The characters of Reverend Parris and Reverend Hale may seem completely different of you do not look into …show more content…
Reverend Parris is terrified for his daughter’s life and believes at first that it’s the work of the Devil through his servant Tituba. Belief in witchcraft is not the only thing that Reverend Hale and Parris have in common; they also share a strong passion for the things they care about. Reverend Parris shows his compassion when his daughter Betty has appeared to go under some spell or illness. It is shown in Act 1 how much Parris cares for his daughter when he says, “…Oh, my God! God help me! Betty. Child. Dear child. Will you wake, will you open your eyes! Betty, little one…” Parris becomes so frantic and fears losing his daughter, that later on he accuses his own niece of harming Betty and slaps her out of frustration. Similar to Reverend Parris, Reverend Hale shows a great deal of concern in the play. Even though Hales’ sympathy stretches farther and to more people than Parris, it is a good trait to acquire. Reverend Hale expresses his caring nature in Act 1 when they are attempting to wake Betty. Hale says, “Can you hear me? I am John Hale, minister of Beverly. …show more content…
As stated before, they both strive to save Salem and bring it to peace again, but they have different motivations for their actions. Reverend Hale, who is more kind-hearted, desires to save the city for the citizens of Salem, not himself. Reverend Hale wishes for the people to live happily with God, and not if fear of the Devil and witchcraft among their neighbors. He wishes to rid of the evil in the town for the better of the people, not himself. This, however, is not the case for Reverend Parris, who is deemed as selfish and greedy. Parris is desperate for the city of Salem to be back to normal again, not for the good of the people but to save himself. Reverend Parris has been losing the trust of the townspeople, John Proctor being one of them. As the minister of Salem, he is looked upon as a leader, and when terrible things like witchcraft is circulating throughout the city, he is going to be the one taking the blame for it. If the city of Salem is saved, so is Reverend Parris’s reputation. We see another difference between these two characters in Act 4, when John Proctor is being accused of walking with the Devil. When John Proctor refuses to sign the confession, both Parris and Hale beg him to sign the paper, but for different reasons. Reverend Hales’ reasoning is solely to save John’s life. Hale does an uncharacteristic thing and pressures John Proctor to lie