Cited: Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books, 2003.
Cited: Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin Books, 2003.
In Act 1 arrives Hale in Salem to investigate possible witchcraft with good intention and confidence to fight the devil. Hale is an expert on witchcraft. He has experiences and the required knowledge for the towns need therefore he feels self-important but on the other hand he is overconfident of fighting the devil. Reverend Hale initiates the proceedings in Salem by getting Tituba…
In Arthur Millers’, The Crucible, Miller demonstrates how certain situations can change a characters opinion or point of view, with enough evidence. Reverend Hale is a prime example who experiences change from confident, to doubt and frustration of the court, and then regret of the innocent being persecuted because of his wrong accusation during the witch trial executions in the town of Salem, Massachusetts.…
Reverend John Hale and John Proctor both thought they could reverse the hysteria in salem, they didn’t understand the forces that were against them. Hale in chapter one comes to salem as the spirit doctor to evaluate the witchcraft activity in salem, he thought anything he found in salem, he had encountered, during the progress of the book, he changed from a mind so stern, to a rounded mind that inevitably tried to save the remaining lives the court had condemned. Both men became the tragic heroes.…
Dynamic characters are changed by the characters and events that occur in the play or book. In The Crucible, two characters that change for the better are Reverend Hale and John Proctor. They both go on a journey of self due to the hysteria of The Salem Witch Trials. The community had fallen into mass panic over a group of girls who convicted dozens of innocent people of witchcraft. Throughout the book, they become more suspicious of the girls and take a more active role in trying to convince people that they’re lying about seeing people with the Devil. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, tells the story of Salem’s spiral into chaos in 1692 during The Salem Witch Trials, but instead of spiraling with the rest of the town, two characters,…
He is very intellectual, and close-minded to the opinions written in the books that he carries and studies. Reverend Hale is described as a "tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual." This quote is an excellent visual of the cocky, young Reverend at his time of arrival in Salem. At first, he seems very arrogant and, very quickly, thrusts himself into the middle of the action. Reverend Hale jumped at the opportunity to investigate the potential for witch craft in the town of Salem. Reverend Hale is very cocky and confident in his skills and relishes the chance to prove to himself and to the people of Salem that he is indeed a man of God and that his expertise is…
In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, it’s very obvious there’s tension and resentment. Talks of evil and talks of unfairness surround the book. Although some characters are at fault for the evil, some try to help, even if they don’t seem to at first. One example of a character like this is Reverend Hale. He starts out as a character you probably won’t like, but as the play continues, you slowly become more accustomed to his way of thinking and what he wants overall.…
Several leading characters in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible exhibit qualities of pride and arrogance. Hale and Danforth, two men of considerable authority, convey Miller’s message, and criticism of pride. These two characters show that pride does not shine light on the truth, but rather turns just judgment away from it. Their pride ultimately dictates the decisions of the Salem witch trials, which leads to the deaths of hundreds of innocents.…
A morally ambiguous character who I thought played a pivotal role in the Salem witch hunt was Reverend John Hale. At first, Hale was completely convinced that the witchcraft occurring in Salem was in fact reality and was determined to get rid of it whatever way possible. He was constantly researching the source of witchcraft itself and how to destroy it. He investigated Betty Parris and the Putnam’s daughter to gather clues and evidence as to why these events are happening. He also talks with Abigail Williams and Tituba and aks them if they ever recruited others to be followers of the devil. Later in the act, Hale’s confidence and determination starts to slip as he cannot find legitimate evidence as to why these events are occurring.…
Notably, Hale does not quite yet see what is to come from the foundation he has laid in helping to create a situation which hands power over to the girls. When the tables are turned and their word is given acceptance over that of those who would normally be believed. Reverend Hale demonstrates that he is passionate in his desire to destroy witchcraft by consciously manipulating the situation in Salem to bring the results he wanted to see. Reverend Hale considers himself sent directly from the Lord and a literal messenger from him. Hale questions himself for being responsible for so many deaths therefore he is starting to feel bothered by his conscience and not agreeing with everyone about the existence of the witches. He realizes the serious consequences of signing a paper that would allow people to be executed. Hale starts to question the sincerity of the accusations because John Proctor confesses his relationship with Abigail. Proctor is trying to save his marriage with Elizabeth at all…
One single person can determine the outcome of a life by trial in law; said person is the judge of the court system. A judge safeguards the law and holds the power of a god. Judges have left their mark throughout history by writing it themselves. The Salem Witch Trials are one of the nation's most notorious cases of mass hysteria. Upwards of 150 people were accused and sent to trial. A judge would hear these trials and then choose life or death for these men and women. Only an effective judge should be placed in such a position where one can play “god” with lives. In “The Crucible” By Arthur Miller, Judge Danforth is in charge of the court sentencing many people to hang in the town of Salem. While Danforth has qualities of a good judge, he…
The thoughts that came of Hale were one that he believed to be right and how he was trying to better the village of Salem. After looking at the thoughts he had at the beginning of his visit to Salem it is easily realized that he would soon question his own thoughts and even what he has been taught to believe even though he continues to follow what is expected from…
Hale changes-- although he does not lose faith in Puritanism, he does lose faith in the court and the ideals of the society in Salem. Hale arrives as an educated religious scholar who is brought to find the truth behind the witchery. He means well but ends up turning from the court and becomes incapable of stopping the executions. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Reverend Hale was able to use his intelligence to save himself from falling into adopting the perspective of justice of society. By being exposed to the residents of Salem, Hale gained the capability to see the truth, leading to desperate attempts to restore justice in a society full of insensible beliefs. Despite the victims’ innocence they will be seen guilty by society. At the end…
Hale can be seen as prideful when he shows up in Act I of The Crucible, saying that his books were heavy because they were “weighted with authority” (Miller 36). This statement may sound prideful, but when the gravity of the situation and Hale’s importance to the citizens of Salem is factored in, Hale’s comment merely reflected the feelings of the town and the importance he has in it. To the Salem residents and Hale himself, his books could be life or death for some of the people living there. By the end of the play, Hale has undergone major developments and his opinion on the whole situation changed from incriminating people to trying to free them by any means necessary. His guilt is shown through his behavior, and his fate in the story is just the guilt of having sent numerous people to their deaths. Hale’s fate, while tragic, was not any greater than deserved. For these reasons, Reverend Hale might not be considered a tragic hero by the formal Aristotelian definition.…
Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, is full of dishonesty and pain. It’s set during the Salem witch trials, where “witches” were hanged for associating with the devil. Many people can be blinded by the truth without knowing. Some tell a convincing lie and we believe it because we sometimes have no reason to question it. In The Crucible, some characters blind to the truth are Judge Danforth, Reverend Parris, and Thomas Putnam. These people were well respected and smart, but were still blinded by the lies.…
Samuel Parris and John Hale are the two ministers in The Crucible and were initially alike in their attitudes towards witchcraft. However, their personalities show some striking dissimilarities. Unlike Hale, Reverend Parris is characterized by extreme paranoia and egotism. He is very static- his traits and motives remain consistent from the beginning to the end of the play. Although a religious man and believer in witchcraft like Parris, Hale values human life and is motivated by personal beliefs and his sense of morality, disregarding his best interests. He is a very dynamic character, becoming progressively less confident and trusting of law and doctrine as his faith is tested throughout the ordeal.…