When Reverend Hale first enters in Act I after being sent for by Reverend Parris, he is described as, “A tight-skinned, eager intellectual. This is a beloved errand for him; on being called here to ascertain witchcraft he felt the pride of the specialist whose unique knowledge has at last been publicly called for.”(33) Early on, Hale becomes the force behind the witch trials, getting people to confess and encouraging the court’s proceedings. John Proctor, on the other hand, is introduced as a respected and powerful man in the community, who finds the thought of these witch trials ridiculous, as is obvious when he ridicules Mary Warren for her part in accusing

As the story continues, however, the differences between the two characters start to fade as the hysteria begins to get out of control. Both Proctor and Hale start to have a sense of guilt that is building within them; Proctor, because he knows that he might be able to put an end to Abigail’s crazy accusations, and Hale, because he begins to see that the trials are no longer in his hands, doubting the truth of the girls’ claims and the justice that the court is doing. Proctor is hesitant about calling Abigail a fraud because it would mean spoiling his good name and revealing the crime of lechery that he committed. Even though Elizabeth encourages him to put an end to the madness, he does not know if anything will make a difference at this point in time. “I am only wondering how I may prove what she told me, Elizabeth. If the girl’s a saint now, I think it is not easy to prove she’s fraud, and the town gone so silly. She told it to me in a room alone – I have no proof for it.” (53) Hale completely stops believing the girls’ stories and accusations after he hears Proctor and May Warren’s story, “I believe him! This girl (Abigail) has always struck me as false!” (114) When Proctor is then accused of witchcraft h

Some topics in this essay:
Hale Proctor, Proctor Hale, Quail God’s, Mary Warren, Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale, Proctor Warren’s, Elizabeth John, John Proctor, Salem Massachusetts, hale proctor, reverend hale, lie confess, abigail fraud, sins committed, court’s proceedings, witch trials, john proctor, save life, accused witchcraft,