Hale: Crucible Essay, Research Paper

John Hale is the curate of Beverly, which has been summoned to Salem to detect and

extinguish supposed witchery in the town of Salem, Mass. in the colonial period. Hale

overgoes a gradual alteration of character and belief as the drama unfolds. As a dynamic

character? Though a gradual alteration it is, the alteration drastically changes his positions and

thoughts of what is God & # 8217 ; s will and where his precedences lie.

The terminal of Act One exhibits the audience a avid priest, Reverend John Hale,

looking for grounds of witchery, existent or do believe. Most convenient for Hale the

town of Salem has more than adequate grounds for him to go enraptured about.

Although he does show that, & # 8220 ; We can non look to superstition in this. The Devil is

precise ; the Markss of his presence are every bit definite as rock, and I must state you all that I

shall non predate unless you are prepared to believe me if I should happen no contusion of snake pit

upon her & # 8221 ; ( 38 ) , it is a mere empty promise, since before the stoping of Act One he already

mentally decides Salem is plagued with witchery, with or without concrete grounds to

back up his allegation. Hale utilizations such light grounds as Putnam & # 8217 ; s decease of her first seven

kids and Giles & # 8217 ; married woman reading of strange books which keep him from declaiming the Lord & # 8217 ; s

supplication. Ironically, he encounters, Tituba, after hearing that this Barbados slave had been

practising juju with the stricken misss. After Hale puts huge force per unit area on Tituba to

proclaim herself a enchantress Hale is able to pull strings Tituba to claim that she had used

witchery on the misss. After declaring herself a enchantress she accuses the names of four

honest and guiltless adult females, therefore get downing the concatenation affect of accused enchantresss impeaching

others of witchery, that shortly would follow. So Hale, single-handedly, who was

manipulated by Abigail & # 8217 ; s prevarications and false tantrums, started the full struggle with his aggressive

technique to impel Tituba to squeal to association with the Satan, which in truth had

ne’er covenanted.

At the clip in Act Two that Hale enters there is a presence of guilt about him,

which foretells what his mission in the Proctor & # 8217 ; s house is, to oppugn Elizabeth on the

intuition of practising witchery on Abigail Williams. So, to get down to foster his instance in

witchery he confronts Mr. Proctor about his deficiency of attending to church and about one

of his kids non being baptized. Proctor replies both of these inquiry with his

disapproval of greed Rev. Parris. Hale even demands to hear the Lord & # 8217 ; s ten

commandments form both Mr. and Mrs. Proctor. Hale scrutinizes and probes the

Proctors the full visit for any signifier of grounds that he could tie in with the traits of

a enchantress. That all alterations though, something is told to Hale that blows his head,

something he doesn & # 8217 ; t barely believe at first, that Abigail Willaims told, to Proctor & # 8217 ; s face,

that there was no such act of witchery in Salem, whatsoever. Proctor defends his

statement by oppugning Hale many times over which in response Hale exclaims that

Proctor & # 8217 ; s impression was nonsensical since Hale himself conducted the scrutinies with the

accused, & # 8220 ; There are them that will curse to anything before they & # 8217 ; ll bent ; have you of all time

though of that? & # 8221 ; ( 69 ) . Then this quotation mark follows, & # 8220 ; Hale: I-I have so. It is his ain

intuition, but he resists it. & # 8221 ; ( 69 ) . This comment and even more so this vacillation by Hale

reveals that at this point Hale has already started to oppugn his ain actions, but is non

yet at the point of cognizing if this & # 8220 ; witchery & # 8221 ; is really merely a exalted act by the

self-proclaimed anguished kids. After this interpolation Hale begins to inquire both Mrs. and

Mr. Proctor if they believe in the being of enchantresss. Why? Because Hale wants to

do certain his accusals and scrutinies are believed to be proper in conformity to

what is justifiable in the eyes of fellow townspeople. A point comes near the terminal of Act Two

that the audience learns that Goody Nurse, the kindest, most saint-like of Salem, has been

taken into detention under warrant of witchery. This is the portion where the audience truly

starts to see a difference in Hale & # 8217 ; s attitude and belief. For illustration, during the

conversation with Mr. Nurse refering Rebecca & # 8217 ; s imprisonment, & # 8220 ; Hale, turns from

Francis, profoundly troubled: & # 8230 ; Let you rest upon the Justice of the tribunal & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 71 ) , & # 8220 ; Hale,

pleading: & # 8230 ; There is a brumous secret plan afoot & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; , ( 71 ) and & # 8220 ; Hale, in great hurting: & # 8230 ; until an hr

before the Satan fell, God thought him beautiful in heaven. & # 8221 ; ( 71 ) . All these quotation marks

magnify, in address, that Hale is still confident in his belief of the justness of the tribunal, but

since this is a drama and non a novel, his actions shown on phase assert indecisiveness and

vacillation. Another really of import factor in Hale larning the truth is John Proctor

himself. While Elizabeth is being accused and arrested he repeatedly and sharply

challenges Hale & # 8217 ; s belief, easy destructing Hale & # 8217 ; s religion in the sanctity of the tribunal. & # 8220 ; Hale:

