The Dalai Lama once said, "The ultimate authority must always rest with the individual's own reason and critical analysis." Authority should never be taken for granted because of what it is capable of. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible Reverend Hales's power most nearly means authority in terms of investigating the trial on witchcraft in Salem. Without authority, the society will have no order, but without justice, corruption rapidly expands. A stable society requires both authority and justice to endeavor as a whole without any conflicts. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Reverend John Hale attempts to satisfy the citizens of Salem by genuinely trying to satisfy the two requirements for a stable society: authority and justice. As The Crucible progresses, Reverend Hale learns that in order to rightfully serve justice for the town of Salem, he must lose his ambition for authority and defend the people who are in harm's way. Although Reverend John Hale's position of authority changes throughout the play, his love and true concern for Salem's well-being never changes.
             When Reverend John Hale arrives in Salem, he immediately gets the respect of the townspeople because of his intention of curing the town from witchcraft. When townspeople such as Mr. and Mrs. Putnam start drawing conclusions about Paris' daughter, Betty, and her conditions, Reverend John Hale reinforces his authority by saying, "No, no. Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superstition in this. The Devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone, and I must tell you all that I shall not proceed unless you are prepared to believe me if I should find no bruise of Hell upon her" (35). Reverend Hale asserts power when he explains to the Putnams that he must be in control because they know very little about the matter of witchcraft when he says, "Now let me instruct you. We cannot look to superst...