I think that Reverend Hale represents those individuals
who believe in the sincerity of their own emotions and convictions, but who can be
easily manipulated to do the bidding of others who have ulterior motives at hand.
Reverend Hale truly believes that what he is doing is right. He believes in stamping
out witches and Satan, as well as the devil. There is little doubt in that he
understands these ideals in a genuine and authentic manner. Yet, he does not grasp that
he is being used by those who wish to advance the trials for their own benefit. When he
does realize all too late as to what is happening, it does not make much in way of
difference.
It is here where Hale's significance in society
is noted. The idea of blindly following one's beliefs without questioning how they can
be manipulated is something that haunts Miller. Given his own experience with the hunt
against Communists, it stands to reason that Miller knew of people who legitimately
believed that Communism was bad. Yet, these individuals who possessed such open and
honest beliefs were manipulated by those such as McCarthy and Roy Cohn who saw what they
were doing not in terms of "right/ wrong" but in terms of power and the ability to
exercise it over people's lives. It is here where Miller constructs a character who is
flawed in Hale, even though he is legitimate and sincere of his beliefs. It is only
through this authenticity that he is victimized and through which he, inadvertently,
victimizes others.
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