The Crucible Reverend Hale Analysis

In Act IV of the Crucible the character Reverend Hale states that “Life is God’s most precious gift; no principle however glorious, may justify taking it.” Despite there being no scientific proof of the existence of God, what Reverend Hale said is regarded as a universal truth. We humans hold life dear, even valuing the lives of complete strangers. Human life is, at least to humans, precious. We are animals, yet we hold ourselves separate from the rest of the animal world. The lives of our fellow animals are not as precious, not as dearly held as our own. Yet, that feeling that a human mother feels for her child is the same fiercely protective feeling common to many other animals. It is not what makes us different but what we share in common with the rest of animal kind that leads us, inevitably, to war and murder. The animal world is full of violence and death. Animals constantly hunt and kill each other. That is what makes humans different, or at least in our own eyes. We, as a species, have developed rules to distinguish us from the rest of the animal kingdom. One of these rules is that we shall not kill. Animals, however, are creatures of instinct, and humans are creatures of conscious. Humans are intelligent. We think through everything we do. This allows us to feel regret. Our …show more content…
We have the capacity to care for each other even if we are not related. When another saw an infant child they probably thought “that precious child.” Society requires its citizens to living in harmony with one another. Humans have relatively few instincts. Chief amongst our instincts is to take care of our young. This instinct to take care of our young carried over to others, like the elderly. As we began valuing every life: we began to marvel at the fact that we could ever take another human life. Indeed, we made it a great taboo. However, even though it was a taboo; it did not stop us from killing one