Reverend Hale comes to Salem and gets his power Essay

Reverend Hale comes to Salem with great confidence and is eager to finally put his vast knowledge of witchcraft to use, "Coming into Salem now Reverend Hale conceives himself much as a young doctor on his first call His goal is light, goodness and its preservation" (Miller 157). In this beginning portion Rev. Hale thinks of himself much like a hero that has come to save the town of Salem. His confidence and his knowledge of witchcraft put him at an immediate position of power. This is where Hale becomes the driving force behind the trials. Being the highly reputed and respected man he is, Rev. Hale is bombarded with accusations of witchcraft. However he unintentionally takes these accusations at a mere face value and fails to examine them thoroughly, although his intentions are pure.
It is not until the middle of act two where Hale begins to dig deeper and consult the Proctors about the events in Salem. When confronted by Rev. Hale, John Proctor tells him that, "Mr. Parris discovered [Abigail and the girls] sportin in the woods. They were startled and took sick." (173) Rev. Hale inquires, "Who told you this?" (173) with hesitation John Proctor reveals, "Abigail Williams." (173) and with sudden enlightenment Hale exclaims, "Abigail!" (173) this is where Reverend Hale's realization that Abigail Williams could be a fraud begins, but he is still not totally convinced. Reverend Hale is one of the only unbiased individuals in Salem at this time and doesn't want to pick sides until he has heard all of the evidence and information he can get. Unfortunately, Reverend Hale's indecisiveness and fear of wrongly incriminating someone early on in the play causes a ripple effect. Reverend Hale waits too long to side with the Proctors until he no longer has the power to control the court trials which leads to the arrest of John Proctor.
At the end of the play Rev. Hale has fully sided with the Proctors, but his support comes too late. The unfair and partial judges the trials Hale questioning his faith as well as theocratic leaders in the court system this is evident when he exclaims, "I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!" and slams the courtroom doors behind him (198). When the Danforth and the court eventually believe Abigail and arrest John Proctor for witchcraft, Reverend Hale is finally fed up and quits. At this moment we see a change in Reverend Hale, he does not change his view of God, but he does realize that much is done in the name of God that doesn't necessarily have to do with purity and righteousness. This changes Hale from being knowledgeable, but naive to being a more independent thinking and passionate Christian man. Reverend Hale Started his time in Salem as a man whose devotion to the church was unrivaled, but as he became aware of the lies in the trials he comes to the conclusion that he can't always believe and blindly follow religious authorities.