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Post by rebeccatr116 on Oct 1, 2012 13:29:21 GMT -5
Throughout acts one and two, Hale has shown himself to be a complex, albeit unconflicted, figure in the play. He acted as the catalyst for the witch-hunt, but appears to genuinely believe in witchcraft and its implications (i.e. people with the appearance of piety making pacts with the devil), and therefore encourages the proceedings out of his actual convictions (in contrast to those who go along with it out of fear or opportunism). Furthermore, he is described by Miller as an 'eager eyed intellectual', which led me to begin drawing more distinct parallels between the play and the Red Scare. Both can be viewed as reactionary movements derived from fear, and both can be viewed as anti-intellectual movements. In the case of The Crucible, it seems that anyone dissenting or in some way acting against the norms of Puritan society is immediately viewed as suspect. Hale stands as an odd figure in this regard, given that he himself attempts to think critically about theology (and in so doing distinguishes himself from most of the populace), but is distinctive in that his intellectualism places himself within the consensus as opposed to outside of it. Similarly, during the Red Scare, William F. Buckley (who in later years established himself as a prominent conservative intellectual) authored a book and several papers praising Senator McCarthy while denouncing many of the targets of the McCarthy hearings, notably university professors.
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Post by josephst112 on Oct 2, 2012 16:23:32 GMT -5
Hale is a very humanistic character, which says a lot about him. For example, he will not hang a woman to test and see if she is a witch; instead he tries his own methods of bringing the witch out of her. His ways include giving the "witch" kindness and a few days rest in his home, which in one case, happened to made the witch "disappear" from the woman's body. However, because of these experiences Hale never doubts that the devil is in his presence. Unlike Parris, who changes his ideas/opinions constantly to try to preserve himself, Hale sticks to his own ideas/opinions because he will not change to be on the inside of a community. Hale speaks kindly to Tituba when she admits to witchcraft and he comforts her by saying that God will protect her. Hale is a good Reverend who cares about the people cursed by witches and he tries to heal them by comforts them with soothing words.
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Post by maryri116 on Oct 9, 2012 17:17:37 GMT -5
In regards to the role that Hale plays in the play, he seems to act as a beacon of light in the midst of all the witchcraft nonsense (however cheesy that may sounds). His character proves that rationality does exist during these times and that not all people must act as sheep to save their own backs. In history, after the witchcraft trials, people generally began to move away from the belief in the supernatural and more towards the idea that the universe was rational and everything happened for a reason. Paralleling history, Hale demonstrates the general ideological movement from belief that the supernatural explained the inexplicable to the belief in a rational world.
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Post by leiade116 on Oct 10, 2012 11:27:38 GMT -5
A major concept in the play is the sacred versus the secular. Many if not most of the characters cross over to the secular world for mere self preservation or self improvement. Hale is not one of these characters. Yes, he is acknowledging witchcraft, however he is genuinely concerned with everything that is going on in Salem with the court and witch trials. He is not accusing anyone of being a witch to save himself, he is concerned with the well being of the people and wants to protect them.
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Post by brianmo116 on Oct 11, 2012 23:55:13 GMT -5
Hale seems to be a character Miller was very intent on distinguishing in great detail. It seems Miller wanted the audience to understand that a 3rd party existed in both the witch trials and the rise of McCarthyism in the 50's. The victims and accusers in both cases are very clearly defined, but the role of Hale in the Crucible is interesting because he is within the consensus, but isn't interested in his own individual advancement unlike the accusers. The main role of Hale in the Crucible really is to emphasize the dangers of a tyranny of consensus. It begins with only a few who are interested solely in self gain, but quickly spreads to impressionable bystanders who adopt their ideals not for self gain but as a legitimate belief. Soon, if left unchecked, the extremely fabricated platform created for some to gain power within a consensus becomes the widely accepted truth and the repercussions would be near impossible to mitigate.
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Post by patrickha112 on Oct 14, 2012 21:59:03 GMT -5
I think that the development of Hale became complete towards the end of the novel. Even though he thinks critically and believes in the goodness of human kind he is inside of the consensus throughout the novel. Towards the end of the novel, it is his belief in human goodness and critical thinking that remove him from the consensus. He exclaims "They are innocent" (132). Hale is an extremely human character who shows that the ability to reason helps one to overcome the consensus.
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Post by clarele112 on Oct 15, 2012 17:44:42 GMT -5
In many parts of the book, it has been illustrated that Hale is more concerned about the lives of the peole rather than his own ideology and principle. In the last act of The Crucible, Hale pleads Danforth to allow Proctor to not name names saying "...it is enough he confess himself. Let him sign it, let him sign it"(141) and almost begs the Proctor to sign his testimony. This shows how Hale no longer firmly holds on to the principle of truth that he long worked for, encouraging Proctor to lie in order to save his life. Thus, this behavior of Hale demonstrates how genuinely worried he is for other people, even abandoning his own principle to help them save their lives. In this regard, I definitely agree that Hale is a very good, honorable reverend.
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