Final answer:
Reverend Hale's man vs society conflict in The Crucible intensifies over the course of the play, manifesting most strongly in the later acts as he grapples with the injustice of the Salem witch trials, eventually acting against the societal norms to save the lives of those accused.
Step-by-step explanation:
When in The Crucible do you see Reverend Hale struggle with a man vs society conflict? The character Reverend Hale experiences a man vs society conflict primarily in the later acts of Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible. Throughout the drama, Hale transitions from a confident witchcraft expert to a conflicted man who questions the societal norms of Salem. His struggle is most evident when he begins to realize that the witch trials are not rooted in truth, and he must decide whether to maintain his reputation and position or stand against the unjust proceedings of the court. In Act II, Hale starts to see discrepancies and doubt creeps in, and by Act III, his inner turmoil becomes more pronounced as he observes the manipulations within the trials. Hale's conflict culminates in Act IV, where his conscience drives him to return to Salem to counsel the condemned to falsely confess, to save their lives from the noose - a clear act of desperation and opposition against the societal consensus.