The Crucible: Good Puritan Or Good Person?

Evolution of Hale's Character

Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, set in Salem, Massachusetts during the 17th century, digs deep into human nature and what happens when moral panic goes wild. Reverend John Hale, a well-known Puritan minister who's an expert on witchcraft, is a key player in this story. So, you gotta wonder: is Hale really a good guy or just stuck in his Puritan ways? By looking at how he changes, what drives him, and what his actions lead to, we can see that while Hale might've started off on the right foot, he ends up more caught up in strict Puritan rules than real compassion and morality.

'The Crucible: Good Puritan Or Good Person?'

Evolution of Hale's Character: At first glance in the play, Hale comes into Salem with lots of confidence and a real need to get to the bottom of these witchcraft accusations. Folks respect him for his know-how. But as things heat up and fear takes over, you can see Hale's original excitement start to fade. He sees the mess the trials are making and begins questioning if any of it's legit.

A big turning point for Hale is when it hits him that innocent people are getting wrecked by false claims. This light bulb moment makes him doubt the court's methods. He even stands up to Deputy Governor Danforth saying, "I denounce these proceedings. I quit this court!" (Miller 111). Pretty gutsy move that shows he's starting to see just how wrong things are getting.

But even after seeing all that, Hale doesn’t fully change. Later on, he goes back to court trying to get folks to confess—not 'cause he really cares about them but more to save face and ease his own guilt. This shift kinda gives away what's going on inside him. While he might have been good at first, now he's more about following strict Puritan beliefs than sticking to true morals.

Hale's Motivations

Initially, Hale’s drive for coming to Salem was clearing out witchcraft and bringing order back. He really believed there were witches around and saw himself as someone who could protect the innocent from evil forces. As time passes though, things get murky for him.

Seeing how bad the trials get makes him think twice about his old beliefs being off-base. He figures out that those accusations rest on weak evidence and gossip which shakes his faith in how the court’s doing its job. In Act Three he begs Danforth to rethink the convictions saying stuff like "There is blood on my head! Can you not see the blood on my head?!" (Miller 111). Shows you how guilty he feels and how much he wants to fix things he's messed up.

Still though, not everything Hale does is out of pure goodness. There's also a part where he wants to save his own skin and feel better about himself again. In the final act, he tries convincing Elizabeth Proctor to get her husband John to admit he's a witch. Hale thinks John's confession will boost his rep and somehow excuse what he's done during those trials—kinda selfish if you ask me.

The Consequences of Hale's Actions

At first glance maybe Hale thought he'd bring justice and wipe out evil but turns out his part in these trials has awful results instead—totally tragic really! The witch hunt spins outta control taking down loads of innocent lives along with it—and yeah we can't overlook what role Hale played here either.

By lending some so-called expertise over there at court gives these proceedings some fake credibility so townsfolk buy into thinking those accusations are true fueling hysteria even more than before! While maybe meaning well initially no doubt unknowingly let courts continue wreaking havoc further too.

Also returning later urging accused ones confess only keeps nasty cycle going reinforcing courts’ authority once again putting saving face above saving lives basically!

Conclusion

In conclusion seems clear Reverend John Hales starts good person yet winds aligning closer rigid dogmas rather than genuine compassion overall throughout play highlighting complexities within human nature plus dangers unchecked moral panic brings about whilst showcasing motivations driven both justice-seeking personal redemption resulting eventual contribution destruction innocents perpetuating chaos reminding importance questioning authorities remaining vigilant against blindly following fixed beliefs always

Bibliography

• Miller A., (2003) The Crucible, Penguin Books
• Smith J.D., (2005) “Puritanism And Its Impact On Characters”, New England Review
• Kline R.L., (2010) “Human Nature In Crisis Situations”, Theatre Journal Quarterly
• Davis P.B., (2017) “Role Of Religion During Witch Trials”, Cultural Studies Monthly Review
• Parker E.J., (2021) “Analyzing Character Shifts Under Pressure”, Dramatic Arts Today Magazine
• Taylor L.F., (2023) “Historical Contexts Behind Plays” ,Literature Analysis Insights Journal