Reverend John Hale in The Crucible

Reverend Hale, The Mentor

The Character, Reverend Hale, is introduced into The Crucible as a very faithful and respected man. Swiftly being pulled into the ever broadening chaos that ensued in Salem. As days passed Hale is transformed from the man who will extract the witches to the man who will try to save Proctor’s life. Hale being both a mentor for the village and for Proctor while the story progresses while also keeping the peace. Hale being a 40 year old Reverend of the church and is told to have helped in the witch hunting in another much larger town is seen highly in salem. Reverend Hale is the classic Mentor archetype, whose strong faith but lack of political savvy hinders his ability to save the people of Salem.

The Mentor archetype is profiled as “His or her task is to protect the main character.” (According to Literarydevives.net). Hale fits this perfectly, trying to protect John all along the way. “Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more-Private vengeance is working through this testimony! From the beginning this man has struck me true. By my oath to Heaven, I believe him now, and I pray you call his wife back before we-” He spoke on page 119 saying how Elizabeth had just tried to save his name when he went to call out Abigail on Harlotry. Another prime example was when he begged Danforth to not make him confess others on page 148 “Excellency, it is enough he confess himself. Let him sign it, let him sign it”. The final example was when he began to nearly plead with Elizabeth to beg him to sign it even though John made it extremely clear he wouldn’t sign his name away on page 152 “Woman, Plead with him! Woman! It is pride, it is vanity. Be his Helper!-What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? Go to him, take his shame away!”. In many ways does Hale fit the classic Mentor archetype, he helps the general populace and later Proctor since he cared so much.

Reverend Hale has both strengths and weaknesses that show within the play. Hale shows how he has to rely on the court instead of intervening, like when he told Mr. Nurse on page 71 “Believe me, Mr. Nurse, if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothings left to stop the whole green world from burning. Let you rest upon the justice of the court; the court will send her home, I know it.”. He also shows how he is well liked and his faith is very powerful. On page 36 the narration says about Hale “He feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe – kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiastics of all churches”. All in all Hale was quite a spiritually and faithfully strong character while also having weaknesses within the court in both inability to fight against the court and being fearful.

The motivation of Hale resides within his Faith. The narrator says at one point “His goal is light, goodness and its preservation, and he knows the exaltation of the blessed whose intelligence, sharpened by minute examinations of enormous tracts, is finally called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself”. One of the other good quotes to show his willingness to fight and drive out the evil is on page 39 where he says “We shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!” His willingness to help anyone and others is shown on page 46 “Tituba, turn your back on him and face God-face God, Tituba, and God will protect you.” he would even defend a slave. Hale’s motivation to help and to share the love of God with others, Hale’s will to help others trumps greed as he is willing to help even accused witches.

The archetype of the Mentor perfectly fits for Hale, residing with his will to help others and his strong faith while also being undermined by his issues with the court. The Mentor archetype is based after someone who wants to help lead someone to their cause or is trying to help people in some way. Think of Hale much like other mentors, like Gandalf and Dumbledore, like Obi wan and Mace Windu. They all want to help the hero no matter what happens to them.Reverend Hale, The Mentor

The Character, Reverend Hale, is introduced into The Crucible as a very faithful and respected man. Swiftly being pulled into the ever broadening chaos that ensued in Salem. As days passed Hale is transformed from the man who will extract the witches to the man who will try to save Proctor’s life. Hale being both a mentor for the village and for Proctor while the story progresses while also keeping the peace. Hale being a 40 year old Reverend of the church and is told to have helped in the witch hunting in another much larger town is seen highly in salem. Reverend Hale is the classic Mentor archetype, whose strong faith but lack of political savvy hinders his ability to save the people of Salem.

The Mentor archetype is profiled as “His or her task is to protect the main character.” (According to Literarydevives.net). Hale fits this perfectly, trying to protect John all along the way. “Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my conscience to it no more-Private vengeance is working through this testimony! From the beginning this man has struck me true. By my oath to Heaven, I believe him now, and I pray you call his wife back before we-” He spoke on page 119 saying how Elizabeth had just tried to save his name when he went to call out Abigail on Harlotry. Another prime example was when he begged Danforth to not make him confess others on page 148 “Excellency, it is enough he confess himself. Let him sign it, let him sign it”. The final example was when he began to nearly plead with Elizabeth to beg him to sign it even though John made it extremely clear he wouldn’t sign his name away on page 152 “Woman, Plead with him! Woman! It is pride, it is vanity. Be his Helper!-What profit him to bleed? Shall the dust praise him? Shall the worms declare his truth? Go to him, take his shame away!”. In many ways does Hale fit the classic Mentor archetype, he helps the general populace and later Proctor since he cared so much.

Reverend Hale has both strengths and weaknesses that show within the play. Hale shows how he has to rely on the court instead of intervening, like when he told Mr. Nurse on page 71 “Believe me, Mr. Nurse, if Rebecca Nurse be tainted, then nothings left to stop the whole green world from burning. Let you rest upon the justice of the court; the court will send her home, I know it.”. He also shows how he is well liked and his faith is very powerful. On page 36 the narration says about Hale “He feels himself allied with the best minds of Europe – kings, philosophers, scientists, and ecclesiastics of all churches”. All in all Hale was quite a spiritually and faithfully strong character while also having weaknesses within the court in both inability to fight against the court and being fearful.

The motivation of Hale resides within his Faith. The narrator says at one point “His goal is light, goodness and its preservation, and he knows the exaltation of the blessed whose intelligence, sharpened by minute examinations of enormous tracts, is finally called upon to face what may be a bloody fight with the Fiend himself”. One of the other good quotes to show his willingness to fight and drive out the evil is on page 39 where he says “We shall find him out if he has come among us, and I mean to crush him utterly if he has shown his face!” His willingness to help anyone and others is shown on page 46 “Tituba, turn your back on him and face God-face God, Tituba, and God will protect you.” he would even defend a slave. Hale’s motivation to help and to share the love of God with others, Hale’s will to help others trumps greed as he is willing to help even accused witches.

The archetype of the Mentor perfectly fits for Hale, residing with his will to help others and his strong faith while also being undermined by his issues with the court. The Mentor archetype is based after someone who wants to help lead someone to their cause or is trying to help people in some way. Think of Hale much like other mentors, like Gandalf and Dumbledore, like Obi wan and Mace Windu. They all want to help the hero no matter what happens to them.