Reverend John Hale is the character whose beliefs and principles change most throughout the arc of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, as he finds his morals, values, and intentions changing dramatically during the proceedings of the Salem Witch Trials. Prior to the beginning of the trials, Reverend Hale arrives in Salem with an unquestionable devotion to authority and the law. He has come to Salem in order to scrutinize the situation at hand and to employ his expertise in witchcraft to assist the citizens of Salem in a time of turmoil and disorder. Reverend Hale is not only known for his extensive knowledge on the subject of witchery, but he also believes himself to be more than well-versed on the subject. Unmistakably prideful, Hale holds himself to high standards, working …show more content…
with an air of precision and respect. He believes fully in the power of the written word, and dismisses all ideas of superstition.
When Reverend Parris mentions the weight of the books that Reverend Hale is carrying, Hale demonstrates his unshakable confidence in the text by responding, "They must be; they are weighted with authority" (36). Whether it is to be found literature or the law, Reverend Hale believes there is no more substantial domineering voice in a society than that of what is written in texts. He has no interest in questioning the ethics or virtues of the written word. Realistically, it is this knowledge of text that leads the people of Salem to believe in Reverend Hale's authority and good standing. He is known almost exclusively for his knowledge of witchcraft, which he has tediously acquired from these books. Without his texts, Reverend Hale would not be of higher rank than any other, a man, an opinion, and no one who would care to hear it. Using his knowledge of witches, he searches for a divine explanation to explain to the society of Salem the incident, which he refuses to indulge in superstitiously. He is a firm believer in the unquestioned monarchy of the church, and is only known for his association with the church and the court. Goody Proctor, fearing that Reverend
Hale is accusing her of witchcraft, argues that his duty is "to add what [he] may to the Godly wisdom of the court" (67). Reverend Hale defends his work and stands firmly behind his intentions. He wants to provide spiritual influence to the church. Reverend Hale seeks out witches and attempts to draw out a confession from them, so God can bless them and rid the devil from their soul. Although Hale's intentions are not corrupt, his intentions in Salem do not emphasize the welfare of the people. Instead, he is inclined towards the supremacy of the law and the church, and proceeds about his business in Salem in alignment with these priorities.
Hale has a lot of wisdom to share with Salem. " Man, remember, until an hour before the devil fell, God thought him beautiful in heaven," (p. 71); ".private vengeance is working through testimony," (p. 114). John Proctor is a strong and courageous character who will not give in easily to his accusers. In the end of The Crucible he denies the charges of witchcraft.
As Reverend John Hale is not a resident of Salem, he approaches the accusations and rumors without any prior opinion. Hale is introduced as extremely arrogant and proud with his goal being “light, goodness and its preservation”(Miller 34). This phrasing strengthens his role as a man of God, but this is not actually displayed in his personality until later. He is very book smart and this leads to some signs of immaturity. This is shown in Act I when Parris questions why the devil would come to Salem. “Why would he [the devil] choose this house to strike?”(39) In response Hale says, “It is the best the Devil wants, and who is better than the minister?”(39) This shows he enjoys the position better than he does its purpose. He is also very eager.
In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale sees that he has made a huge mistake by running the Salem witch trials. Soon after, he attempts to prevent a situation in which he would be responsible for the death of an innocent man. Hale goes to Proctor’s wife and begs her to tell her husband that he must not be hanged, by saying “life, woman, is god’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, can justify taking it” (Miller). Here, Rev. Hale is stating that John Proctor should not get himself killed and justify his own hanging with a glorious principle. By stating this, Rev. Hale is
Reverend Hale is believed to be a witch hunter of sorts. He believes himself to be a specialist and othe...
The test that Reverend John Hale faces is whether he can change his character early enough to redeem himself for the lives he has caused to be lost. He is the character that shows the most significant transformation overall. When he first comes to Salem, he is eager to find witchcraft and is honored that his scholastic skills are necessary. He feels that as an exorcist, it is his duty to help pe...
Arthur Miller weaves many events into the story that contribute to the alteration in Hale’s mindset. In the middle of Act 1, Hale arrives and is perceived by the town as “The truth seeker”. Hale is called upon to determine what sort of witchcraft, if any, is occurring (Page 33-35). Hale arrives admired by the people, who all want him to claim it was witchcraft that has occurred. Although unsure, he understands he is being led toward the conclusion of witchcraft by the town’s false pretences and mass hysteria. He begins to see a weakness in the position of the townspeople of Salem and tries to not let common accusations be the support for his diagnosis.
