The Crucible Literary Essay
Literary Essay:
T: Reverend John Hale changed from the beginning to the end of the play the Crucible.
A: Anyone who has read The Crucible
P: To further understand the character John Hale in the play The Crucible
F: Literary Essay
It can be argued that in the play The Crucible, Reverend John Hale’s character’s arrogance and ignorance caused him to begin the Witch Trials of Salem, Massachusetts, and in the end could not do enough to stop them. He undergoes a significant change as the play progresses. At the beginning of the play, John Hale is very confident that there are indeed witches in Salem. You can see this confidence as he arrives, and brags to Reverend Parris of his heavy books. When Parris asks why they are so heavy, he replies “They must be; they are weighted with authority. ' Page 36” With that you can see his pride and assurance, as he takes no time to answer. He marks his confidence another time when he inspects Betty and says: Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are as definite as stone. -Page 38
He is completely sure the Devil is afoot. He tells Putnam that the Devil is real, and is here in Salem. John Hale shows his ignorance one final time when asked about the content of his books, and replies to Parris: Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises […] have no fear now-we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face! ' Page 39
He means to kill the Devil himself, and brags with confidence that this shall be an easy task. Just a before the middle of the play, Reverend John Hale begins to lose faith in the court, and questions his own faith as to whether or not there are really witches in Salem. Hale first begins questioning himself when he arrives at the Proctor’s home and tells them “I come
T: Reverend John Hale changed from the beginning to the end of the play the Crucible.
A: Anyone who has read The Crucible
P: To further understand the character John Hale in the play The Crucible
F: Literary Essay
It can be argued that in the play The Crucible, Reverend John Hale’s character’s arrogance and ignorance caused him to begin the Witch Trials of Salem, Massachusetts, and in the end could not do enough to stop them. He undergoes a significant change as the play progresses. At the beginning of the play, John Hale is very confident that there are indeed witches in Salem. You can see this confidence as he arrives, and brags to Reverend Parris of his heavy books. When Parris asks why they are so heavy, he replies “They must be; they are weighted with authority. ' Page 36” With that you can see his pride and assurance, as he takes no time to answer. He marks his confidence another time when he inspects Betty and says: Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are as definite as stone. -Page 38
He is completely sure the Devil is afoot. He tells Putnam that the Devil is real, and is here in Salem. John Hale shows his ignorance one final time when asked about the content of his books, and replies to Parris: Here is all the invisible world, caught, defined, and calculated. In these books the Devil stands stripped of all his brute disguises […] have no fear now-we shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face! ' Page 39
He means to kill the Devil himself, and brags with confidence that this shall be an easy task. Just a before the middle of the play, Reverend John Hale begins to lose faith in the court, and questions his own faith as to whether or not there are really witches in Salem. Hale first begins questioning himself when he arrives at the Proctor’s home and tells them “I come