A crucible is a severe test or trial. This includes anything from a small-scale personal difficulty to a huge interpersonal conflict. There are many examples a crucible in literature, theatre, and other arts, many of them quite dramatically portrayed. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the immense conflict and atrocities of the Salem Witch Trials is told in a very outstanding way, truly giving a glimpse into what really happened and the individual crucibles of the characters. Three particular characters are a prime example of what happens to a person during and after a crucible: Reverend Hale, Reverend Parris, and John Proctor; each of these men had their true characters revealed in how they reacted during the Crucible.
Reverend Parris, Salem’s …show more content…
In Act II, he says to John and Elizabeth Proctor, “God keep you both; let the third child be quickly baptized, and go you without fail each Sunday in to Sabbath prayer; and keep a solemn, quiet way among you.” Here he is encouraging them to show their external rituals of religion in order to avoid highly possible accusations of witchcraft. Hale believes that if they do what Abigail and the court wants, they will be able to escape accusation and death. Furthermore, as the play progresses Hale actively tries to assist the accused in court, specifically those like John Proctor—when Mary Warren turns against Proctor in Act III, Hale comes to his defense, saying, “Excellency, this child’s gone wild! . . . [after they arrest Proctor] I denounce these proceedings!” as well as “It is a lie! They are innocent!” when speaking to Danforth about the scheduled executions of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and others in Act IV. Hale is trying to show through fact and simple logic that Proctor, Nurse, and others are innocent, and wants the court to consider the possibility that Abigail and the other accusers may be lying. Hale’s reactions to conflict and pressure is a second kind of reaction many people have: they try to help others, indirectly or directly, while still trying to keep their name intact (although Hale falls out of favor with the court in the later
Reverend Parris, Salem’s …show more content…
In Act II, he says to John and Elizabeth Proctor, “God keep you both; let the third child be quickly baptized, and go you without fail each Sunday in to Sabbath prayer; and keep a solemn, quiet way among you.” Here he is encouraging them to show their external rituals of religion in order to avoid highly possible accusations of witchcraft. Hale believes that if they do what Abigail and the court wants, they will be able to escape accusation and death. Furthermore, as the play progresses Hale actively tries to assist the accused in court, specifically those like John Proctor—when Mary Warren turns against Proctor in Act III, Hale comes to his defense, saying, “Excellency, this child’s gone wild! . . . [after they arrest Proctor] I denounce these proceedings!” as well as “It is a lie! They are innocent!” when speaking to Danforth about the scheduled executions of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse, Martha Corey, and others in Act IV. Hale is trying to show through fact and simple logic that Proctor, Nurse, and others are innocent, and wants the court to consider the possibility that Abigail and the other accusers may be lying. Hale’s reactions to conflict and pressure is a second kind of reaction many people have: they try to help others, indirectly or directly, while still trying to keep their name intact (although Hale falls out of favor with the court in the later