The Crucible

The Crucible
The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, tells the story of a town torn apart by the mass hysteria, resulting in the infamous 1692 Salem, Mass., witch trials. A dynamic character in The Crucible is Reverend John Hale. Hale’s character is perceived many ways throughout the story.
Reverend Hale first appears in Act One. To most people in Salem, he is viewed as an arrogant, erudite minister that has all the answers. He is a scholar from Beverly, who comes to Salem on Reverend Parris’ request to investigate any supernatural causes for Betty Parris’ suspicious illness. When Hale first gets to the Parris’ house, Abigail tells Rev. Hale that she was dancing in the woods; and that Tituba was making her worship the devil. Tituba then admits the devil came to her and said that she should join him. The girls also told Hale that the devil visited them with people from the village and started to name many names of good people. Hale begins to question the word of Tituba...