He was probably teetering on the brink of for and against the trials, when his wife was accused and it put him over the edge. After this he came out against the Salem Witch Trials, proclaiming them hysteric. Years later, he published a book commenting on the witch trials. Although the book never denies that witches are real, his book did say that the fear that everyone felt that people were compelled to believe the girls’ accusations, “Such was the darkness of the day, the tortures and lamentations of the afflicted, and the power of the former presidents, that we walked in the clouds, and could not see our way. And we have most cause to be humbled for error on that hand, which cannot be retrieved.” This quote shows Hale admitting his wrongs, and apologizing for his errors.
We often seen someone is only care about himself, they don’t care about others even their family and they always have excuse of it. Reverend Parris is a kind of this person. “The Crucible” is about the Salem witch trials. Starting with several young girls claim to be afflicted by witchcraft and then accuse people in the town of witchcraft. In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shapes Parris’s character as a very selfish person, and everything he did was to keep his good reputation in the village and to get rid of anyone against him, which drives him mad.
To begin, when hale arrives in salem his books show how much he knows about witchcraft. As the play progress he starts to notice that the events in salem are not witchcraft. He notices that it is just people accusing other people they do not like. Next, Hale goes into salem confident it is witchcraft. When hale arrives in salem, he believes the girls and what they are saying about witchcraft and the people they are accusing.
When Reverend Hale was first introduced into the play, it was that Reverend Parris had asked Hale to come down and assist in the pursuit of the evil that was devouring their small town whole. Hale was cautious at first in accepting situations that people believe have witchery involved. Considering he is recognized for his authority on witchcraft and the devil, Hale initially comes off as arrogant and authoritative. Although Hale never accused anyone of witchcraft, he just asked questions about it, he is more than ready to investigate and rid Salem of any demonic influences. In Act I, Hale arrives with his heavy books of authority.
By observing the actions of Hale and those around him, one is able to observe many thematic lessons. Hales search for truth lead him into scenarios that would change his character, none more powerfully than his signing away the life of accused witches. In The Crucible Reverend John Hale is depicted as a young minister from the town of Beverly, who is an expert in the field of witchcraft. The young minister sought to destroy such demonic arts through God’s name. Hale is appointed to diagnose those afflicted with witchcraft believing he might save souls by doing such.
While Mary Warren is being accused of witchcraft he interjects with, “If [Mary Warren] is innocent! Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail. Is the accuser always holy now?”(Miller 77). This shows how John Proctor realizes that hysteria and fear affect Salem and notes how the ones accusing are never met with questions of proof. Similarly, Mr.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller shows what the people in the town of Salem went through during the witch trials. Reverend Hale, a character in the story is an expert in the dark arts, and is in Salem to find out if there are witches. Upon arrival he faces many difficult scenarios for even an expert like himself. Reverend Hale’s feelings are tried throughout the entirety of his visit in Salem; his opinions change with every new stone overturned. When Hale is initially interviewing Betty Parris and Abigail he uncovers a certain turn of events to persuade him to believe witches are loose in Salem.
Adopting religious codes can leave for no “wiggle room” in morally fuzzy areas - like accusations of witchcraft. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, living in a strict, religious society had life or death consequences for many people. Prior to the witch trials, Salem is a pious town with equally pious citizens. However, with the excitement that the trials cause, the people prove themselves to be as religious and respectable as a tax collector would have been. Most of the high-status members of
Nathaniel Nguyen The Crucible Arthur Miller English 2 Honors Period 2 Witch Hunting During the years 1692 to 1693, The Salem Witch Trials were a time of great fear and hysteria, as even neighbors would accuse one another of witchcraft just to lower the suspicion that they themselves were witches. Although many people nowadays are very well aware of what happened during this frightful time, most still don’t know how the Salem Witch Trials actually began. The Crucible by Arthur Miller captures the horrific experience of the Salem Witch Trials from their very beginning, to their ending when people began realizing that the entire situation had been a lie from the very start. The main character, John Proctor, may seem to be a normal, middle aged man living in the Puritan town of Salem, but however, he holds a dark secret: he cheated on his wife with a girl named Abigail Williams. What he doesn 't know, is that by cheating with Abigail, he partly started the Salem witch madness; John makes Abigail very envious of his wife, and thus, she begins accusing others of dark sorcery and witchcraft.
Witch hunts have been around for generations. Both in the literal sense of hunting down supposed witches, and in the figurative sense of campaigning against a person or group with unpopular views. What exactly defines a “witch hunt” has differed throughout history, but there is a commonality throughout, a desire to return to normal. In Sean Armstrong’s article, Stalin 's Witch-Hunt: Magical Thinking in the Great Terror, he sums up what defines a witch hunt, no matter the situation or time period: A witch-hunt arises when some part of a society feels generally threatened by witchcraft. Witches are secret enemies within, who look the same as everyone else until they are exposed, and this need to uncover hidden malice is what distinguishes witch-hunting from other forms of communal persecution.