Salem's change

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The story of the Salem Witch Trials has changed over the course of the story. Now it is fall, and many of the town's people are in jail abd some are about to be hanged. We have seen how Hale has changed earlier in the story but here in Act IV, we see more change. Instead of being skeptical about the trials, now he is completely against it. He has just recently returned to Salem after three months of being in the wilderness. He has changed his mind about these trials and knows that they are wrong. "Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. I came into this village like a bridegroom to his beloved, bearing gifts of high religion; the very crowns of holy law i brought, and what I touched with my bright confidence, it died; and where I turned the eye of my great faith, blood flowed up. Beware, Goody Proctor- cleave too no faith when faith brings blood. It is mistaken law that leads youto sacrifice. Life, woman, life is God's most precious gift; no principle, however glorious, may justify the taking of it. I beg you, woman, prevail upon your husband to confess. Let him give his lie. Quail not before God's judgement in this, for it may well be God damns a liar less than he that throws his life away for pride. Will you plead with him? I cannot think he will listen to another." Hale knows that those people that have been accused are innocent and this entire nightmare has been a plot developed by someone seeking vengence.

Reverend Hale

In the beginning of The Crucible, the impression I got of Hale was that he was very controlling and believed that there were cases of witchcraft on Salem. "Hale: They must be; they are weighted with authority" ( page 36). As soon as Hale walks into Salem, he is giving orders and taking control. Hale doesn't question anyone's story of witchcraft in the beginning; he believes them and starts trying to cure them or provide answers to their questions. Hale may have acted too quickly at first but it satisfies the people and calms their fears.
Now that the story has continued, Hale has changed somewhat. instead of acting first and asking questions later, he is asking for evidence and listening to what people have to say. " Hale: Excellency, it is a natural lie to tell; I beg you, stop now before another is condemned! I may shut my concience to it no more-Private vengence 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 back his wife before we-"(page 114). Hale has started to question the girls' stories of witchcraft. He now thinks that Proctor is telling the truth and that Abigail Williams has planned this entire nightmare to get her revenge on Goody Proctor. Now we, as readers, may only hope that the town finds justice.

Mass Hysteria in Salem

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The Salem Witch Trials caused many cases of mass hysteria throughout the village of Salem. The trials represent mass hysteria in the case that there were people inflicting great pains on themselves just to get what they wanted. “Cheever: The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parris’s house tonight, and without word nor warnin’ she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And he goes to save her, and stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw out a needle out. And demandin’ of her how she come to be stabbed, she testify it were your wife’s familiar spirit that pushed it in.” (The Crucible.Arthur Miller. Pg.74) In this case, Abigail has become desperate enough that she has inflicted serious pain on herself. Although she may be thinking clearly about what she wants, her immature wants have caused her to become mentally unstable. Abigail is not he only person in Salem that may be mentally unstable. Tituba also shows signs of mass hysteria. "He say Mr. Parris must be kill! Mr. Parris no goodly man, Mr. Parris mean man and no gentle man, and he bid me rise out of my bed and cut your throat! But i tell him ""No! I dont hate that man. I don't want kill that man"". But he say, ""You work for me, Tituba, and I make you free! I give you pretty dress for you to wear, and put you way high up in the air, and you gone fly back to Barbados!"" And I say, "You lie, Devil, you lie."" And then he come one stormy night to me, and he say, ""Look! I have white people belong to me."" And I look-and there was Goody Good."(The Crucible. Arthur Miller. Pg.47) Another symptom of mass hysteria is beleiving lies that the people involved have made up themselves. The small village of Salem will never be the same after these trials.

Fall

Picture found on google.images "coyote howling"

Fall is the crisp morning air on the opening day of hunting season with a coyote pup howling in the distance.