Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Hale said, "The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!" What did Hale mean by this?

What this passage means is that Hale wants to investigate anyone who is accused of witchcraft, no matter who they are.


To "quail" means to shrink back in fear.  In this case, he is saying that they must not be afraid to investigate wherever they see evidence (the accusing finger) of witchcraft.


Hale says this when two respectable citizens, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse, are accused of being witches.  When their husbands try to argue, he shuts them down with the quote you cited.


It is because of this sort of attitude that Hale is instrumental in bringing about the trials.

No comments:

Post a Comment