The Conflicts In Act 2 Of The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In Act 2 of The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, accusations of witchcraft spread through the town of Salem. Townspeople accuse their neighbors of witchcraft with little or no evidence, and most of the Townspeople believe all the accusations are true. Reverend Hale, from the nearby town of Beverly, comes to Salem after hearing about the possible witchcraft. As an expert on witchcraft, Hale must analyze the evidence presented in order to provide fair trials for all the accused townspeople. However, Reverend Hale faces an internal conflict during his investigation after seeing the little evidence of witchcraft and the reactions of the characters to the accusations. Reverend Hale strongly opposes the Devil and evil, and his expertise in witchcraft …show more content…
Thirty-nine women have been accused of witchcraft, and Reverend Hale is in charge of investigating these accusations. Hale cannot find evidence against the accused, but when he asks them if they have been engaged in witchcraft most confess. By admitting to witchcraft, the accused guarantee themselves that they will not be hanged. The ones who refuse to admit that they have been involved with the Devil and witchcraft, such as Goody Osburn, are sentenced to hanging with no evidence against them. Most of the characters are caught up in the hysteria and do not disagree with the punishment. The court does not question the accusers, only the accused, and many of the townspeople see this. The system that the town uses to investigate the accusations allows anyone to accuse whoever of witchcraft with no evidence other than their word. When Rebecca Nurse is accused, Francis says “with a mocking, half-hearted laugh: For murder, she’s charged! Mockingly quoting the warrant: ‘For the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnam’s babies’” (Miller 71). John Proctor, Reverend Hale, and Rebecca’s husband Giles are in shock that such a Christian women would be charged with witchcraft. However, nothing is able to be done to rid the charges, even after Giles tells Hale that the accuser, Walcott, bought “a pig of my wife four or five year ago, and the pig died soon after… …show more content…
Hale is having an internal conflict about how he should deal with the situation at hand, and he decides to spread the idea of witchcraft that a majority of the town believes. However, there is no real evidence that witchcraft exist in Salem. This causes conflict when John Proctor, along with Giles and Francis, try to argue that the accused are innocent and have not trafficked with the Devil. When the poppet is found in the Proctor’s home, Hale and others are shocked. This reaction by Hale and others shows the audience that the accusations and arrest are illegitimate, even in the eyes of some making the arrest. However, the idea of witchcraft brought hysteria that hypnotizes most of the townspeople into believing that the Devil is in their town and that he must be