The Crucible: Danforth and Hale

Hale requires everyone who is accused of being a witch to go to court and agree that they are witches in order to prevent being hanged. If they admit that they aren’t a witch they would be hanged immediately. Hale seems to be very involved with the accusations, questioning those that are accused everything they know about god and the church (asking Hale to recite the 10 commandments, questioning the victims’ attendance in church, baptism, and things he sees as strange). When Hale goes to John Proctor’s house we witness the interrogation process: “I thought, sir, to put some questions as to the Christian character of this house, if you’ll permit me…I note that you are rarely in the church on Sabbath day…how comes it that only two [boys] are baptized” (2.621-671)? Later on in the play, when Proctor is testifying in court, they mystery starts to unravel inside of Hale’s head. At the end of Proctor’s trial, he yells that he no longer supports what is going on after Judge Danforth is unwilling to listen to Proctor’s testimony that the whole thing is pretense: “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court” (3.1499-1500)! He is ashamed that everything he has been trying to find was false and made up by Abigail. We see that in the jail scene he is begging Goody Proctor to have her husband confess in order to save his life: “Will you plead for his confession or will you not” (4.486-487)? This dynamic character change truly captures how Hale has changed since the

In this act, and with much consideration (adverb phase #2), Reverend Hale seems to be less full of himself, and more hesitant. He talks about how he has a difficult time drawing “a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court,” because he doesn’t know the people of their town (adverb phrase #3) (Miller 1169). This is only one of Hale’s problems as the play keeps moving along. Act three brings more complications and hesitance from Hale. Proctor’s wife has now been seized and taken to court, along with others accused of witchcraft. During these court sessions, Reverend Hale is beginning (gerund #2) to realize that the court really is unfair (noun clause #1). For example, even though evidence is given by Giles Corey (adjective clause #2), the judge refuses to accept (infinitive #2) it and simply asks for more evidence (Miller 1195). Now, Hale is starting to become frustrated. He’s also beginning to realize that he has made some aberrations (noun clause #2). When John Proctor is sentenced to be hanged for witchcraft, Hale respondes to the prejudice court by declaring , “I denounce these proceedings! I quit this court!” (Miller 1213), and proceeds to walk out of the courthouse. This is only the beginning of Hale’s

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, John Hale is a dynamic character; although he starts out as a confident, objective, somewhat naive man, he later shows strong characteristics of defiance, bravery, and indignation through indirect characterization, diction, and metaphor.

Secondly, Judge Danforth’s irrationality and ignorance brings about poor decisions on his part. One of the instances where Danforth reveals his following attitude is when he denies to even look at a deposition presented by John Proctor as described by his words “ No, no, I accept no depositions” (Miller 88). John Proctor hands him a deposition signed by Mary warren, stating that

Once Reverend Hale notices that the accusers in the trials are frauds he goes from helping convict the suspected witches to helping prove their innocence. This change takes its full form when John Proctor is accused of doing things for the devil. The first time that John and Reverend Hale talk John says that he is going to confess. Reverend Hale does everything in his power to convince John to not confess but nothing works. After he does this he tries to reason with Elizabeth Proctor, John’s wife, and try and get her to convince her husband that what he is doing is stupid and that he shouldn’t confess to something that he hadn’t done. This is just the main person that Reverend Hale helped, but there were many

Danforth’s corrupted mentality stems from his limitless power. All of the power Danforth holds comes from his high position in the court as a judge. Since a judge makes crucial decisions, Danforth holds an immense amount of power that he uses at his disposal. The supremacy of Danforth allows him to manipulate powerless characters such as John Proctor. Proctor, a wise farmer, does not hold much power in his community compared to Judge Danforth, due to social class. Thus, Danforth can use religion to suppress Proctor, as shown in act 3 of The Crucible. “Plow on Sunday!” (Miller 91). Danforth’s exclamation about plowing on Sundays shows that doing any sort of labor on Sunday is a sin, and Sundays are meant for the church. Danforth criticizing Proctor about his religious devotion allows Danforth to prove to the court and others as to why Proctor cannot be trusted. Even though Proctor was telling the truth, Danforth’s twisted methods of manipulation subdue vulnerable characters like Proctor. As shown, Danforth is able to use religion to put down a powerless man, and thus it turns the court case in his favor. Overall, Danforth, a powerful individual, is able to control Mr. Proctor and turn away his evidence by questioning Proctor about his unreligious