Proctor if she is guiltless the tribunal & # 8211 ; Proctor: If she is guiltless! Why do you ne’er

admiration if Parris be guiltless or Abigail? Is the accuser ever holy now? I & # 8217 ; ll state you

what & # 8217 ; s walking Salem & # 8211 ; retribution is walking Salem. We are what we ever were in

Salem, but now the small brainsick kids are jingling the keys of the land, and common

retribution writes the jurisprudence! This warrant & # 8217 ; s retribution! I & # 8217 ; ll non give my married woman to

retribution! & # 8221 ; ( 77 ) . This individual comprehensive citation summarizes the full statement

Proctor establishes for Hale, the chief Hale believes at the terminal of the Act, that the misss

are non bewitched and are most decidedly lying. What eventually breaks his defence is

Proctor & # 8217 ; s exclaiming to Hale, & # 8220 ; Proctor, to Hale, ready to interrupt him: Will you see her

taken? Hale: Invigilate the tribunal is & # 8211 ; Proctor: Pontius Pilate! God will non allow you rinse

your custodies of this! & # 8221 ; ( 77 ) , . This full experience is Hale & # 8217 ; s Catharsis.

Hale is in the courtroom throughout Act Three, but the audience hears and sees

small from him besides a few one line interpolations and a het statement with Danforth

towards the terminal. With such wee grounds person would believe that it might be hard

to larn much with so small to travel by? The antonym is true, the entireness of Act Three

involves Giles and Proctor seeking to face the tribunal and free the inexperienced person, and anything

Hale says, are does, is in the support of them. Danforth, Parris and Hawthorne are, in a

black and white sense, on one side while Giles, Proctor, and Hale are on another. Hale in

defence of Proctor, & # 8220 ; Danforth: Plow on Sunday! Proctor: I-I have one time or twice

plowed on Sunday. I have three kids, sir, and until last twelvemonth my land gave small. Hale:

Your Honor, I can non believe you may judge the adult male on such evidence. & # 8221 ; ( 91 ) . Hale in

defence of Francis, & # 8220 ; Francis: Mr. Danforth, I gave them all my word no injury would come

to them for subscribing this [ The request of belief in artlessness of Rebecca and Elizabeth ] .

Parris: This is a clear onslaught upon the degree Celsius

ourt! Hale, to Parris: Is every defence an onslaught

upon the tribunal? Can no one & # 8211 ; ? & # 8221 ; . ( 94 ) . In both of incidents Hale steps straight into the

centre of the scrutiny and supports the suspects in conformity with his new belief,

that the tribunal is in the incorrect. These statements are all inferior compared to the clip in

Act Three that he confronts Danforth on the tribunal & # 8217 ; s behavior and while acknowledging his ain

guilt in the due procedure, & # 8220 ; Hale: Excellency, I have signed 72 decease warrants ; I

am a curate of the Lord and I dare non take a life without at that place be cogent evidence so speckless

no slightest scruple of scruples may doubt it. Danforth: Mr. Hale, you certainly do non

uncertainty my justness. Hale: I have this forenoon signed off the psyche of Rebecca Nurse, your

award. I & # 8217 ; ll non hide it my manus shakes yet as with a lesion! & # 8230 ; Danforth: Mr. Hale,

believe me ; for a adult male of such awful acquisition you are most baffled & # 8211 ; I hope you will

forgive me & # 8230 ; . Hale: But this kid claims the misss are non true, and if you are non & # 8211 ;

Danforth: That is exactly what I am about to see, sir. What more you inquire me?

Unless you doubt my probity? Hale, defeated: I surly do non sir. Let you see it,

then. & # 8221 ; ( 100 ) . This supplication Hale nowadayss Danforth defends what Proctor is about to make. Coerce

knows if Proctor presents Mary & # 8217 ; s testimony before the tribunal the Judgess would pull strings

the testimony into something of a negative affect toward Proctor and the others accused ;

the ground for Hale desiring a attorney nowadays. Then, what eventually forces Hale to & # 8220 ; condemn

the proceedings of the tribunal & # 8221 ; , is Mary & # 8217 ; s thrice reversal of her narrative which now states that

Proctor is a ace and forced her to attest against Abigail in the others by directing his

spirit. & # 8220 ; Hale: Excellency, it is a natural prevarication to state ; I beg you, halt now before another is

condemned! I may close my scruples to it no more & # 8211 ; private retribution is working

through this testimony! From the beginning this adult male has struck me true. By my curse to

heaven, I believe him now, and I pray you name back his married woman before & # 8211 ;

Danforth: She spoke nil of lechery, and this adult male has lied! [ about Proctor and

Abigail & # 8217 ; s adultery ] . Hale: I believe him! Indicating at Abigail: This miss has ever struck

me false! She has & # 8211 ; [ so interrupted by Abigail & # 8217 ; s intoning ] . & # 8221 ; ( 114 ) . This is when Hale

to the full confesses that the people he has condemned to decease were likely all inexperienced person.

