Hysteria In The Crucible

(35) This shows that Hale is so involved in his work that he could possibly end up accusing someone who was not guilty of witchcraft. Hale seems overly conscious about his own life and his duty to serve the people to find the devil in Salem; he doesn’t seem to like the idea that he himself could be wicked. This shows that Hale too, did not show himself to be truthful and courteous when it came to the

When Hale entered the story he believed that he was going to be the savior of the town ridding them of witches. When Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor were arrested Reverend Hale was deeply shaken with his beliefs. Hale near the end of the story he tells Elizabeth that you should not have religion when it brings you harm but you should keep faith in God. Reverend Hale near ending of The Crucible is the complete opposite of the Reverend Hale that first entered the story, because he came in believing he was the authority on how to find witches, then he was shaken by arrest of Rebecca and John, and finally by him telling others to throw away religion when it brings harm to

Throughout The Crucible, during the Salem Witch Trials, Reverend Hale slowly changes from a ‘confident man with a plan’, to a haggard preacher who seems to be losing himself amongst the chaos of these colonial trials based off of lies. After a life-altering experience, Hale is never again the same person he started out as. In the beginning of

The nature of many characters in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible are changed none more than of Reverend Hale. Hale was a young minister from the nearby town of Beverly seen as a spiritual leader and an expert in the field of witchcraft. Who was called to the town of Salem after the local minister caught girls dancing leaving suspicions of witchcraft. Due to Hales higher education, he was slow to assumption and sought indisputable evidence before advocating for one idea or another. By observing the actions of Hale and those around him, one is able to observe many thematic lessons.

This development of his character can be linked to the personal realization of his sins and the budding awareness of his conscience. Hale evolves from the infamous witch-hunter into a morally-driven human; therefore, he must look at his actions and realize that much of what he has done in Salem does not bear the marks of a saint. His delayed guilt from the condemnations begins to show through in his conversation with Deputy Governor Danforth in the

Reverend Hale is an interesting character in Act I of The Crucible. He is presented as an educated man who is well-versed in the scriptures and the ways of the devil. His appearance is that of a typical Puritan minister, strict and serious. Hale's actions and words are those of a man on a mission to root out all evil in the community, but he also displays moments of doubt and self-examination. Hale's role in the play is to investigate the claims of witchcraft in Salem and to determine if those accused are innocent or guilty.

The Crucible Essay The theme of hysteria is evident throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and in everyday life and society. Driven by self-preservation, hysteria influences many characters’ actions and leads to the devastating witch trials in Salem. For instance, many characters in The Crucible are driven to execute drastic actions to sustain their reputation and protect themselves.

Many people today are eager for the truth even if it can’t be found. Reality and a sense of truth are searched for decades by the people, much as Hale travels far and wide to find the truth behind what is happening in Salem. As said before Hale’s entrance, ”he spent a good deal of time pondering the invisible world, especially since he had himself encountered a witch in his parish not long before” (1.306). This introduction of Hale expresses how he came to Salem to investigate the cause of everything he spent his life doing. He later states, “We shall need hard study” (1.318).

At the end of the book Hale finds himself feeling guilty for the seventy-two death warrants he signed. While John hale tries to find if witches are true, ultimately he finds himself questioning Mary Warren and John proctor if they have anything to do with the devil; therefore he starts to realize that John Proctor is as innocent as anyone else and tries to end the salem witch trials. Although John Hale was for believing witches he changes his beliefs.

To begin, when hale arrives in salem his books show how much he knows about witchcraft. As the play progress he starts to notice that the events in salem are not witchcraft. He notices that it is just people accusing other people they do not like. Next, Hale goes into salem confident it is witchcraft. When hale arrives in salem, he believes the girls and what they are saying about witchcraft and the people they are accusing.

Reverend Hale is the character that changes the most in Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible because his feelings on witchcraft turns from full belief to unbelievable doubt, his thoughts on Proctor changes from thinking that he is evil to thinking that he is a good and honest man, and he switches from doing God’s work to doing the Devil’s. Reverend Hale makes a huge change on his claim of witchcraft. In the beginning of the play when Reverend is called to the town of Salem to see if the reason why Betty and Ruth are unconscious is due to witchcraft he brings with him many books. When Reverend Parris sees this he makes a comment that Hale responds to him explaining his expectations. This shows that Reverend Hale is focused on one thing, finding

Reverend Hale does not exhibit corresponding behavior throughout the play. Hale starts out with an attitude against witches, and ends up a broken, cynical man. He starts off with really good intentions—even if it seems to be ridiculous. In Act I, Miller describes Hale as: "His goal is light, goodness, and its preservation."

In act 1 and 2 in the play ,The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the character Reverend Hale was introduced and learned what his role was. Reverend Hale was a man nearing his forties and was a high-status intellectual who was an expert in witchcraft (Miller 155). In this act Hale said that he believes there always will be someone with the devil(Miller 155). Hale was siding with the court in this act and signing death warrants along with believing in these accusations fully as shown in his visit to the Proctors when he said there is too much evidence to deny the Devil is in Salem (Miller 171). Also, Hale almost played as an interrogator when he was giving rapid fire questions to John about his Christian character and if he goes to church in his visit to the Proctor house (Miller 171).

The witches are on the hunt for the innocent souls of Salem with Hale stating, “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 1251). Hale is determined to use God’s mighty hand against the “evil witches”. This shows that Hale is faithful to Abigail’s accusations against the common people of Salem. At first, Reverend Hale is eager to prosecute, but as more innocent people are condemned, his compliance turns into distaste. His dissatisfaction eventually turns into rage when Hale shouts, “I denounce these proceedings!”

Reverend Hale - Grandiose to Guilt When Reverend John Hale of Beverly arrived in the secretly psychotic town of Salem, he was carrying books “weighted with authority” (Miller 844). In the progressing scenes, the Reverend quickly made icy contact with the citizens of Salem, starting with the revered Rebecca Nurse and then the general public of Salem (Miller 844). Thankfully, Arthur Miller (the author of The Crucible) wrote Hale as a dynamic character. In this essay, I explain how Reverend Hale changed drastically over the course of the play; how he turned from a pompous exorcist to a guilt-ridden condemner. Hale, at the beginning of the play, has a pompous air about him.