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How does reverend hale change in the crucible
How does reverend hale change in the crucible
Essays about religion in the crucible
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For example, Reverend Hale, being condescending, enters the play to investigate who is and is not involved in witchcraft. Reverend Hale, sent by Parris due to his niece being under a cast of spells, approaches and greets the strangers standing before Betty with “books weighted with authority” (34). Reverend Hale relies on his books to guide him through this investigation, and hopes the books will be his way into not drawing to conclusions based on the sensitivity of the townspeople. Reverend Hale appears to be knowledgeable in witchcraft as he mentions that “…the devil is precise: the marks of his presence are definite as stone…” (Miller 35). Hale is very much respected by the townspeople, and is truly eager to begin his job in Salem, Massachusetts.
We have all heard the tales and seen the movies of evil witches cooking little kids up for supper. For the people of salem in 1692-1693 this was a reality. In the matter of less than a year more than two hundred people were accused of witchcraft and more than twenty were executed. In these historic events author Arthur Miller wrote a play about the people and events in this play there is a man, Reverend Hale is well versed in the study of witchcraft and has come to try and save the girls that have been gripped by the Devil. Miller has Hale change very much throughout the event of this play. In the beginning he believes that the Devil is at work in Salem, how ever near the climactic ending of this play he realises that this witch talk has gotten completely out of hand
The Salem witch trials of 1692 was an event that shaped the history of this country, as well as the lives of those whose wives and husbands were condemned to death. In order for such an event to occur, there must be a set of people who catalyze the event, and others who speak out against it. In “The Crucible”, certain characters help contribute to the rising hysteria of witchcraft, and others contribute to the disapproval of so many wrongful convictions. Reverend Hale is a character who actually contributes to both sides. Reverend Hale is seen as a catalyst in the beginning of the play because he protects the authority of the court, along with its laws, he later realizes how false the accusations of the accused are; thus, making a dramatic change in his dependency of the law, as well as his belief in witchcraft.
When we first meet Hale he has just come from another town he has purged of witchcraft. He says, “No, no. Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of hell upon her.” (Miller 478.) Hale is very believing in his work and believes he truly knows how to rid a town of witches. Later on in the story, after seeing the results of the trials and how many people were dying, Hale’s idea’s started to change. “ I have this morning signed away the soul of Rebecca Nurse, Your Honor. I will not conceal it; my hand shakes yet as with a wound! I pray you, sir, this argument let lawyers present to you.” (Miller 514.) Towards the end, Hale realizes how many people are dying and maybe people are not confessing to witchcraft because there never was any. At the end of the play, Hale realizes that the trials were sending innocent people to their graves and that his mission was not as godly as it
Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a fictional representation of the Salem Witch Trials, which occurred from 1692-1693 in colonial Massachusetts. He wrote the play to humanize the people involved, and to try and interpret their possible motivations to do all that they did. One particular character Miller focuses on is Reverend John Hale. Hale first appears in Act One, when the citizens of Salem summon him for his expertise on witchcraft. His presence sparks the witch hunts within Salem. Hale goes from being the main accuser and the investigator to later condemning the witch trials and the court’s rulings. Miller displays this change of view through the use of commentary, dialogue, and stage directions.
Arthur Miller shows that everyone begins to question anyone who has been mentioned of possibly being involved with witchcraft, even those who are seemed to be the least guiltiest. Hale begins to show a rather cocky side, possibly due to over-confidence of his expertise involving witchcraftery. Act two begins with Elizabeth and John Proctor in their farm talking when Reverend John Hale stops by unexpectedly for a visit. It’s been revealed that Elizabeth’s name has been brought up in the court and that she is possibly going to be one of the next to be accused of being a witch, so when Hale stops by, the Proctor’s aren’t too thrilled to see him. Once Hale begins talking to the Proctors, we get a sense that he is snooping for something, possibly some incriminating evidence or reason to go after Elizabeth. This becomes fairly obvious when he specifically targets Elizabeth by saying, “ Do you know your Commandments, Elizabeth? “ questioning her and how strong she is with her faith. Hale continues to fish for possibly signs of the Devil’s mark on her throughout the rest of his visit with John and Elizabeth. After this heated conversation between Hale, John, and Elizabeth, we see that Arthur Miller has made Hale more of a jerk by targeting Elizabeth and questioning her rather than the way in act one, where he was focused on before waiting making assumptions or trying to dig up
In John Proctor’s last plea to save his dignity he said;“Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name.” The overall theme of the movie is the importance of keeping one’s dignity. John Proctor and Rev Hale showed this theme the best.
