Reverend Hale

Reverend Hale

The Crucible written by Arthur Miller is a play that takes place in the sixteen nineties during the famous but tragic witch trials. Reverend Hale who is a minister and an expert of the demonic arts and witchcraft is sent from East Hanover to Salem where there is a spreading fear of witchcraft. When Hale arrives in Salem he finds the entire town in total chaos. At the beginning Hale is adamant in believing that they're where witches and that nothing but good could come of his being there. Near the end when the truth has been exposed, Hale with so much blood on his head pleads : Ð''Ð'' I come to do the Devil's work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head!'' (Miller,131).

For Reverend Hale the witch hunt in Salem is the scene of a moral journey as he eventually makes a complete turn around in thoughts and beliefs as he is forced to see certain realities. At the start of Reverend Hale's metamorphosis he is so sure of himself and of his belief, in witches, that he even inadvertently eases their lying. At this point when he meets Parris and the girls who have been Ð''Ð'' bewitched'' he encourages them to talk about their being bewitched, and puts some words into their mouths, but he only does this because he really believes in witches, and believes the girls' stories. This back fires however, and helps the girls with their lies. Soon after the trials begin Hale begins to have doubts in the girls. Hale has been seeing respectable people being charged, and this has flickered a doubt in his mind. After a few days of court Hale visits several households without the courts authority, and goes to John Proctors house to have a few words with John and his wife . At the end of the talks Proctor states : Ð''Ð'' And why not, if they must hang for denying it? There are them that will swear to anything before they'll hang ; have you never thought of that?'' (69).

Hale knows that people will confess to anything to avoid being hanged, and he is deeply troubled when he learns of Abigail's motifs for revenge. Respected people have told Hale that the trials are non-sense. He has tried to find holes in these people's reasoning, so he can be reassured he hasn't made a big mistake in his aiding of the conviction of these people, but their reasoning is completely logical. Hale becomes more aware of the truth near the end of Act II, when Giles Corey and Francis Nurse report that their wives have been taken away. Reverend Hale is surprised, but disturbed by the news because he thought of Rebecca as surely being innocent when he met her. He says that, Ð''Ð'' if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothing's left to stop the whole greenworld from burning'' (71). Hale then tries to explain her arrest by saying (in great pain) : Ð''Ð''Man remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven'' (71).

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