The Crucible by Arthur Miller

900 Words2 Pages

Circumstances brought upon a person can change them greatly. The Crucible is in part based on McCarthyism in the 1950’s which was similar to the Salem Witch trials. Reverend Hale undergoes an immense change as he starts finding out the lies going on in Salem. Slowly, he adjusts from being confident to doubtful. Hale having such a great change in opinion demonstrates the true dysfunction and chaos of Salem. In “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, the changes Hale experiences are proven by the things he says, the things he does, and others opinion of him.

In the beginning Hale is misguided about the situation going on. He does not yet realize the lies that are occurring within the community. Parris makes a remark regarding the weight of Reverend Hale’s books. Reverend Hale envies this declaring they are “weighted with authority.”(I.36) Hale acts experienced in this situation. He takes advantage of this knowing they will see him as an outsider, projecting him as an expert. Parris wants to know why the devil wants him when there are plenty of immoral people in Salem. Hale states that if the Devil wants a preeminent type of person then who is “better than the minister. “ (I.41) Hale acts confident here by calling out the devil preparing to confront him. This is an attempt to impress Paris and make him feel better about his earlier comments. Reverend Hale manages to convince Tituba to confess by twisting her words around and “will bless” (I.47) her for doing so. Hale reveals his drive here. He is getting anybody he can to confess even if it is by wrong means.

Later on Hale starts to suspect something is not quite right within the community; certain events do not add up and seem very fabricated. Hale takes a surprise visit to the Proctors house and John Proctor asks if he is on a business. Hale affirms he not on business rather he came on his own “without the courts authority.” (II.63) Proctor is not quite as confident as he was when he first came to Salem; he feels a bit of skepticism setting in. He is a little wary of the rumors that are being spread around Salem so he decides to investigate first hand.

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