Reverend Hale Crucible 10 16 14 Essay

Elliot Anderson
Cox
IB Junior English
13 October 2014
Wind, Rain and Hale: The Man Who Took Salem by Storm Reverend John Hale, from Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, is a Puritan minister from Beverly who is called to Salem to investigate the accusations of witchery. He plays a significant part within the play and you witness his transformation from seemingly knowledgeable professor of the invisible world to a weeping pile of guilt and regret. Hale goes through a massive amount of growth and change through the various acts starting from a confidant, knowledgeable man to a disillusioned and frantic man just trying to save lives. In Act One Hale arrives bearing several books on the subject of witchcraft. He displays an air of knowledge, eagerness, confidence, and maybe even a little arrogance. In a small exchange between Parris and Hale, Hale remarks “They must be; they are weighted with authority.” (Miller 157), Hale displays his easy confidence in the knowledge he knows. What he knows is derived from the word of God and it is true and powerful knowledge he knows. Hale then proceeds inside and then begins examining Betty for signs of witchcraft and attempts to question her to no avail. Then his suspicions are directed toward Tituba, who was implicated by Abigail. He says to Tituba when she denies his allegations “You most certainly do, and you will free her from it now! When did you compact with the devil?” (161) once again displaying his confidence that Betty is witched because he knows the signs of witchcraft when he sees them. This is also a bit arrogant of him because he doesn’t think she’s telling the truth he immediately assumes she’s witched Betty. His eagerness is really showcased by how easily he accepts Tituba’s “confession” and believes that he broke the spell on Betty. “Glory to God! It is broken, they are free!” (162) is his exclamation near the end of Act One he truly believes he’s broken the “spell” of the Devil and convinced witchery is afoot, something that will change during the duration of the play. As Act Two begins Proctor and Elizabeth are paid a surprise visit from the one and only Reverend Hale. He visits the houses of those whose names were mentioned in the courts. In this Act he seems to retain most of his previous traits but as the Act progresses he becomes more and more troubled, cumulating in the arrest of Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and Elizabeth Proctor. He believes they should have nothing to fear because if they are innocent they will be acquitted. He claims “Let you rest upon the justice of the court; the court will send her home, I know it.” (174) when Francis Nurse asks him for advice on what to do. He is just beginning to have his faith undermined. He wasn’t even told of the charges laid on Goody Nurse, Corey, and Proctor. Even in the end of this chapter his is convinced that witchery still may be afoot in Salem proclaiming to Proctor “Only this consider: the world goes mad, and it profit nothing you should lay the cause to the vengeance of a little girl.” Act Three begins with the court in full swing. Hale continues to try and be the calming voice of reasoning. He advocates that the court hear all possible evidence explaining to Judge Danforth “… he claims hard evidence for his wife’s defense. I think that in all justice your must…” (182) before he is cut off. Oftentimes in this Act his is interrupted and his opinion disregarded. Slowly and slowly he becomes more and more fed up with the pompous proceedings. The judges often disregard him Danforth saying “… for a man of such terrible

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