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Reverend Hale Greed Quotes In The Crucible

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Reverend Hale Greed Quotes In The Crucible
“What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? (145)” Reverend Hale begs Elizabeth to convince John Proctor to convince in order for him not to be hanged. Hale does this because he sees the errors in his ways and knows that Proctor is innocent. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend Hale’s despair, Judge Danforth’s integrity, Reverend Parris’ greed exhibit their use of authority. At the beginning of the play, Reverend Hale arrives in Salem eager to try and rid the Devil from the town. But in Act 2, his confidence starts to diminish when he goes to the Proctor’s house to investigate without the court knowing. “I am a stranger here, as you know. And in my ignorance I find it hard to draw a clear …show more content…
In Act 1, his actions are very misleading because he appears to be scared of revealing that there has been witchcraft in Salem. But he is not concerned due to the presence of witchcraft, but because he does not want to shame his name and lose his job. “Where is my wood? My contract provides I be supplied with all my firewood. I am waiting since November for a stick, and even in November I had to show my frostbitten hands like some London beggar! (29)” Parris complains of how he has no firewood even though he is supposed to get some. He later goes on to demand the deed for his house and insist on golden candlesticks for the church. These are all example of his greed and how he does not care what other people must do in order for him to get his way. Parris fails to redeem himself which is evident in Act 3 when he commits perjury by telling the court that he never saw the girls in the forest dancing naked, even though he told Abigail that he saw them. But in Act 4, Reverend Parris appears to have a change of heart because he convinces Danforth to postpone the hangings. But this is just another red herring to try and save himself. Parris found a dagger stabbed into his door, and if clearly innocent people are killed, the people of Salem might form an uprising against him. All of Parris’ wrongdoings make him suffer when Abigail steals all of his money and runs away with it to

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