In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Reverend John Hale's role in the witch trials changed from confident and passionate supporter to guilty and desperate dissident. He entered the play looking eager and eager to use his experience and knowledge in witchcraft and the devil to dispel the evil witches who were “trafficking with the devil” (Miller 61) in the town of Salem. Furthermore, he was proud of the fact that he had been specifically called upon to help with Salem's witch problem. However, by the end of the play, he was “immersed in grief” (Miller 119) and “exhausted.” He realized too late that the accusations of the affected girls were just made up lies. Furthermore, his mistake caused countless innocent people to be thrown into prison and hanged. With this revelation clouding his mind and breaking his heart, he became an anguished man who regretted his actions which aided in the conviction of numerous so-called witches. He later fought against the witch trials, but his actions were inadequate. The witch trials still continued. Hale ended up being a character who opposed the witch trials, but instead of going against the court as aggressively as John Proctor, he begged the defendant to confess to save his life. He believed it was better to lie and live than to deny and die. Changes in Reverend John Hale's diction reveal his shift from confident affirmations of witchcraft to determined denials of witchcraft and guilt. For example, when describing the contents of his book at Parris' house, he confidently guaranteed, "Don't be afraid now" (Miller 34), but later told Danforth, "My hand still trembles as if from a wound." (Miller 92) This shows the huge contrast that is... at the center of the card... as well as their hypocrisy. They firmly believed they were right, and Hale was not enough to convince them to shed their pride and beliefs. Reverend John Hale was a serious man who believed in witchcraft when he first arrived in Salem. It showed certainty and security, and was partly why witchcraft was used as a motive for the actions of afflicted girls. This man however changed as the show went on. He has become an anguished man whose certainty has gone down the drain. His realization that he was wrong about witchcraft transformed him into a man who spoke out directly against witchcraft. However, his pain denigrated him. He was no longer the confident man he once was, and his remorse led him to believe that the least he could do was try to save the lives of those who had been falsely accused. However, his attempts to stop the witch trials were ineffective.