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the witch trials in Salem were a devastating time. The entire community was in disorder and chaos because of personal vengeance. This included accusations of innocent town’s people being called witches, so they hanged and were jailed. Throughout the play certain characters help the rise of witchcraft as well as the disapproval of all the innocent people who were being convicted for no reason. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character whom comes to rid of the evil spirits in Salem, yet he later tries to end the trials. Hale realizes the accusations are false, attempts to postpone the hangings, and persuade the victims to lie conveys that he is a dynamic character and changes throughout the play.

“Why it is simple I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!” (201). This quote is so powerful to the audience, Hale is admitting he feels guilty. He feels he has killed innocent people. How many people had to die for him to finally realize? In act four, Hale also begs Elizabeth Proctor into getting her to make John confess. Elizabeth would argue that it isn’t her job to control him. “You know, do you not, that I have no connection with the court? I come of my own, Goody Proctor. I would save your husband’s life, for if he is taken I count myself his murdered. Do you understand me?” (202). Hale is saying he has no connection to the court's decisions. He comes to help Salem not destroy it. If John decides not to confess, and gets hung, Hale won’t think he did enough to help him, he could’ve done more. If John dies, with Hale knowing he’s an innocent man, Hale will call himself John’s

The first character flaw I shall mention in this unique and amazing paper was Danforth's pride. He was a man who was greatly respected and someone who had been there and done the “witch-hunt” before. He honestly thought he was the best thing since sliced bread for lack of better terms. The story proved

In the novel, The Crucible by Arthur Miller leads the reader on a journey back to 1692 to reexplore the Salem witchcraft trials. Miller creates an atmosphere and mood in the play with the historical background and Puritan culture. People are being arrested, convicted, and are dying as trust is fading away in the Salem community. The citizens who live in Salem deal with extremely restrictive laws. Evil is characterized by believing illusional ideals that leads people to death which lead Danforth to be selfish, prideful, values his reputation, and tries to do his best for Salem yet crumbles the society.

Hale goes up to Danforth as he putting an unfair case on trial: “ 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. In God’s name, sir, stop here; send him home and let him come again with a lawyer-”(92). Hale is concerned for the people of community; he believes that like Giles many other people in the community are not getting fair trials. He stands up for the people in the jail that are not able to these liberties to get to represent themselves civilly. Hale also tries to convince the accused to confess so they are not sentenced to death. When he realizes that his evidence of the accusations are altered by Abigail's

American playwright, Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible, implies that witch hunts still exist in American society. Miller supports this claim by drawing parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and the Senator Joseph Mccarthy Trials. His purpose is to warn his readers of the dangers of mass hysteria. He uses emotional appeals and logic to convince the reader that mass “hunts” are still a danger to Americans today. The central way, however, that Miller achieves his topmost goal of displaying the hazards of Individuality vs. Ideology is through the expressive characterization of Reverend John Hale. John hale is an example of outward conformity because he believes in the devil in the beginning, he sees that the girls are

Arthur Miller writes about the tragic results of human failings in his play, The Crucible. He presents characters from the past and infuses them with renewed vitality and color. Miller demonstrates the horrifying results of succumbing to personal motives and flaws as he writes the painful story of the Salem witch trials. Not only do the trials stem from human failings but also from neglect of moral and religious considerations of that time. Characters begin to overlook Puritan values of thrift and hope for salvation. Focusing on the flawed characters, they begin to exhibit land lust, envy of the miserable and self-preservation.

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.

The tragic events of the Salem witch trials tested the morality of several individuals, who abided to a government based on religious intolerance and limitation. Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” highlights the detrimental effects of the religious court, and the impact Puritan societal norms had on its citizens. Reverend Hale, a protagonist in the play serves as a balance between morality versus and the religious conformity that took place within society. His transformation throughout the play demonstrates his true intention in doing what is right and abiding by the correct ideals, instead of following the damaging priorities enrooted in the theocratic system. Throughout “The Crucible,” Reverend Hale transfers from adhering to a theocracy to prioritizing the true value of life, revealing his maintenance of a strong moral code.