Reverend Hale tells his theology throughout the story, but one main event about telling his faith is when he talks to Proctor and Elizabeth about their "Christian character of this house" (1242). Hale is trying to understand the situation he is in. He has been surprised by the charges against Rebecca Nurse, having accepted her as a well read person. Hale is not sure what to make of the Proctors, he does not understand why they would avoid attending church, and even though they are lying about, Hale knows. He still believes in his journey here, especially when he first arrives at the house. However, unlike the townspeople, he has an open mind, and his visit with the Proctors begins to tear at what few doubts he does have. He tells Proctor that a fortress may have no cracks and that the Proctors do indeed have one. Hale tells him this because Proctor recited all the commandments except adultery, he had an affair. This is why their home is broken. Reverend Hale loses his faith in believing witchcraft, but he still has faith in his religion. Hale changes. He is perhaps the only character to believe that the witchcraft is truly real and then comes to disbelieve it. The other characters either deny the presence of witchcraft or never believe in the accusations; however, they …show more content…
He comes into conflict with Danforth and the court, attempting to convince them that the trials are based on false evidence. Hale is also continually in conflict with Proctor, though the conflict changes. First Hale and Proctor disagree over Abigail's accusation against Elizabeth. Later, Hale tries to convince Proctor to save his own life by confessing to the crimes he has been accused of committing. Also Hale's internal conflicts relate to his shifting beliefs in the validity or reality of the claims of witchcraft in
Hale defended Proctor with “I believe him!” and argued against Abigail with “This girl has always struck me false!” (Miller 119). Hale ended his session in the courtroom be essentially giving up and quitting the proceedings. Reverend Hale got so caught up in his emotions that he ended up neglecting his previous motivations and job that he had to do. Showing Reverend Hale and his changes throughout the novel was a great example of true empathy, and how it can affect one’s
Undoubtedly, both Proctor and Rev. Hale have unadulterated, pure intentions from the beginning of their journies. Proctor has cheated on his wife and wishes to clear his name of his wrong-doing when he exclaims ”Spare me!” as he demands forgiveness mentioning how Elizabeth “forget[s] nothin’ and forgive[s] nothin” (Miller 54). Proctor wonders how long he must suffer before he is forgiven by Elizabeth. On the other hand, Rev. Hale has devoted himself to uncover the truth about the talk of witchcraft among Salem.
Reverend hale corrupts his power unknowingly, as he believes that Abigail and the girls are telling the truth, his image as a well educated Godly man makes him the perfect model for the towns people to mold their opinion of the witch trials from.
: Reverend Hale’s changing through the story is even more evident in act two, and Reverend Hale can only be described as indecisive throughout act two. The reverend begins to doubt his former certainty of the witchcraft surrounding Salem and struggles with deciding. The reader first sees Hale’s doubt of his own skills when he is in John Proctors house talking to Elizabeth and John Proctor about Elizabeth being under scrutiny of the court, when he says “I am a stranger here, as you know. And in my ignorance I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court.” In the former quote Hale is acknowledging that he’s not familiar with the people and he meets them then judges them.
Towards the end of the play, the readers see that in order for John Proctor to feel good about himself he tells the truth and dies as a result. When the readers first saw Reverend Hale, he was brought in as an expert to find the “witches” in the town. Hale is eager to find the “witches” in Salem at the beginning of
Hale is a minister of Beverly a nearby town of Salem. He comes to Salem after hearing about witchcraft. He has studied the act of witchcraft extensively. He wants to heal the town of Salem and its people of witchcraft and the devil. He starts to question the court. Hale questions Abigail. Why was Abigail dancing in the woods (155)? It is towards the end of the play that Hale really starts questioning everything. He questions his own ability. He questions the court. He even questions his faith in God.
