Act I: Scene 3, The Crucible Summary

Act I: Scene 3. In the third section of Act I, Reverend John Hale of Beverly enters. Reverend Hale is described as "nearing forty, a tight-skinned, eager-eyed intellectual" (Act I, p. 32). Hale enters carrying a half dozen heavy books, which he claims are "weighted with authority" (Act I, p. 36).

Introductions are made amongst the townspeople and Reverend Hale; John Proctor leaves alone to tend to his lumber. Parris leads Hale to his daughter, explaining she has tried leaping from the window and was found this morning waving her arms on the highroad as if she could fly. Reverend Hale responds to the signs of witchcraft, stating, "We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are as definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall...