8. Crucible pg. 113-127

Hale: "I may shut my conscience to it no more- private vengeance is walking through this testimony!" (114).

Hale has reached his turning point. He has grown sensibility and has forgotten about his reputation. Hale joined Proctor as the voice of reason. Proctor also mentioned that "vengeance is walking Salem [and] writes the law" (77). Now, it is Hale and Proctor against the judges. After angrily walking out of the court, Hale takes one last chance to convince Rebecca Nurse and the other condemned women to confess of doing witchcraft, knowing that this is the only way to save their lives: "Reverend Hale has returned to bring Rebecca Nurse [and the other condemned women] to God" (125). Parris and the judges have no idea of Hale's intentions, which makes Hale look like a good man, atoning the fact he stormed out of the court room: "I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!" (120). Hale sees the vengeance among the accusers when Danforth should be the one acknowledging this. If Danforth really does take his job seriously, then he should leave his reputation aside and look at the real sinners in front of him.


Proctor: "For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud- God damns our kind" (120).

Proctor makes his last attempt to shove reason into the judges' heads. If Danforth realizes he made a mistake, then he will be responsible for several hundred lives. In other words, no matter what, Danforth will continue condemning people in order to save his reputation. He puts his superior position before the lives of innocent people. When Giles came up to Danforth with his deposition defending himself, Danforth continued to question him: "Mr. Putnam states your charge is a lie. What say you to that?" (96). Danforth chose to believe Putnum's word over Giles's solid evidence. God will damn those that knowingly commit sin. In Danforth's case, he has committed a sin for every innocent person he put to death. Now, he is trying to find good reason for why those people needed to be hanged, so he does not look like a fallacious man.