One of authority figure in The Crucible, was Reverend Hale. Hale went to Salem in response in need of a “spiritual doctor” to evaluate the town. The reason he was summoned was to diagnose if there was witchcraft was present, then come up with a cure by removing the “infected people”, and the people of Salem will not be satisfied until he does. In result to all the commotion of unnatural events taking in place in Salem such as: Tituba’s ability to conjure spirits from beyond the grave, dancing in the woods, the death of the seven children who belonged to Thomas and Ann Putman, Betty’s illness, the strange book that were in possession of Martha Corey, and so on. Hale starts to become
In this act, and with much consideration (adverb phase #2), Reverend Hale seems to be less full of himself, and more hesitant. He talks about how he has a difficult time drawing “a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court,” because he doesn’t know the people of their town (adverb phrase #3) (Miller 1169). This is only one of Hale’s problems as the play keeps moving along. Act three brings more complications and hesitance from Hale. Proctor’s wife has now been seized and taken to court, along with others accused of witchcraft. During these court sessions, Reverend Hale is beginning (gerund #2) to realize that the court really is unfair (noun clause #1). For example, even though evidence is given by Giles Corey (adjective clause #2), the judge refuses to accept (infinitive #2) it and simply asks for more evidence (Miller 1195). Now, Hale is starting to become frustrated. He’s also beginning to realize that he has made some aberrations (noun clause #2). When John Proctor is sentenced to be hanged for witchcraft, Hale respondes to the prejudice court by declaring , “I denounce these proceedings! I quit this court!” (Miller 1213), and proceeds to walk out of the courthouse. This is only the beginning of Hale’s
Furthermore, Reverend Hale was pushed to change also. Hale came into Salem a stranger, but knew how to fix the problem the town endured. He never questioned that God had a plan and always thought that something was either good or bad, with no gray area in between. This thinking is challenged when Elizabeth, a pure person, is accused and then later when John confesses. He knows that these people are honest and leaves the court for a period of time. In the end, Hale is a desperate man, and even though knowing there is no witchcraft present, he urges John to admit that he is not the one that should be punished. He has to question all the rules he has lived by his whole life and pursue something he knows is incorrect. In essence, Reverend Hale is pushed to his limits and is turned into a man that will be permanently in suspicion of any standards he ever thought were true.
Reverend Hale believes in his second thoughts of the devil not being such a thing, and sees that Abigail has been setting this all up and framing John Proctor to have his love. Pointing at Abigail, Hale says, “I believe him!...This girl has always struck me false!...”(Act III, 50) After Abigail over-exaggerates and makes the girls believe the devil is in their presence, and the people of the court believe them, Reverend Hale walks out in frustration. People of the court and town don’t know what else to believe because they always thought the girls were saying the truth about what they saw. Hale begins to see that a lot of people in the town of Salem, are corrupted in result of the witchcraft trials.
Even if he knew what was true and what was false keeping his reputation in tact was more important. Contrasting from both of the first characters Reverend Hale was more of a guy who wanted to do right. He knew that his job was on the line but instead of worrying he tried to find justice for the people who were being hanged. His name wasn’t as important to him as getting justice was. In act four Hale finally starts to realize all what he's been doing wrong, and so was watching those innocent people getting blamed for something that wasn’t even real. When trying to give Elisabeth advice Hale says, “Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, earring gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law I brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up. Beware, Goody Proctor- cleave to no faith when faith brings blood. It is mistaken law that leads you to sacrifice. LIfe, woman, life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. Quail not before God’s judgement in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that
In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible the witch trials in Salem were a devastating time. The entire community was in disorder and chaos because of personal vengeance. This included accusations of innocent town’s people being called witches, so they hanged and were jailed. Throughout the play certain characters help the rise of witchcraft as well as the disapproval of all the innocent people who were being convicted for no reason. Reverend Hale is a dynamic character whom comes to rid of the evil spirits in Salem, yet he later tries to end the trials. Hale realizes the accusations are false, attempts to postpone the hangings, and persuade the victims to lie conveys that he is a dynamic character and changes throughout the play.
Another pivotal development in the plot of the play is the reactions of Mr. hale to the happenings in Salem. He is a man of integrity, although at times misguided and overzealous, he is willing to change his mind when confronted with the truth. Despite this admirable trait, he lacks the moral conviction to act against proceedings that will condemn innocent people to death. He comes to realize that John Proctor is
From the beginning of the play, it was quite clear that Reverend Hale’s character was deeply rooted in his faith and understanding. Hale firmly believes that everything in life can be explained by books. This becomes evident when he is prompted about the weight of his books. He responds, “They are weighted with authority” (Miller, Act I). Hale believes that the truth
Over the course of the play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale has changed dramatically from the start of the play to the end. At first, Hale is convinced that he is an expert of witchcraft and the truth is found in his books. He also comes into Salem putting his faith into the court. As the play goes on, Hale questions his belief because he realizes that many people are being convicted without definite evidence. In the end of the play, Hale has no faith in the court. He realizes many people innocent people have died through the courts rulings and therefore he can not be a part of it. Hale’s character has changed significantly throughout the