters in novel greets Hale with respect and treats him as a character in high position as a respected minister. His cofidence on the subject of evil provides a sense of stability for the community of Salem. However, Hale’s own desire to discover witchcraft allows others to manipulate him easily and does not realise that he is being deceived.

After returning to Salem after an extended absence, and knowing that these absurd actions should never have happened in the first place Hale, states, “Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my great faith, blood flowed up.” at this point hale has completely transformed from his reliance on strict biblical interpretations to relying on his own conscience and experiences, even faulting his reliance on these texts n the process.

Throughout the play Reverend Hale has tried so hard to do the right thing. Even when he wasn't sure what the right thing was. This conflict did not show us who he really was. It changed him. And probably not for the better. At the beginning of the play he was faithful, hopeful, kind, confident and honest. But at the end, he was broken. He didn't know what to believe anymore. Hale tried to save everyone and he couldn't even save one person. That most likely shattered his faith. He believe that he was sent to Salem to find and stop witchcraft. But the only evil he found was the

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

In the beginning of the book, before the Salem Witch Trials even occurred, Reverend Hale arrives in Salem with a concrete commitment to authority. He comes to Salem with a determined objective to investigate the situation and to use his expertise in witchcraft to aid the people of Salem in their bedlam. He is not only considered an expert in witchcraft, but he also considers himself an expert in

In the crucible Hale to visit the minister Paris to try and decide if witchcraft is present in Salem.