Statements from Hale show that he has realized the error of his ways. He decides to “shut [his] conscience no more” (223) and quits the court. Hale can no longer suppress his beliefs about the court and in effect, like Pontius Palter, absolves himself from the court. Next, Hale’s Words are used to show the immense amount of guilt that rests on his shoulder. Hale walks the prisons of Salem and, in knowing that “there is blood on [his] head” (234), “counsels Christians they should belie themselves” (234) even though he is also belying his reputation as reverend by doing this.
“Hale: Why, it is all simple. I come to do the Devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. (His sarcasm collapses.) There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!!” (Miller 137). In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, a man is sent to Salem, Massachusetts to help get rid of the witches. This man’s name is John Hale. He helps get rid of people that are accused of witchery. The judge is still accusing people of witchcraft and because they will not admit it they are getting hanged. Hale is a dynamic character because at first he wants to prove that witchery is real but at the end he recognizes that a man named John Proctor was telling the truth and that the girls were lying the whole time.
Because he is forced to accept that his beliefs have been messed with and realizes that he has sent people to their deaths, he loses faith in the law and questions his faith in God. Arthur Miller put many events into the story and tells about Hale’s mindset. In the middle of Act I, Hale comes and what he is called by the townspeople “The truth seeker”. Hale is called upon to determine what sort of witchcraft is going on. Hale arrives admired by the people who wants him to calm this nonsense of witchcraft down. He understands he being led toward the conclusion of witchcraft by the town’s wrong doings. He also begins to see a weakness in the position of the townspeople of Salem and tries to not let common things be the support for his
Hale is an intellectual man who takes pride in his ability to detect witchcraft. He was called to Salem to analyze their situation. "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."
Reverend Hale arrives in Salem thinking that he will become a hero and rid Salem of the devil. Hale is speaking to the townspeople when he says, "Have no fear now--we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!" Hale thinks that there is an actual devil in the town, and they must defeat it. He is trying to show the people of Salem that he is their savior, and that he knows exactly what to do.
Salem citizens in general were afraid of all ungodly things with their Puritan views. They had no trouble believing that, because Parris had called Reverend Hale, (known for his studies in demonic arts), there must truly be witchcraft within the town. The play progresses and certain characters begin to develop: here is a community full of underlying personal grudges. Religion pervades every aspect of life, 'A man may think that God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now.'; but it is a religion that lacks the ritual of confession. Here and throughout the play we see how this affects John Proctor, a man so proud of his name that guilt eats at his very heart, as he will not let out his secret pain in a vain attempt to keep his integrity.
Rev Hale’s dignity was threatened by Judge Danforth and Rev Parris. I think they threatened Rev Hale’s dignity by not really letting him have a say so during the trials for example when he was trying to speak up at Rev’s Parris’s house and they quickly turned him down. I think he knows in his heart that the people that got accused for witchcraft aren’t guilty of it. Another way that they threaten his dignity is by not giving him more power in the trials since they called him into Salem to tell whether or not people committed witchcraft and if they wanted to be forgiven for their sins. Even though Rev Hale’s dignity is threatened he does a good job of maintaining it by trying his best.
At first, Arthur Miller characterizes Hale to be one that jumps right to conclusions without any sort of evidence. Hale is a so called “witch hunter,” so even the slightest unusual tait, and you’re a witch. Hale quotes to Tituba, “You have sent your spirit out upon this child, have you not?” (44). Since he had come to Salem to find witches, witches are what he’ll find. Hale is pressuring the people of Salem to confess to a sin the have not commit, shoving words in their mouths. As the play progresses, Hale starts to come to his senses and realizes the events are all false. Hale preaches to the constable and surrounding villagers, “Let you counsel among yourselves; think on your village and what may have drawn from heaven such thundering wrath
Reverend Hale is called to Salem to help solve the witchcraft chaos. At first he is confident in doing his job as a reverend by following the church standards. He agrees with the court?s tactics, which involves searching for confessions to aid the trial in sentencing people to death. Over the course of the play he experiences a huge transformation. As he listens to both sides of the trial, he realizes that the church and court standards may be wrong, and he begins to question these standards within himself. He stops supporting the court because he can no longer accept the false prosecutions that Danforth continues to make. His final decision in going against the church and following his heart shows the true side of his character. He goes through the rest of the play trying to save people?s lives. When someone asks why he has come back he states, ?Why, it is all simple. I come to do the devil?s work? (986). This shows he feels that doing what may seem wrong to others is actually the right thing to do. His efforts are in vain, however,