Compare And Contrast Reverend Hale In The Crucible

Characters such as Macbeth or Professor Moriarty, while typically portrayed as â€Å"evil,† are morally complex characters that view themselves as protagonists, similar to Reverend Hale. In Arthur Miller’s seminal recreation of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible, a group of Puritan farmers, landowners, and priests collide in a tale of desperate fear and hysteria. Reverend Hale, a minister with what appears limitless knowledge of the supernatural, is thrust into an event that his expertise could never prepare him for. While Hale’s intentions to eliminate all Demonic presence from Salem appear noble, the outcome leads to the deaths of many innocents and the greater spread of hysteria. Hale creates chaos by placing himself into a leadership†¦show more content†¦Yet, he uses his position as an â€Å"expert† to compel the citizens to have an unquestioning loyalty towards him. Hale portrays himself as confident and prideful, going as far as to su ggest that when the Devil reveals himself, he will â€Å"crush him utterly† (Miller 37). This confidence leads him to gaining a leadership position as he utilizes the transcribed word of God and puts it into action. Furthermore, he uses his authority to convince Tituba to confess, sparking what would become a mass of hysteria: â€Å"You are God’s instrument put in our hands to discover the Devil’s agents among us. You are selected, Tituba, you are chosen to cleanse our village† (Miller 44). Hale commits the fallacy of hasty generalization by jumping to the conclusion that Tituba is sent by God to name the Devil’s agents. Tituba knows that the accusations against her could lead to her death, but due to Hale’s true ignorance on the matter, she is able to start accusing other people to save herself. Hale places Tituba in a position where she can safely avoid being imprisoned by giving away others who might be innocent. If he did not elevate Tit uba’s role in the matter, it is possible he could have avoided sending several villagers to the gibbet. While presuming a role of questionable authority, Hale inadvertently started the Witch Trials, but it is his pride that keeps him from realizing his mistakes. Hale’s pride holds him back fromShow MoreRelatedCompare And Contrast Reverend Hale And The Crucible774 Words   |  4 PagesA Tragic Hero This short essay will delve into character analysis of two characters from The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I will be discussing a few qualities of Reverend Hale and John Proctor, and also arguing why I believe that John Proctor is the tragic hero of the story. Reverend Hale is a man who comes to Salem with a mission. He had recently discovered witchcraft in his own town where he was the minister, and now his services were being requested elsewhere (Miller, 9). His talents were becomingRead MoreI’m Not a Witch†¦ or a Communist! I Plead the 5th! 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The Crucible achieves this complex presentation of belonging through a variety of interconnected techniques which will be explored in this essay. These techniques may be categorized into four mainRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller1899 Words   |  8 Pageslistening to this advice , spreading bits of untruths as harmless as white lies to the more severe, like in the case of the Salem Witch Trials or the McCarthy trials during the Red Scare. Arthur Miller delved deeply into this topic in his famous play, The Crucible, in which he compared the Salem Witch Trials to the McCarthy trials as a comment on the self-preserving, rash, and gullible nature of human beings, in order to open the audience’s eyes to the error of their ways. He wanted them to see the negativeRead MoreThe Crucible By Arthur Miller Essay1900 Words   |  8 Pageslistening to this advice, spreading bits of untruths as harmless as white lies to the more severe, like in the case of the Salem Witch Trials or the McCarthy trials during the Red Scare. Arthur Miller delved deeply into this topic in his famous play, The Crucible, in which he compared the Salem Witch Trials to the McCarthy trials as a comment on the self-preserving, rash, and gullible nature of human beings in order to open the audience’s eyes to the error of their ways. He wanted them to see the negative