e and dire consequences upon himself and hisfamily, he steps forward to save the reputation and life of his wife. Proctor calls upon thecourt to summon his wife to verify his faithlessness, swearing there are them that cannotsing and them that cannot weep---my wife cannot lie. I have paid much to learn it. Theirony of his confession of adultery to save his bride comes full circle when she denies hisadultery to save him. Ultimately, Proctor chooses to denounce the lie of doing theDevils work, knowing that the choice of truth will mean his death. The value of justice in the ordered society of Salem is also put to the test. WhenBetty Parris, the daughter of the self-serving Reverend Parris, falls ill , the wholecountrys talkinwitchcraft. Parris, to save his tenuous position as minister of the flock,calls in an expert in expelling demons, the Reverend John Hale. Reverend Hale is anintellectual, full of desire to put to practice the tools he possesses that are weighted withauthority. As Reverend Hale responds to the pleas of parents to intervene on behalf oftheir daughters, the deceit of Abigail and the dancing girls takes on a life of its own,resulting in the formation of a tribunal to judge the implicated witches. The reverend findshimself caught up in a system of justice where confessions of consorting with the Devil arerewarded with forgiveness and life, while denial of impurity and witchcraft are harshlypunished with death. Repeatedly, he tries to assert the value of justice, protesting thatElizabeth Proctor is unjustly arrested and advocating that her husband be allowed alawyer. I may shut my conscience to it no more, he cries as the court turns their focuson Proctor, and eventually he leaves the court in the name of justice. The test ofReverend Hales sense of justice later takes an ironic turn, when he returns to minister tothe condemned. As he upholds the value he places on justice, he supports Proctorsultimate decisi...
