Hale is a Reverend of a town near Salem. He originaly came to Salem to see if any of the sick children there were afflicted by witchcraft. "Does someone afflict you, child? It need not be a woman, mind you, or a man. Perhaps some bird invisible to others comes to you-perhaps a pig, a mouse, or any beast at all. Is there some figure bids you fly?. . ." (Miller 41) Hale is looking for a curse on the children. He doesn't seem to think anything could be wrong other than that. No one ever mentions anything related to the children faking their illnesses.
Later, Hale realizes that the children crying out against people in the town might be faking it. He comes to the sudden realization of lying children to late. No matter what he says, Danforth and Parris will not listen to him. Hale is the one person in the story to change and he changes for the better. When trying to convince Danforth, he is silenced. "Excellency, this child's gone wild!" (Miller 119) Saying everything he can against the children isn't enough. Saying anything to save innocent lives shows that Hale has changed to be a better man. Even though many of the accused are going to die bearing grudges, atleast one person has changed for the better.
I agree that he has changed for the better. I thought your first qoute was very fitting for the context. What do you think made him come to the realization that they were faking it.
ReplyDeleteHale probably believes the evidence that these people are good. Unlike Danforth, he took the time to meet each of the people and get to know them on a more personal level.
DeleteOther than Revenend :), this is an excellent reading of Reverend Hale. I especially like your comment about the accused that are going to die bearing grudges. It seems that their supposed love for God is superceded by their intentions to find witches, but, importantly, Rev. Hale changes his tune and realizes the implications of what they are doing. Well done.
ReplyDeleteGood job with your quotes. You back them up very well.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you think no one ever susppected the children of lying before Hale?
Proctor suspected the children of lying before Hale did.
DeleteI like that your quotes are dealing with the same issue. It is easier to see the change in him that way. I also like the last sentence, saying that most of the population will die with grudges, it shows the general mood of the people in Salem.
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