Reverend Hale Character Analysis

When young girls behave strangely in Puritan Salem, whom do townspeople call for advice? The people of Salem turn to Reverend Hale, a minister from a nearby town, to solve the problem. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, Reverend Hale is an intelligent man, and his confidence makes him feel so important that he supports the witch trials. An outsider from another town, Hale eventually turns against the idea behind the witch trials because they were being used to place the blame on innocent people. Parents of the children would ask for Reverend Hale to come and check their daughters when the girls started to act in a way that would make them possibly considered to be a witch. Hale begins to believe what the witch accusers were saying and he starts to lead the
Notably, Hale does not quite yet see what is to come from the foundation he has laid in helping to create a situation which hands power over to the girls. When the tables are turned and their word is given acceptance over that of those who would normally be believed. Reverend Hale demonstrates that he is passionate in his desire to destroy witchcraft by consciously manipulating the situation in Salem to bring the results he wanted to see. Reverend Hale considers himself sent directly from the Lord and a literal messenger from him. Hale questions himself for being responsible for so many deaths therefore he is starting to feel bothered by his conscience and not agreeing with everyone about the existence of the witches. He realizes the serious consequences of signing a paper that would allow people to be executed. Hale starts to question the sincerity of the accusations because John Proctor confesses his relationship with Abigail. Proctor is trying to save his marriage with Elizabeth at all