	In act one, the corrupt, self-serving Reverend Samuel Parris is first introduced. In this scene, Parris' daughter Betty is ill and even the doctor cannot determine what is ailing the girl. Strangely enough, instead of worrying about the fate of his daughter, Reverend Parris seems more concerned about the rumors flying accusing Betty of dealing with the devil, leaving her unconscious. Parris denies all witchcraft accusations, and refuses to believe his household was involved in dealing with the devil. Showing that he is solely consumed with thoughts regarding his reputation, Parris says to his neice, Abigail Williams, "They will topple me with this"(Miller 17). This displays Parris is obviously insecure with his place among the people, and concerned with the effects this event many have on him rather than his daughter. Parris wants to stop the rumors, and therefore calls upon Reverend Hale, a supposed "witch-craft expert" to mediate the controversy surrounding the town of Salem. Parris says, "He's not coming to look for devils" (Miller 28), but most are aware that Hale is coming to find the source of the evil, which will most likely be determined as dealings with the devil.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a dynamic play that has diverse characters and many different themes. John Hale is a reverend that was sent to the town in order to diagnose witchcraft and help cure the girls. He is eager to discover witchcraft and allows other people to manipulate him but his views change over time. Throughout the play, Reverend Hale exemplifies overconfidence and this decreases because innocent people are being hanged and he becomes doubtful about the court for these reasons.
On Page 39 of the Crucible by: Arthur Miller, a minister named John Hale is describing the things the Devil can do to people. At this point in the book he has come to the town of Salem to rid it of witches, who are people believed to be possessed by the Devil. He believes that the Bible is law and spreading God’s light is his Christian duty. Abigail Williams, a seventeen year old girl, has just cried witchcraft on a maid named Tituba. Hale implies to Tituba that her options are to confess to being in league with the Devil or to go to court and most likely hang. Of course Tituba confessed, wanting to save her life, and Hale helps her find “the light of God” again. However as the book goes on incidents make Hale change his views and question his morals. He begins to see through the false accusations of the village girls. He finds seams in their stories and finds Mary Warren, a girl claiming it’s all false. He helps present this to the court which only results in more people getting accused. As Hale gets more passionate about saving the lives of people he believes are innocent, he is forced to come to terms with the damage he did when he first came to Salem. Upon realizing this he is a completely changed man from when he first came. Hale initially believed that the Bible was law, but later came to believe in the innocence of the accused.
Throughout The Crucible, Reverend Hale is a faithful and intelligent minister. He comes to Salem as the spiritual doctor to respond to the rumors of witchcraft, which have been flying in Salem after the strange illness of Reverend Parris’s daughter, Betty Williams. Hale never declares witchcraft, but he relies on people’s evidence of it because of the large amount of evidence. As the play goes on, Hale’s intelligence leads him to other sources of hysteria and accusations. The change in the character of Reverend Hale is noticeable throughout the play. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale grows from a confident, authoritative figure, trying to end witchcraft in Salem, to a regretful, fair character who wants to end injustice and save innocent lives.
In the beginning of the story Hale is blinded about the truth of the Salem Witch trials and does not realize the evil occurring within. As Parris and Hale converse, Parris makes a remark about the weight of Hale’s books, Hale defends himself by saying they are “weighted with authority.”(I.36) Hale knows that the townspeople see him as an outsider so by acting experienced during the situation he can project himself as an expert. When Parris asks Hale why the devil pursues someone like himself when there are plenty immoral people for the devil to go after. Hale states that if the devil wants a solid foothold in a town such as Salem, then who “better than the minister.” (I.41) In an attempt to impress Paris and make him feel better about what has happened, Hale calls out to the
At first, Arthur Miller characterizes Hale to be one that jumps right to conclusions without any sort of evidence. Hale is a so called “witch hunter,” so even the slightest unusual tait, and you’re a witch. Hale quotes to Tituba, “You have sent your spirit out upon this child, have you not?” (44). Since he had come to Salem to find witches, witches are what he’ll find. Hale is pressuring the people of Salem to confess to a sin the have not commit, shoving words in their mouths. As the play progresses, Hale starts to come to his senses and realizes the events are all false. Hale preaches to the constable and surrounding villagers, “Let you counsel among yourselves; think on your village and what may have drawn from heaven such thundering wrath
When Hale is first introduced, he is said to be the minister that will bring peace to the town of Salem. He is truly a man of God, and he is determined (which is his noble quality) to eliminate the witches within the town. Even though there is almost no evidence to suggest that any of the individuals being accused as witches are indeed witches, he believes the girls and is easily influenced by them. He then begins to interview and suggest that there are indeed witches in the town because he truly believes the girls are telling the truth. This, however, swiftly leads to his downfall.
Reverend Hale – He accepts that there is good and bad, God and Devil. He doesn’t ignore the Devil, rather he believes in finding the Devil and getting rid of it. He’s not just in Salem for witch hunting, he’s also there to know about the factions in the village. He is a disciplined and a fair man. He is proud of the work he’s done in getting rid of witches.
The test that Reverend John Hale faces is whether he can change his character early enough to redeem himself for the lives he has caused to be lost. He is the character that shows the most significant transformation overall. When he first comes to Salem, he is eager to find witchcraft and is honored that his scholastic skills are necessary. He feels that as an exorcist, it is his duty to help pe...