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Character Analysis Of Reverend Hale In The Crucible

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When Reverend John Hale, in the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, signs the death warrants of multiple people, he unleashes an immense amount of chaos within the town, and himself. Reverend Hale enters Salem, in Massachusetts, “like a bridegroom to his beloved” (4.132) with intent to rid the town of the devil’s work. He hopes to help Salem by solving their witch problems through signing death warrants to those accused of witchcraft. Once Reverend Hale realizes the true corruption taking place in Salem, the deaths of innocent people flood his conscious and drive him to yearn for restoration of peace amongst the citizens in this township. Reverend Hale’s tragic flaws in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible reveals Hale’s aspiration to revitalize faith and sanity in Salem, which in return lead to his redemption. In …show more content…

When he visits the town with benevolent intentions, his attempts to restore balance by indirectly executing the accused deteriorate his confidence in the court system of Salem. Reverend Hale admits to signing “seventy-two death warrants (3.99)”, as well as signing “away the soul of Rebecca Nurse” (3.100), the voice of reason in this story. Broadcasting this information to the court, Hale exposes the liability he feels for the deaths of many innocent people, which makes his hand shake because he knows he has contributed to the carnage in Salem (3.100). Reverend Hale admits to his guilt, putting on display his rational mentality, which has finally comprehended the absurd mayhem taking place. With this in mind, Hale seeks redemption for his

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