The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, tells the story of hysteria that takes place in Salem Massachusetts, when many townspeople are accused of witchcraft and of having given their souls to the Devil. Two important characters in this play, John Proctor and Reverend Hale, change throughout the play and at points in the story seem to have similar personalities, while at other times they are very different. By the end of the story, however, it seems as though they have evolved into two very different characters, those traces of similar persona no longer apparent.
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 the suspected. "What work you do! It's strange work for a Christian girl to hang old women!"(58) Proctor also questions the motives of Abigail and the girls who cry witchcraft, because he knows that these accusations may just be a way for Abigail to convict Elizabeth and see her hanged.
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.
The three characters that I am going to examine are Abigail, Hale, and John Proctor. ... I am not blind;" Proctor-"Against you? ... Hale comes along. ... Hale came to this town wanting to find all the witches and put an end to the madness. ... Even the man from out of town, Hale, had changed his motivation. ...
In The Crucible, Reverend Hale discovers that Abigail is lying. ... However, once he meets John Proctor and Abigail, Hale begins to question the validity of the presence of witches in Salem at all. ... In the climactic trial scene, Hale finally crosses over completely to those opposing the witch-hunt: "I believe [Proctor]! ... This illustrates Hale as a very weak man. ... In The Crucible, Reverend Hale experiences a transformation, one more remarkable than that of any other character. ...
The Crucible The word crucible in the dictionary means a container of metal used to heat things to high temperatures or a severe searching test or trial. ... The witch trials eliminated undesirable persons from the society just as a crucible eliminates unwanted metals from the mixture. In the Crucible there are many characters that undergo changes and some that do not. Some characters that undergo changes are Reverend Hale and John Proctor and some characters that do not change are Danforth. ... The next character that has changed in the course of the play is John Proctor. ...
John Proctor replies that they only confess because they will hang if they deny it. ... Hale displays his ignorance in this conversation by resisting to agree with Proctor. ... Hale talks to Elizabeth Proctor about John Proctor. ... Hale pleads with her to tell Proctor to save his life by confessing rather than giving it for pride. ... The Crucible contains a variety of interesting characters, most of them are static spectators or are involved in the witch hunts by accusing others. ...
Hale describes why he is traveling from house with Proctor: In my ignorance I find it hard to draw a clear opinion of them that come accused before the court. ... When judge Danforce wrongly arrests Proctor and Giles, Hale quits the court: "`I denounce these proceedings! ... When that fails, he tries to convince Rebecca Nurse and John Proctor to confess in a desperate attempt to save their lives. Hales tells Proctors wife "It is mistaken law that leads you to sacrifice. ... Hale undergoes a dramatic shift in the Crucible from a firm witchcraft believer and advocate of the trials to an opposer...
Analysis of The Crucible The language used in The Crucible is Arthur Miller's adapted version of the language spoken at the times found in the actual court records of the trials. ... We were set the task of acting out part of a scene from the Crucible. ... When Danforth enters, he strides in with Parris rushing to keep up, Hale following to show the relationships between them, Danforth being the leader, Parris following what ever he does and Hale being dragged along as he now doubts the righteousness of their actions. ... Proctor and Rebecca are then escorted away, leaving only ...
In the book The Crucible several girls lie to get out of trouble. ... The first is Reverend Hale, he is an exorcist. ... The first character is Reverend Hale. ... The title the Crucible fits the story that it told. The definition of Crucible is a tool use to melts materials at high temperatures. ...
In the Author Miller's play, "The Crucible," Reverend John Hale of Beverly is one of the leading experts on spotting witchcraft and is also well respected among the people of Salem. ... Hale comes to Salem and begins to search out the Devil in all the "afflicted" girls, when he goes to the Proctor's house to question them, and when he begs John to confess to witchcraft, prove that an authoritative figure can sometimes be wrong and can see the mistakes that he has made. ... He finds himself sitting in John and Elizabeth Proctor's house questioning their Christianity. ... When P...
Analysis The characters in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, and Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, strive to achieve true individual freedom. Personal freedom is an attribute searched for by the characters in The Crucible. ... In addition, during a conversation with Hale, Proctor contemplates, "Why [does he] never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? ... At this point Proctor is merely trying to reason with Hale to reconsider the logic used to prosecute him and the others. Hale, although tenacious, reconciles the judgment made upon Proctor, but at that late of a time, it was too late...
