In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend John Hale’s role in the witch trials changed from a confident and passionate proponent to a guilty and despairing dissenter. He entered the play with an eager air about him, and he was keen to use his expertise and knowledge in witchcraft and the Devil in order to dispel the evil witches who “trafficked with the Devil” (Miller 61) in the town of Salem. Furthermore, he was proud of the fact that he was called upon specifically to help out with Salem’s witch problem. However, toward the end of the play, he was “steeped in sorrow” (Miller 119) and “exhausted.” He realized too late that the accusations of the afflicted girls were just fabricated lies. Moreover, his mistake caused a countless number of innocent people to be thrown in jail and hanged. With this revelation clouding his mind and breaking his heart, he became an anguished man who regretted his actions that aided the conviction of numerous so-called witches. He fought against the witch trials after that, but his actions were inadequate. The witch trials still went on. Hale ended up being a character who opposed the witch trials, but instead of going against the court as aggressively as John Proctor, he begged the accused to confess in order to save their own lives. He believed that it was better to lie and live than deny and die.
Reverend John Hale’s changes in his diction reveal his shift from confident claims of witchcraft to determined denials of witchcraft as well as guilt. For instance, when he was describing the contents of his book in Parris’ home, he guaranteed with conviction, “Have no fear now,” (Miller 34) but later on he said to Danforth, “my hand shakes yet as with a wound.” (Miller 92) This shows the huge contrast be...
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...as their self-righteousness. They believed entirely that they were right, and Hale was not enough to convince them to dispose of their own pride and beliefs.
Reverend John Hale was an earnest man who believed in witchcraft when he first came to Salem. He exhibited certainty and assurance, and he was partly the reason why witchcraft was used as the reason for the afflicted girls’ actions. This man however changed as the play progressed. He became an anguished man whose certainty went down the drain. His realization that he was wrong about witchcraft turned him into a man who directly spoke against witchcraft. However, his sorrow disparaged him. He was not the confident man he once was, and his remorse led him to believe that the least he could do was try to save the lives of those who were falsely accused. Yet, his attempts to stop the witch trials were ineffective.
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.
Lies. Death. Affairs. John Proctor had fornication with Abigail, who hates his wife and would do anything to make sure she was out of the picture. Abigail started the talk of witchcraft because her and the girls were caught dancing in the woods and she did not want to get into any trouble. John died because he was accused of witchcraft . Reverend Hale came into town and aided in pursuing the “witchcraft hunt”. In the book The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Hale is the most responsible for John Proctor’s death because when he arrived in town he started the gossip of witchcraft, he pressured and inquired the girls to give him a name, and he left the court when he could have tried to salvage the innocent people.
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
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.
When Hale came to Salem, his heavy books gave him confidence.”They must be; they are weighted with authority” (Miller, 1279). By Act II, he begins to change in his belief, that what he has brought to
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."
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 The Crucible written by Arthur Miller he changes from protecting the authority of the court with the strict laws, later realizing the court's accusations were unjust, to finally changing his beliefs in the false accusations and supernatural rumors.
James Fenimore Copper presents Deerslayer as a man of integrity, virtue, and honor. He is a warrior who lives by his word. Even if the situation places his life in jeopardy, he refuses to abandon what he believes in and what he says he will do. Deerslayer’s greatest display of character and honor is seen when he refuses to compromise his standards even though it threatens his life.
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.
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
During the trials of Salem, which were investigating those accused of witchcraft, some girls had been found dancing in the woods around a fire. The next morning some of the girls would not wake up. Giles Corey spoke to Reverend John Hale, who came to help with banishing the devil from Salem. Reverend Hale had the reputation of being the best witch hunter in the world, and told him of something that concerned him. Corey told the Reverend that
In this, the Devil is precise the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of hell upon her.” This shows how Hale was only here to find the truth and doesn’t want to make any accusations and condemn people to death without any proof of the Devil.
Reverend Hale is a recognized religious figure during this time, and journeys to Salem to assist in this witchcraft epidemic. At first, he believes everything and is extremely petrified at the active forces of the supernatural that are said to be there; however, near the end of the play he starts to become exceedingly skeptic like John Proctor and a couple others. As shown in Act Three when he states to Judge Danforth that he has “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” (The Crucible Act III). He starts to realize that there is not substainial evidence to actually prove that these women and men are involved in activities of witchcraft. Conclusively, at the end, he makes the decision to leave Salem and to stop collaborating with the court. This situation could be interpreted as Hale bettering the community by him stopping his involvement, but it could also be seen as him serving himself because the toll of him endangering so many lives broke him down. Hale has been seen through the novel constantly serving the community of Salem, but at the end he makes the decision to leave which can be interpreted in two contradicting ways, that he left to hopefully make a statement that this court