Summary of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible

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.

Hale realizes the town is crazy in the accusations that are being made; therefore, he feels as if he cannot help. Hale first came into the town to help a girl who was said to be possessed by the devil. Hale wanted to rid the town of the evil spirits that were going against the Church’s teachings. After being in Salem for sometime he sees that fine people are being accused. He says to Danforth, “Excellency, I have signed seventy-two death warrants; I am a minister of the Lord, and I dare not take a life without there be a proof so immaculate no slightest qualm of conscience may doubt it.”(Miller 99) Hale thinks he is now going against what the Lord has taught him because there is no hard evidence, it is all spectral evidence. Hale realizes this when Mary Warren says that what she said she has seen people’s spirits, was all a lie. Hale believes her, but when Abby goes into hysterics and so do the other girls screaming and saying that Mary is sending her spirits out at them Hale knows that what he believes is right...

... middle of paper ...

...good idea and so John lies and sings the paper. Although he had signed he does not want his name on the Church doors. Hale knows that Danforth does not like this and he tries to help. The judges start to doubt if John is really telling the truth or not, but in the end John and all the other innocent people end up hanging!

In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller portrays a character who has altered. Hale believes the spirit of the devil coming over people was real, and he later believes the accusations are false. He rather people lie and live, than tell the truth and die. He attempts to postpone the hangings with no benefit. In the end, he feels he is responsible for many people’s deaths and he is a character that was remorseful for what he had done. Hale is a dynamic character and even though he believed in the beginning, in the end he believed the truth not the lies.