After Proctor is accused as a ace by Mary is when Hale eventually storms out of the

courtroom and turns to seeking to salvage the lives of the 1s accused of witchery in Act

Four.

Act Four is the decision, the concluding stage of his dynamic word picture. In this

act non merely does Hale province he believes that the craze is false but he acts on this belief

by trying to assist the accused. The audience discovers Hale in the prison, where all

the accused are being held, along with Parris, who is besides now seeking to salvage the

condemned, seeking to convert the accused to salvage their lives by squealing to witchcraft.

& # 8220 ; Hale: Excellency, there are orphans rolling the streets from house to house ;

abandoned cowss bawl on the trunk roads, the malodor of decomposing harvests bents everyplace,

and no adult male knows when the prostitutes & # 8217 ; call will stop his life & # 8230 ; & # 8221 ; ( 130 ) , this outake merely and

straight affirms what Hale views as the effects of his dangerous actions, which is the

motive for his attempts. Although Hale attempts to decrease the abrasiveness of his old wickednesss,

his method to try this is a wickedness in itself which in this quotation mark he explains to Elizabeth in

gaol, & # 8220 ; Hale: & # 8230 ; I have sought a Christian manner, for damnation & # 8217 ; s doubled on a curate who

advocates work forces to lie & # 8221 ; ( 132 ) . In the terminal, in seeking to salvage John Proctor & # 8217 ; s life by converting

Elizabeth to carry John to squeal to salvage his life, he admits what he did incorrectly, & # 8220 ; Hale:

Let you non misidentify your responsibility as I mistook my ain. I came into this small town like a

bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high faith ; the really Crown of holy jurisprudence I

brought, and what I touched with my great religion, blood flowed up. & # 8221 ; ( 132 ) . The latter half

of this quotation mark displays an full different subject, & # 8220 ; & # 8230 ; life is God & # 8217 ; s most precise gift ; no

rule, nevertheless glorious, may warrant the pickings of it. I beg you, adult females, prevail upon

your hubby to squeal. Let him give his prevarication. Quail non before God & # 8217 ; s judgement in this,

for it may good be God damns a prevaricator less than he that throws his life off for pride. & # 8221 ; ( 132 ) .

This supplication is given with guilt. Hale knows he could, and should, hold saved Proctor in the

beginning, therefore seting more force per unit area on Hale to salvage John Proctor & # 8217 ; s life now, no affair

the cost. But, atlas, this does non go on, and when Hale finds the determination of Proctor & # 8217 ; s

to waive confession and give his life for the good of his name he becomes bewildered

with confusion. & # 8220 ; Hale: Woman [ Elizabeth ] plead with him! He starts to hotfoot out the

door and so goes back to her. Woman! It is pride, it is amour propre. & # 8230 ; He drops to his articulatio genuss.

& # 8230 ; What net income him to shed blood? Shall the dust congratulations him? Shall the worms declare his

truth? & # 8221 ; ( 145 ) . This is where the audience can now sympathise with hapless Rev. Hale. He

does non understand how 1 could non lie to salvage his one life, even if it were confession

to witchcraft. Hale will hold to populate the remainder of his natural life knowing that he had a major

portion in the deceases of so many guiltless people.

Does Hale, as a dynamic character, genuinely alteration for the better? Does Hale, as a

dynamic character, truly go more priest-like in his effort to rectify his old

wickednesss? Even if his methods of seeking to protect the inexperienced person are iniquitous, his motivation to hold

them saved is perfectly echt. In the beginning Reverend Hale comes into Salem

feverent, in his desire to detect witchery. At that point Hale so did believe he was

with covenation with justness and the will of God. Then onto Act Two, we discover an

even more aggressive adult male, one who has already signed 11 warrants of apprehension which he

approved of on the testimony of a few mere schoolgirls as the lone signifier of grounds. Not

until he himself witnesses Elizabeth Proctor be taken into detention, his katharsis, on such

light spectral grounds does he get down to believe that craze and retribution are really

all that is taking topographic point and that he is besides blinded by the prevarications of Abigail Williams. Act

Three, Hale is now a true truster in the tribunal being unfair, but non yet a to the full fan to

the salvation of the inexperienced person. His bosom and head ballad in the right topographic point by go forthing the

tribunal but has non taken the following measure to finish transmutation by taking action. The

audience sees a complete different adult male, a adult male who sees his old wickednesss for what they

genuinely are in Act Four. A adult male who needs to help those he has condemned to decease. A

adult male with a moral duty to protect those lives that he has put into hazard with his

old avid behaviour. & # 8230 ; Yes. Yes, there is a huge positive alteration in Hale from

the beginning of the drama to the terminal. Yes, Rev