Reverend Hale Allusion Essay

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Theocracy Hypocrisy: Biblical Allusion with Character Development In 1692, 20 innocent people were executed on accusations of witchcraft; This would later be known as the Salem witch trials. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is based off the events of the Salem witch trials. In the play, Reverend Hale is called to Salem to find the origin of the witchcraft, but throughout the play he starts to question his own beliefs about the innocence of those accused. In the play, Miller uses Biblical allusion and metaphor in the development of Reverend Hale in order to show a change in morality and Biblical faith. In act one, Arthur Miller uses Metaphor to show Reverend Hale’s confidence and hubris. In the beginning, Reverend Hale is called into Salem to …show more content…
In the play, months after the primary trial, three incredibly influential people are to be hanged at dawn. It is Reverend Hale who tries to convince them to confess and by doing this spare their life. Hale has come to realize that the root of the trials started with him, and now he blames himself for the innocent peoples’ death, by saying: “What I touched with my bright confidence, it died.” This is showing that while in the beginning he was optimistic in his ability to solve the witchcraft epidemic; in the end, it was him that would take the lives of so many innocent people and bring the downfall of their innocent town. Reverend Hale continues his lament and expression of blame by stating: “Life is God’s most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it.” This quote is the pinnacle of Reverend Hale’s transformation; it is showing how Reverend Hale has overcome his faith with the realization that life is far more sacred. In the beginning, Hale uses his faith as justification for his literal witch hunt, and in the end of the play, Reverend Hale uses his faith as a way of seeking forgiveness and admitting his guilt in the loss of innocent
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Words 887 - Pages 4