When JJ Thomson discovered the electron he devised a model called the Plum Pudding Model to help explain the structure of the atom. Twelve years later, Ernest Rutherford's gold foil experiment disproved Thomson's Plum Pudding model with the discovery of the positively charged nucleus. For over a decade, people believed that the atom was a sphere of positive charge with flecks of negative particles, but when faced with indisputable facts, their thinking was proven wrong. When people don't know any better, they accept what is believed to be true as truth. When people have evidence and evidence, they tend to change their minds to favor the side supported by the evidence. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Reverend John Hale arrives in Salem assuming that Satan is there and that it is his duty to rid the town of its pretenses. By the time Hale realizes that the witch trials are fictitious, it is too late and many will still be hanged. Reverend Hale was more than honored to be called upon by Beverly for his expertise in witchcraft. He is a tight-skinned, sharp-eyed intellectual who arrives with an air of confidence and knowledge. He enters carrying a large stack of books “weighted with authority.” When Tituba confesses and calls out the names of those affiliated with the Devil, Hale is sure he has found the Devil. Hale exasperatedly reminds Proctor that "until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him handsome in heaven." This demonstrates Hale's belief that the Devil is alive in Salem. Lucifer is insidious and may appear in the form of those they trust the most so that they cannot cling to “old respects and ancient friends”. Nothing or anyone could be trusted based on old relationships. But... middle of paper... John Proctor's lust and Putnam's desire for land cause the innocent Elizabeth and George Jacobs to be arrested for witchcraft. In this theocratic society, the court is a testimony to God's justice; thus the court's decisions were equivalent to those of God. Hale states early on that his duty is to add what he can to the "divine wisdom of the court." By the end of the story, Reverend Hale has changed dramatically. After witnessing the injustice of the court, he loses faith in its power. The young and naive witch hunter who had a strong faith in God turned into a broken man that others surrender to the witch trials to survive. Hale's dogmatic view on things initially leads to the arrest of many innocent people. People cannot be too closed-minded and must be open to new possibilities that could change their lives.