Topic > Reverend Hale: A Spiritual Doctor

Reverend Hale arrives in Salem in response to a crisis in town. He is the "spiritual doctor" called to evaluate Salem during this unusual crisis. His job is to diagnose witchcraft, if present, and then provide the necessary cure through repentance and/or removing the "witches" from Salem. Hale is dedicated to his faith and his work. His good intentions and sincere desire to help people afflicted by the "Devil" motivate him. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Unfortunately, Hale is also vulnerable. His fervor for discovering witchcraft allows others, (particularly Abigail), to manipulate him. The amount of evidence of witchcraft when he arrives in Salem overwhelms him. Although Hale remains determined not to declare witchcraft unless he can prove it, the expectations of the people of Salem overwhelm him and, as a result, he takes their evidence at face value, rather than investigating it himself. This is why I believe Reverend Hale is leading to an inevitable end due to his faulty judgments/decisions. Due to his desire to fight the Devil he only ends up being overwhelmed and confused by the situation at hand. He's dragging the girls into this mass hysteria created by the city, which he and the girls begin to believe and act upon. Hale begins to interrogate Tituba and tells her that she can redeem herself by admitting to working with the Devil and telling him the names of anyone else involved. The rest of the town's people who are in the room begin to interrogate and intimidate Tituba with questions telling her that if she doesn't confess, they will take her out and flog her to death. Another statement that they will be hanged. his. It is no wonder that Tituba indulges the hysteria, because she fears for her life and sees that the only way out of death is through "confession", even if what she says is false. He admits that he saw the Devil and that Goody Good and Goody Osburn were with him. Abigail admits that she gave herself to the Devil by writing his name in her book. He renounces the Devil and says he wants "the sweet love of Jesus." Abigail also claims to have seen Sarah Good and Goody Osburn with the Devil, along with Bridget Bishop. Betty suddenly wakes up from these delirious chants and claims to have seen George Jacobs and Goody Howe with the devil. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay With the young girls now playing in the craze along with himself, people believe they have no way to solve this problem unless they remove those who have sworn an oath to the Devil or make them repent before the Lord, and their names be tarnished in society forever. This is when readers of The Crucible begin to see Reverend Hale's impact on the girls and their statements and realize that this is only the beginning of these "confessions".’.