At the beginning of the book, Reverend Hale was called upon to go to Salem, Massachusetts where he was assigned to help find witches because, he is an ordained minister who “feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe- kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiast of all churches.” (Miller 34) This is a description of him that is used to show how he has a narcissistic personality and show that he is a man that believes that the word of God is the only way to truly prove one’s innocence. Towards the beginning of the book Reverend Hale comes into Salem with a stack of books he is struggling to carry. He says that the books are heavy because “They must be; they are weighted with authority”(34) This is a reflection of how he feels as though
(35) This shows that Hale is so involved in his work that he could possibly end up accusing someone who was not guilty of witchcraft. Hale seems overly conscious about his own life and his duty to serve the people to find the devil in Salem; he doesn’t seem to like the idea that he himself could be wicked. This shows that Hale too, did not show himself to be truthful and courteous when it came to the
“What made a minister who saw the dangers, who wanted to protect the innocent and convict the guilty, side with the court?” ( Overview) Hale was brought into the village of Salem on a mission to prove if there was witchcraft present. Hale comes into the village with good intentions, and a strong desire to help the village. (Overview) As the story unfolds, Hale begins to notice how the girls are throwing out the accusations as a way to gain attention, and causing innocent people to be murdered or taken to prison.
Just arriving in Salem, Rev. Hale is already the center of everyone’s attention; he was going to be the hero who finds the witch and brings back the holiness of the town. Hale was determined to find the truth and felt that he had to know everything about a person before they were convicted. When talking to John and Elizabeth Proctor, he mentions,” … I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court.” (Miller 63).
The moment Hale enters the town of Salem, he brings about him an aura of sophistication and intelligence. He was called to the town to investigate the murmurs of witchery having previously encountered witches in his own town of Beverly. When the townspeople of Salem first see him “he appears loaded down with a dozen heavy books” (478). The presence of Hale and his books puts many town members at ease because of the implied intelligence that he must have.
As the situation gets out of control, most of Salem stays blind to the truth, but there are some who discover the blood of innocent people stained on their hands. Reverend Hale is one of these characters. He is motivated by the idea of getting rid of witches and changes from
In the play, “The Crucible,” there is a series of changes among some of the characters. One of the characters that has change is Reverend Hale. Reverend Hale is the “spiritual doctor” that is needed in Salem to help solve the problem of witchcraft. Hale has strong beliefs in witchcraft, but by the end his whereabouts begin to change. No one but Hale has different thoughts about the witchcraft in Salem.
Reverend Hale’s Character Evolution “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance” (Alan Watts). Change, the only constant in this universe, the thing a community needs the most to thrive in modern day society, the thing people of Salem cannot accept. In Arthur Miller's the Crucible we see how when the court and the townsfolk get dead set on the idea of witchcraft being rampant in the Village, they are imminently unaccepting if Reverend Hale’s change of no longer believing the devil was in Salem. In the start of the play Hale is seen as a man of god, he is the “spiritual” doctor sent to evaluate Salem and banish Satan from the region.
When Reverend Hale first enters the story he is depicted as someone with great knowledge and authority. Proctor tells Hale on page 185, “I’ve heard you were a sensible man, Mister Hale - I hope you’ll leave some of it in Salem.” Hale is well known to people around Salem and he is known for possessing great knowledge. The people will listen to what Hale has to say, but know that his presence means that there is suspicion of witchcraft.
Throughout The Crucible, during the Salem Witch Trials, Reverend Hale slowly changes from a ‘confident man with a plan’, to a haggard preacher who seems to be losing himself amongst the chaos of these colonial trials based off of lies. After a life-altering experience, Hale is never again the same person he started out as. In the beginning of
At the beginning half of the play, for Hale it was strictly business by following the law to maintain order, and as time passed, he played a major contribution in the beginning of the witch trials. For instance, in his first scene of the play he goes into Parris' home to help his niece, who is expected to wield a spell cast on her, and is conveying an overwhelming heap of books that are "`..are weighted with authority'" (34).He organizes himself up to disregard any conclusions based on emotional association or sensibility by keeping within reach law-induced books to guide him. He assures that his books will help to maintain control over the emerging dilemma. What's more, when two church-going ladies, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey, happened to be accused of witchcraft, the ladies' spouses start to contend the case, yet Hale still seemingly defends the court. : "`I have seen too many frightful proofs in court
Reverend Hale begins his external development starting with the conflict that originated from his attempts to show evidence of witches in Salem but, it only leads to hysteria in which his words become useless. Causing a conflict between himself and the court, in an attempt to convince them that the trials are based on false evidence. Later, Hale tries to convince Proctor to save his own life by confessing to crimes that he did not commit. This all made Hale more reclusive in the end of the book as well as, I believe, made him lose his faith in humanity. Hale’s internal conflict and development comes from the progression of the witch hunt when he begins to realize that Abigail has been lying the whole time and that the charges are all false.
To begin, When reverend hale went to salem he was very confident. Reverend Hale, knew a lot about witches and spirits. Hale took witchcraft very seriously, he believed there was actually something going on in salem. Next, Hale is determined to get to the bottom of what is going on. When hale gets to salem, he is very tired and has very little motivation.
Reverend Hale is the character that changes the most in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible because his feelings on witchcraft turns from full belief to unbelievable doubt, his thoughts on Proctor changes from thinking that he is evil to thinking that he is a good and honest man, and he switches from doing God’s work to doing the Devil’s. Reverend Hale makes a huge change on his claim of witchcraft. In the beginning of the play when Reverend is called to the town of Salem to see if the reason why Betty and Ruth are unconscious is due to witchcraft he brings with him many books. When Reverend Parris sees this he makes a comment that Hale responds to him explaining his expectations. This shows that Reverend Hale is focused on one thing, finding
Reverend Hale is motivated by the possibility of witchcraft. Hale said, “Have no fear now- we shall find him out if he has come among us and I mean to crush him utterly if has has shown his face” (39). This shows that
The witches are on the hunt for the innocent souls of Salem with Hale stating, “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 1251). Hale is determined to use God’s mighty hand against the “evil witches”. This shows that Hale is faithful to Abigail’s accusations against the common people of Salem. At first, Reverend Hale is eager to prosecute, but as more innocent people are condemned, his compliance turns into distaste. His dissatisfaction eventually turns into rage when Hale shouts, “I denounce these proceedings!”